Family ties, the importance of having a loved one, the realization of the life you know you have to share with someone else or work towards brightening one for what you call your future – the child. But when the family falls due to a tragedy or is broken apart by choice, it leaves an irreparable sign in those who we promised to protect upon bringing to this life.
Adam (Walker Scobell) is a 12-year-old boy, with a sharp tongue, wise mind, and broken heart. He still copes with the loss of his father (Mark Ruffalo) and tries to be independent as much as he can, so his mother (Jennifer Garner) does not have to do much for him. However, it results in him being distanced from his only parent. When, after his mother goes out on a doomed date, he finds an injured soldier in his garage, soon to realize it is his older version (Ryan Reynolds). The two team up to travel back to the year when their father is still alive to destroy the time machine and save his life.
Adam is always bullied at school. But even the countless bruises and never-ending fights do not stop him from making his point. In the meantime, Adam, from the Dystopian 2050, is a fighter pilot on a rescue mission. However, accidentally, instead of landing in 2018, ends up in 2022 instead, which brings with him the tail – the killer squad sent by Sorian (Catherine Keener). Despite the futuristic concept and lots of fighting scenes, Shawn Levy’s “The Adam Project” is about family reunification, understanding the past, present times and what needs to be made right.
Screenplay by Jonathan Tropper, T.S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin has created lots of room for improvisation, therefore, it has plenty of opportunities to make it funny and sentimental at the same time. Strangely, it worked perfectly, giving us a rare glimpse of what the younger and older Adam get about life itself – what they do to find a common cause and fight for what matters – their love for their parents and cherish the ones who were left behind. Walker Scobell does not fall behind and keeps the acting top-notch to match Ryan Reynolds’ comedic skills and ability to deliver biting lines. Both were great. Equally.
As for Catherine Keener, she is perhaps one of the best actors of her generation who is absolutely magnificent at portraying villains. Even though she delivered a more relaxed but balanced performance as Maya Sorian, her Gertrude Baniszewski performance remains the most brutally realistic to date. Jennifer Garner is always a great addition to any film. However, her lack of screen time in “The Adam Project” hurts the film even though I guess it fits well into the storyline. But it’s the concept of the film that works well, especially the ending that will surely bring tears to your eyes. It’s that moment that gives hope and belief in goodness, and “The Adam Project” perfectly crafts that throughout.