''The Adam Project'' is a 2022 American

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

directed by

Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy (; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwid ...

and written by Jonathan Tropper, T. S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett, and

Mark Levin Mark Reed Levin (; born September 21, 1957) is an American broadcast news analyst, columnist, lawyer, political commentator, radio personality, and writer. He is the host of syndicated radio show '' The Mark Levin Show'', as well as '' Life, ...

. The movie stars

Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...

, Walker Scobell in his film debut,

Mark Ruffalo Mark Alan Ruffalo (; born November 22, 1967) is an American actor. He began acting in the late 1980s and first gained recognition for his work in Kenneth Lonergan's play ''This Is Our Youth'' (1996) and drama film ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000) ...

Jennifer Garner Jennifer Anne Garner (born April 17, 1972) is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company ...

Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academ ...

and

Zoe Saldaña Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego ( , ; ; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress. Known primarily for her work in science fiction film franchises, she has starred in four of the seven List of highest-grossing films, highest-grossing films of al ...

. Reynolds plays the title character, a fighter pilot who steals a time jet and lands in 2022, encountering his 12-year-old self (Scobell), who had been dealing with the loss of his father (Ruffalo) the year before, and must work together to prevent the assassination of his wife (Saldaña) and stop the leader from his timeline (Keener) from monopolizing time travel. Production on the film first began in 2012 with

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

attached to star. The film then fell into

development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...

until

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

acquired the distribution rights. Filming commenced in November 2020 and wrapped in March 2021. Rob Simonsen composed the score. ''The Adam Project'' began a limited "one night only" theatrical release on March 9, 2022, followed by its streaming release on March 11. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances, action sequences, visual effects, and its inspiration from 1980s movies, but criticized its writing and storyline. The film ranks as the third most popular movie on Netflix worldwide, accumulating 157.6 million views in its first 28 days.

Plot

In a dystopian 2050, fighter pilot Adam Reed steals a time jet to escape to 2018 to save his wife, Laura, who was ordered by Sorian to be assassinated. During his escape, he is injured and crash-lands in 2022, where he encounters his 12-year-old self, who has been suspended after being bullied in school and is distant from his mother Ellie after the death of his father Louis Reed the previous year. At first, Young Reed distrusts his future self but realizes he's telling the truth when 2050 Adam mentions his life and knows his dog. 2050 Adam decides to bring his younger self along to find Laura in 2018 once his injuries are healed. Both Adams are soon attacked by Maya Sorian, the leader of the dystopian world, and her assistant Christos. However, they are saved by Laura, who has faked her death and stayed off-grid in an unknown location via a

gun A gun is a device that Propulsion, propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or water cannon, cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). So ...

and the plasmic MAG/CYL. After briefly losing the pursuers, Laura and the Adams realize that after the invention of time travel by Louis and his subsequent death, Sorian has monopolized the discovery. They find Sorian frequently came and advised her 2018 self to secure her future wealth and power. Laura's hideout is discovered by Christos. Laura holds them off while the two Adams escape, sacrificing herself as she is vaporized by Sorian. The Adams escape into 2018, where they visit Louis Reed and attempt to enlist his help, but he refuses out of concern for the effects on the time stream. Meanwhile, the 2050 Sorian warns her 2018 self about Adam. The following day, the two Adams set off to destroy the particle accelerator located underground at Sorian Technologies. They come under attack by Sorian's soldiers waiting for them but are saved by Louis, who has changed his mind and agrees to guide them. He reveals that destroying the machine will not destroy time travel as long as Sorian has his algorithm with the math and constraints to control the process, so decides to destroy the memory unit instead. Meanwhile, 2050 Sorian captures the younger Adam and holds him hostage as Louis and 2050 Adam remove an algorithm memory unit. 2050 Adam distracts Sorian and Christos enough for younger Adam to free himself, resulting in damage to the electromagnetic seal around the accelerator, which tears the facility apart. The Reeds manage to take out Christos after a lengthy fight, but the older Sorian threatens to kill Louis, who remains adamant and refuses to hand over the memory unit. She shoots at Louis. However, the armor-piercing bullet is altered by the electromagnetic field and hits 2018 Sorian instead, killing her and hence wiping 2050 Sorian out of existence. The Reeds barely manage to escape the facility's implosion and return home, where they reconcile by playing a game of catch before the Adams fade out and return to their respective time periods. In 2022, the younger Adam has not been suspended, has let go of his anger, and hugs his mother. Sometime in the future, an older and much happier Adam meets Laura during a flight training lecture where she realizes, to Adam's amusement, that she has entered the wrong building on the campus. Adam offers to walk her to her building, stating that he has time, and they depart together.

Cast

as Adam Reed (2050), a time pilot who risks his life to try and uncover the truth behind his wife's disappearance. ** Walker Scobell as 12-year-old Adam (2022), a bullied,

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

tic

sixth grade Sixth grade (also 6th grade or grade 6) is the sixth year of formal or compulsory education. Students in sixth grade are usually 11-12 years old. It is commonly the first or second grade of middle school or the last grade of elementary school, an ...

r suffering from depression due to his father dying from a car accident. Levy, Reynolds, their team of producers and casting director Carmen Cuba had auditioned hundreds of young actors before eventually landing on Scobell for his acting debut. ** Isaiah Haegert as 8-year-old Adam (2018). *

as Louis Reed, Adam's father and a brilliant quantum physicist who wrote the algorithm necessary for controlled time travel. Reed died in 2021 in a car accident, and Adam still suffers from depression. *

as Ellie Reed, Adam's mother. Garner also portrays her younger self in 2018. *

as Maya Sorian, a businesswoman who funded Louis' research and later took advantage of his death to monopolize it for her own benefit and create a future where she is the most powerful woman in the world. ** Keener also portrays her younger self through de-aging, with Lucie Guest as her body double. *

as Laura Shane, Adam's wife and a fellow time pilot left stranded in 2018 after a failed attempt on her life. Saldaña also portrays her alternate version in the changed timeline. * Alex Mallari Jr. as Christos, Adam and Laura's former colleague, now a ruthless security enforcer employed by Sorian. * Ben Wilkinson as Derek, Ellie's new boyfriend with a " mouth mullet", as Adam calls it.

Production

Development

The project, a

spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

written by T. S. Nowlin, was initially announced as ''Our Name Is Adam'' in October 2012.

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

became interested in acquiring the film, and

was attached to star. The film was revived in July 2020 when it moved to

, with

as director and

set to star after previously collaborating on ''

Free Guy ''Free Guy'' is a 2021 American action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudk ...

'' (2021), while the latest draft of the script was written by Jonathan Tropper, from previous drafts by Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett and

. In November,

, Zoe Saldana,

, Alex Mallari Jr. and Walker Scobell were added to the cast.

Filming

Filming commenced in November 2020 in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Filming officially wrapped in March 2021.

Music

Rob Simonsen composed the score. A track from the film titled "The Adam Project" was released as a single on March 3, 2022.

Release

The film began a

limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...

only on March 9, 2022, at 7:00PM

Eastern Standard Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behind ...

followed by its release on

on March 11.

Reception

Audience viewership

According to

Samba TV Samba TV is a television technology company that offers real-time insights and audience analytics. It was founded in 2008 by early employees of BitTorrent, including Samba TV's current chief executive officer, Ashwin Navin. The company develops ...

, 3 million US households watched ''The Adam Project'' in its first weekend streaming on

. Samba TV also showed that 384,000 households watched the film within the first 3-days of that period. The film ranks as the third most popular movie on Netflix, with 157.6 million views.

Critical response

Ryan Leston of

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

gave it 9 out of 10 and called it a mash-up of ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...

'' and '' The Last Starfighter''. He praised Reynolds for his performance and Scobell for his debut performance.

Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...

of '' Variety'' wrote: "The movie is a total trifle, but it’s often a diverting one — a wide-eyed sci-fi adventure with a screwball buoyancy."

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adam Project, The 2022 science fiction action films 2022 action adventure films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 21 Laps Entertainment films American science fiction action films American action adventure films American time travel films Netflix original films Films about father–son relationships Films about mother–son relationships 2020s films about time travel Films directed by Shawn Levy Films produced by David Ellison Films produced by Ryan Reynolds Films produced by Shawn Levy Films scored by Rob Simonsen Films set in Seattle Films set in Washington (state) Films shot in Vancouver Maximum Effort films Skydance Media films Films set in 2018 Films set in 2022 Films set in 2050 Films with screenplays by Jennifer Flackett Films with screenplays by Jonathan Tropper Films with screenplays by Mark Levin Films with screenplays by T. S. Nowlin English-language science fiction action films English-language action adventure films