InThe Adam Project—the second collaboration from directorShawn LevyandRyan Reynoldsafter the success of last year’sFree Guy—Reynold’s Adam Reed time travels from 2050 to 2022 and crashes near the home of his twelve-year-old self (Walker Scobell). The older Adam will gladly explain the basic details of his story, how he’s come to 2022 to find his missing pilot wife Laura (Zoe Saldaña), while being chased by Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener), who has used time travel for her own selfish gains. Yet whenever Adam is confronted with any understandable questions about the machinations of how any of this is happening, how two of him can exist in one timeline, or why his enemies tend to combust whenever old or young Adam kills one, Adam seems to get frustrated by any examination of this scenario.
When asked about the enemies who explode after they are supposedly killed by Adam, he shrugs off the implications with a variation of “it’s complicated!” When the younger Adam or Adam’s father Louis (Mark Ruffalo) asks any serious questions about the impact that Adam’s time travel might have in the larger world, he tells the person to shut their mouths or to stop asking so many questions. Despite its four credited writers, it becomes clear extremely early on thatThe Adam Projecthas only considered its world in broad strokes. While granted,The Adam Projectis far more interested in both young and older Adam’s relationships with his mom (Jennifer Garner) and dad—and that is where the movie is at its best—The Adam Projectspends too much time bogged down with the generic sci-fi details of this world, but without having any interest in exploring this story beyond the surface.
Again, this isn’t to say thatThe Adam Projectneeds to sit down and explain the minutiae of time travel to a child, but the film continuously raises questions without ever having any curiosity in answering them. It’s almost as if Levy and the writers want to address the questions audiences will have with a time travel story so that they know these questions were at least considered, but then makes sure the audience knows there is no reason to even care. Even when young Adam is quickly on board with the fact that he’s spending time with a version of himself that’s 28 years older, Reynolds’ Adam seems shocked just how few details he needed to be convinced by this situation.The Adam Projecttends to take young Adam’s approach to this story: the less said the better. Just accept the reality of the situation, shut up, and move forward.
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To balance outThe Adam Project’s sci-fi ideas is an occasionally sweet and kind film about the older Adam reckoning with how he treated his mom as a kid and the frustrations he had with his father, while the younger Adam becomes aware that the way he considers his parents as a child will have a long-lasting effect both on himself and his family. Like withFree Guy,The Adam Projectworks best when it focuses on this earnestness, away from the craziness surrounding the plot. InThe Adam Project’s best scene, Reynolds’ Adam goes to a local bar his mother frequents after particularly hard days. In the scene, Adam has to come face-to-face with the trouble he gave his mother, while also trying to explain that despite her son’s attitude, he still loves her deeply. It’s a genuine moment of heart and love thatThe Adam Projectcould, frankly, use more of.
The Adam Projectalso segments its story in an odd way, with each act concentrating on another person from Adam’s past, be it his mother, his wife, or his father. This awkward structure allowsThe Adam Projectto focus on these important parts of Adam’s life, before almost completely ignoring them after. Each of these sections allows for lovely moments between Adam and those people in his life, but the way the film mostly drops them once their time with Adam is done is strange, especially when these segments end on major emotional moments. Even in these touching scenes,The Adam Projecttries to bite off more than it can chew.
ButThe Adam Projectalso seems to think there’s an inherent sense of wonder and awe to this story that just doesn’t exist. Part of this is the fairly basic sci-fi narrative, but part of this is also a lack of any real original ideas. For example, a major aspect of both young and older Adam is that he’s a smartass whose big mouth often gets in trouble. If you’re thinking this sounds like every other Reynolds character, you’d be exactly right. Reynolds is doing his usual schtick that, sure, can be charming, but has been done to death at this point. Reynolds shines in those emotional moments, but the more humorous, lighthearted scenes feel like every other Reynolds performance. Levy also tries to make Adam into his own version of Star-Lord: a human traveler from space who is in love with Zoe Saldaña and is frequently soundtracked by classic rock. LikeFree Guy, Levy even gives Reynolds a lightsaber once more, and like inFree Guy, this reveal falls flat again.
ButThe Adam Project’s issue is that it almost always lays out an interesting concept, then completely ignores it, or tells the audience not to worry about it—sometimes directly. What starts as an almostE.T.-like story succumbs to bland sci-fi tropes that the film raises then wants the audience to completely ignore. There are authentic and warm moments, but they’re punctuated with banal, tired jokes, or the characters these scenes center around are completely avoided afterward.The Adam Projectpresents itself as a kid’s movie, then has a child murder several enemies, while the film again asks the audience to not worry about this too much. There’s authenticity and sincerity that truly works inThe Adam Project, but it’s unfortunately hidden under layers of boring sci-fi nonsense and failed attempts at dull humor.
