Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds are proving to be quite the pairing, aren’t they?
Like Free Guy, this is a wonderfully imaginative, fun, and endearing film with a strong message at the center. It should be noted that the VFX in this look absolutely wonderful. None of the CGI ever felt out of place or distracted from the experienced. Looked impressive when so much VFX is subpar nowadays.
Ryan Reynolds again, plays himself. Or at least his type that he tends to gravitate too. But by casting him alongside his “younger” self, his talent is able to shine in less than cliche ways. The banter isn’t just one sided, there’s a sense of self awareness and reflection that was welcomed in a world where so many blockbusters feel the same. Don’t be surprised if you have a few good laughs.
There’s a strong emphasis on tonal balance. For every comedic moment, there’s a moment of levity between characters, or something dramatic that up’s the stakes. Some really difficult decisions of sacrifice are made within this story that should be commended. Stories should have consequences that mean something. That’s especially prevalent in its overarching theme of love – from being a husband, a son, a mother – and a father. Lots to unpack and connect with there.
That said, the movie stands out more in those small moments. Occasionally when a big set piece came along, I wanted it to be over so we could get back to the characters and their relationships. They get more impressive as time went on, with excellent direction, great choreography, well timed humor and cool gadgets (another lightsaber nod from Levy for the win). I just wish the film had leaned into that even heavier.
Jennifer Garner is sorely underutilized here. She disappears after her most interesting scene with Reynolds and is somehow never at the house when it’s attacked. Seeing her in on everything, especially with Mark Ruffalo, would’ve added another welcome layer to the proceedings. She’s too good to be sidelined like that. When Ruffalo does show up, it almost seems like we jumped to a second movie or different episode. The main missions gets resolved very quickly and then a whole other missions comes out of nowhere. Felt like a little much at times and certain decisions aren’t fully fleshed out. There’s a tragedy in the ending that I think could’ve been handled a little smoother but it’s still melancholy, yet happy at the same time.
The time travel itself isn’t as messy as usual, they have a convenient “it won’t affect me because I’m not in my meant time” but that’s not always played consistently, especially with the villain near the end of the film. There’s some hand waving to be done but it’s not too difficult to look past.
Speaking of Maya, she falls completely flat as a villain and character. I really had no idea what her motivations were, can’t remember why she be treated everyone, or wanted control – and we don’t ever really know what she did to make the world so awful. Sure, we’re told. But we aren’t shown. In this case, the world building is lackluster & lazy in the name of having a tight movie. To make one care, in this high level concept, that’s needed. The Terminator doesn’t work without seeing that awful future.
The Adam Project is a bonafide hit for Netflix and it’s easy to see why. Cool action, great humor and a touching story about family really sell this a must see for family blockbusters. As a relatively new parent, it spoke deeply to me.
4 out of 5 stars
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