I have nothing bad to say about Netflix’s action comedy with Ryan Reynolds. This is the type of saccharine sweet, heart-felt mushy gunk I hate to admit I enjoy. The Adam Project is not original, unique, or better than any other film of this type. But it does have time travel, a love story, and some truly heartbreaking sentimental crap about enjoying what you have while you have it. Add to that a spectacular cast which includes the youngest cast member played by Walker Scobell and you have got yourself an entertaining and enjoyable 1 hour, 46 minutes on the couch.
So why is the Adam Project all that and a bag of chips? Well for starters there are some perfectly time movie references scattered throughout the proceedings. At the top of the list is the “Back to the Future” title uttered by young Adam about the fact an older and more muscly Adam (Ryan Reynolds) appears to have gone back in time to 2022. He is now a fighter pilot with a fancy aircraft that has a pretty neat cloaking device. Star Wars lingo is repeatedly referenced because some of the weapons used closely resemble lightsabers. The Terminator is touched on briefly because young Adam has loads of questions for his future self and one of the answers results in;
“Like The Terminator, on a good day,”
Ryan Reynolds’ Adam quote from the Adam Project
Movie References Galore in The Adam Project
And of course, there are some Deadpool and Free Guy references because both probably seemed like appropriate Easter Eggs for a new Ryan Reynolds film. Last but not least, there, is a more obscure utterance from dad Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo) when he notices a student’s T-shirt in a seminar with an image of Nicolas Cage on it. The picture has appointed the name “John Travolta” under it, squaring off with anyone who knows anything about the film “Face Off”.
A popcorn flick to rival your previous favorite, The Adam Project smushes all these fun details into a movie about saving the world. After the death of his father, an older, wiser, and more buff Adam turns up to destroy any and all-time travel research so that the evil forces who stole it can’t ruin everything for everyone. But while he is recuperating from a nasty gunshot wound he hangs out with his younger self. Together they run into all sorts of trouble. From bullies to warriors from the future. The duo even gets to go back in time to 2018 in an attempt to fix some errors from the past.
Get Your Popcorn Flick Here
Special effects are flashy and the script is tighter than Deadpool’s red superhero suit. With no surprise, the writers behind “The Adam Project” are top-notch hard-hitters including Johnathan Tropper (Banshee TV series), T.S Nowlin (Maze Runner), and Jennifer Flackett (Big Mouth TV series) it’s safe to say this is a film that really couldn’t fail. Add to that Free Guy director Shawn Levy and if you skip past this one on Netflix, you’re missing out.
The Adam Project is rated
4.5 future self meets past self out of 5
The cast for The Adam Project features Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Walker Scobell, Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, and Catherine Keener.
Adam Project Movie Free To Watch On Netflix
Produced by 21 Laps Entertainment. You can watch The Adam Project on Netflix in most regions. The film dropped on the platform in March 2022 and you can watch it for free with a subscription.