Ryan Reynolds continues to take over Netflix. After 6 Underground and Red Notice, the actor starred in a new time travel action movie, The Adam Project. Nearly until its release, the film was a dark horse – the streaming service scored in full on advertising, but to no avail. I have been able to see the project and am ready to share my impressions.
What is Project Adam about?
Adam Reid is a time travel pilot. While escaping from 2050, he accidentally ends up in 2022. In the past, a man finds himself (of school age) and tells of the purpose of the journey – to find his mysteriously missing wife.
Now our hero, in the person of two people at once, will have to unravel the events of the past, discover a conspiracy and at the same time cope with the loss of his father, who died in an accident.
Netflix movies have never been over-the-top. Project Adam is no exception. You should not expect any special intrigue, nor are they trying to create it. We soon meet a villain whose motives copy almost exactly Biff’s idea from Back to the Future. The film is just under two hours, so the characters don’t have time to think about what’s happening.
Unexpectedly, the film with Reynolds turned out to be not just a story about Deadpool. The director of the film, who has already worked with the actor on Free Guy, has shown that he can perfectly combine light comedy with a million references to modern culture and serious dramatic themes. In “Adam” the formula also works successfully.
With humor, the film has complete order – the jokes are not vulgar and only in the right places. The combat flows smoothly into philosophical discussions about the ‘butterfly effect’ and the story’s second nature is offset by a more personal and down-to-earth presentation.
Characteristic of the image was an unusual approach to the essence of temporal movements. An experienced viewer is used to the fact that two identical people should never cross paths. In this case, they spit on all the lines from the first minutes. It’s nice that the film explains why nothing bad is going to happen. This concept is rarely seen in well-known works and therefore looks fresh.
Characters and actors
The chemistry between the characters is the best in the movie. Very well managed to show Adam in different time periods. It’s hard to expect incredible drama from Ryan Reynolds, but here he pleasantly surprised. The image of a headstrong but sad and tired 40-year-old man is no less suited to the famous prankster than to Deadpool’s red mask.
Not far behind the older friend and a young actor – Walker Scobell (Walker Scobell). His Adam successfully combines the naivety of a child with the seriousness of a man who survived a family tragedy. Usually in such projects children are either annoying or become the main target of jokes. A good balance has been struck in the film, so it is interesting to see the tandem of a boy and a man united by one sadness.
Reynolds managed not only to play the character, but also to make the characters of the young and adult Adams the same. This is not just some relationship between a pilot from the future and a schoolboy, but literally a hero who is amused and angry by the same things.
Both versions go their own way of development and reconsider some views and beliefs. Self-talk has never been more thoughtful – we see “talking to your inner child” in reality.
The secondary characters are also gone. They are shown schematically, but they are remembered and look alive. I would like to say a few words about Father Adam. He is played by much beloved Mark Ruffalo. Surprisingly, this character also has its own solid storyline.
It seems that the director was much more interested in showing the exact relationship between father and son, and not in a hurricane action movie, which is rather a plus in this case.
The villain, played by Catherine Keener, doesn’t evoke much emotion. As I wrote above, her motivation is clear. Adam claims that in the future a woman will hold the whole world under her heels, but we are not shown this. It is strange that such an influential person caught a dangerous traitor with only one detachment of soldiers.
The Missing Woman is played by Zoe Saldana-Perego. There is very little of her in the film, and any explanations will be spoilers. Gamora keeps the overall high level of performance in the frame and becomes a pleasing addition to the powerful cast.
Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana are top-notch stars who agreed to partner with Netflix. If “Project Adam” is a success, and judging by the reviews from critics and viewers, it is, then we can expect some in other movies.
Do you like Ryan Reynolds as an actor?
Battles and References
There are few fights in the film – a few fights, but one large-scale aircraft chase. The arsenal of the future consists of invisible armor, gravity grenades, drones and a folding stick that resembles a Jedi sword.
Especially cool moments are associated with melee weapons. The magic bat can be single- or double-bladed, capable of bouncing off the ground, throwing the wearer in the air and cutting trees in half with ease. The Star Wars parallels are enhanced when one of the villains has a similar nunchaku with a reddish glow, while Adam has a blue-purple blade. This is done intentionally – the heroes constantly emphasize the resemblance to a laser sword.
The potential of invisibility was unfortunately not revealed. The hero does not know how to do this, and enemy soldiers almost never use their obvious advantage.
As far as flights go, there are no surprises here. The planes don’t look too high-tech, you see a high-quality action scene, but don’t expect a wow effect.
The fights in the film are certainly not boring, but they feel like a completely optional part of the story. Flights could easily be reduced by increasing hand-to-hand combat, and the potential of the local “laser sword” was clearly not fully revealed.
There are much fewer references in the image than in the “Protagonist”, but they are all chosen as best as possible. In addition to the already described hello Star Wars, you will notice jokes about the Marvel and DC universes, as well as Deadpool and Back to the Future. A sophisticated viewer will certainly be pleased, though there won’t be any solid fan service this time around.
Problems and Disadvantages
Like many Netflix movies, Project Adam isn’t perfect. There are a few moments in the plot that will make the hand reach for the face, and the graphics sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Someone will be upset by the stupidity of opponents, while others will grin at “good turns”.
The explanation is mainly why little Adam had to be taken out of his own timeline. The wording about unreadable DNA from a wound sounds, to say the least, silly.
The failure was the “rejuvenation” of one of the actresses. Unfortunately, Netflix still has a long way to go to Disney level with their Luke Skywalker from The Book of Boba Fett. A face glued to another body looks terrifying and unnatural, reminiscent of Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Another drawback was the overly “ordinary” people of the future. It seems that apart from the invention of time travel, nothing has changed dramatically in their lives. But you can also jump into the future. The topic has not been disclosed, good, or saved for follow-up. The situation could be corrected by showing the world in 2050, but alas.
Project Adam is a solid movie that won’t just be of interest to geeks. He barely manages to impress with a hurricane action, but he brings up many important topics, makes you think and laughs.
And unfortunately, this is the last Netflix movie we’ll be able to see in official dubbing, so don’t miss the shot.
Are you watching Project Adam?
Source: VG Times
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.