15
ON THE SCREEN
WHAT TO WATCH WHEN
YOU’RE STAYING HOME
MARCH 30�APRIL 6, 2022
Netflix’s ‘The Adam Project’ has a winning sci-fi formula
By Mark Meszoros
The News-Herald
THE ADAM
PROJECT
3 stars (out of 4)
MPAA rating: PG-13 (for
violence/action, language
and suggestive references)
Running time 1:46
Where to watch: On Netfl ix
W
atch Walker Scobell for
only a minute or so in
“The Adam Project” and you’ll be
convinced he spent hours study-
ing Ryan Reynolds in preparation
for the movie.
In the consistently entertain-
ing and relatively family-friendly
sci-fi action romp — which plays
like a cross between “Back to
the Future” and “Big” and de-
buted on Netfl ix — the 13-year-
old Scobell portrays the younger
version of Reynolds’ character,
Adam Reed.
As Young Adam, Scobell has
his older counterpart’s speech
cadence down and sounds like
a chip off the sarcastic-but-
charming block.
Apparently, the actor — who,
according to the movie’s pro-
duction notes, had done little
more than a middle-school play
before cast — already had done
the needed prep work for “The
Adam Project.” A huge fan of
the “Deadpool” movies, which
Doane Gregory/Netfl ix/TNS
Walker Scobell, left, and Ryan Reynolds in “The Adam Project.”
star Reynolds as the titular foul-
mouthed, murderous antihero,
Scobell apparently had memo-
rized “Deadpool 2” by the time
he was 11. (Given the content of
those decidedly R-rated super-
hero romps, we may need to
have a talk with his parents.)
“The Adam Project” begins by
informing us via on-screen text
that time travel is real but that we
just don’t know it yet. We then
meet Reynolds’ Adam in 2050, in
the middle of a stressful situa-
tion. Big Adam is piloting a craft
above earth’s atmosphere we
will come to know as a “time jet.”
He’s bleeding and confi rms to a
woman over the radio that he is,
in fact, stealing it. As he’s being
fi red upon by another craft, he
opens a wormhole in space and
fl ies through it.
We then cut to 2022, where
we meet Young Adam.
“Adam!” yells another boy
chasing him through a crowded
school hallway. “I’m going to kill
you!”
Seems Adam has always had
a way with people.
Young Adam is a handful for
Your
Adventure
Awaits!
Thousands of titles
Unlimited # of sessions at
’
his mom, Ellie (Jennifer Garner,
“Love, Simon”), who’s raising
him alone since the accidental
death a year or so ago of his
father.
Upset with her son for now
being suspended from school
for fi ghting for the third time,
she asks him why he’s just taken
on a schoolmate twice his size.
“EVERYONE is twice my size!”
he says. “I’ve seen babies big-
ger than me!”
Not surprisingly, then, when
he meets his future self — Big
Adam, it turns out, has trav-
eled back in time to 2022 and is
hiding out in the family garage
while he heals — he’s pretty ex-
cited to see all the muscles he’ll
develop over the decades.
At fi rst, of course, he doesn’t
know he’s just met an older
version of himself and threatens
the visitor with a baseball bat.
“If I wanted to hurt you,” Big
HOT FOOD
COLD BEER
and our Coffee is
always on!
supplies for fishing and picnics too!
2400 Resort Street
Baker City, OR 97814
Explore the ONLINE LIBRARY at www.bakerlib.org
541.523.6419
info@bakerlib.org
Adam says, “I’d have done it
already. Because if I’m being
honest with myself, you have a
very punchable face.”
It doesn’t take long for Young
Adam to piece together who
this guy is, and he soon learns
Big Adam needs his help in his
all-important mission.
The adventure that follows
involves more time travel and
brings into the fold secondary
characters portrayed by Zoe
Saldana (“Star Trek”), Mark Ruf-
falo (“Avengers: Endgame”) and
Catherine Keener (“Capote”).
“The Adam Project” is nicely
directed by Shawn Levy, whose
credits include 2003’s “Cheaper
by the Dozen,” 2005’s “Night
at the Museum” and last year’s
“Free Guy,” which also starred
Reynolds. The two greatly
enjoyed each other and sought
out another project, landing on
a script co-written by Jonathan
Tropper, who saw his 2009
novel, “This Is Where I Leave
You,” adapted for the big screen
by Levy in 2014.
Levy deserves a lot of credit
for what works here, from the
pacing down to a few well-
placed classic-rock songs,
including Led Zeppelin’s “Good
Times Bad Times.”
214 W North St. Enterprise, OR
541-426-4824