A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali Khan
We
all have grown up watching summer blockbuster films from Hollywood. As far as I
am concerned, ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ are two films
which best define the summer blockbuster experience. The Adam Project is the
latest in the long line of such films from Hollywood. Now, it’s worth
mentioning that in the recent years the superhero films have stolen the spot
from the traditional summer blockbuster films. Interestingly, the production on
‘The Adam Project’ first began in 2012 and it does make sense, for in the
recent years owing to the growing popularity of superhero films we haven’t been
witnessing such old school mass entertainers as frequently as we used to.
Initially, Tom Cruise was attached to ‘The Adam Project’ but the film then fell
into development hell until Netflix acquired the distribution rights from
Paramount Pictures about eight years later. Filming inally commenced in
November 2020 and it got completed in March 2021. Almost a decade in the
making, ‘The Adam Project’ is finally out on Netflix.
‘The Adam Project’ stars Ryan
Reynolds (who also serves as a producer), Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker
Scobell, Catherine Keener, and Zoe Saldana. The film is directed by the
Canadian film director Shawn Levy whose directorial credits include Night at
the Museum series, Real Steel, Big Fat Liar, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Free
Guy, among others. The screenplay of ‘The Adam Project’ is co-written by Jonathan
Tropper, T.S. Nowlin, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin.
The story revolves around a
13 year old boy named Adam Reed (brilliantly essayed by Walker Scobell) who is
still grieving the sudden death of his father a year earlier. One night he
walks into his garage and finds a wounded pilot hiding there. Now, this
mysterious pilot is none other than the older version of Adam who has come from
the future wherein time travel is possible but it is still in its early days.
We learn that the older Adam has risked everything to come back in time on a
secret mission. Together both of them must embark on an adventure into the past
to find their father, set things right, and save the world. Working together,
both the young and the grown-up Adam come to terms with the loss of their
father (essayed by Mark Ruffalo) and have a chance to redeem themselves by healing
the wounds that have shaped them. What makes the things a little more
interesting is that during the mission the two Adams realize they really don't
like each other very much. So, if they really want to succeed in saving the
world, they are first going to have to figure out how to get along.
As evident from the
storyline, ‘The Adam Project’ is a throwaway to countless other films from the
‘80s and the ‘90s inspired by the idea of saving the world from those trying to
destroy or change it for the worse through the use of some new technology. Here
we have a villainess by the name of Maya Sorian (essayed by Catherine Keener)
whose lust for power knows no bounds. She will stop at nothing to unleash her
evil designs. Keener, who has played many short but memorable roles in various
indie films, seems to embrace the dark side really well. But what hurts a
little is that Catherine plays Maya as if she herself hates her. Having said
that, I feel it is also important to understand that essaying the part of a
megalomaniac in a film like this does have its limitations.
Also, for an actor of her
class and pedigree, Jennifer Garner is totally wasted in the film. As young
Adam’s mother she looks very believable but unfortunately she gets very little
screen time. Mark Ruffalo is such a good actor and so it’s always a little
heartbreaking to see him play characters which don’t do justice to his
prodigious acting talents. As for Zoe Saldana, she succeeds in leaving a solid
impression in a relatively short screen time. She looks seriously good in the
action scenes. Speaking of Ryan Reynolds, he is his usual self for the most
part and that doesn’t necessarily mean a bad thing for a star like him. For, he
is loved by millions for doing just that. I, for one, would certainly love to
see him try out different things more often.
Despite the clichés, ‘The
Adam Project’ can be a fun movie to watch on a Sunday afternoon with the family,
especially for those looking for some nostalgia. A film like this would have
been ideal for the big screen viewing during the summers but you can still
watch it on the biggest screen possible from the comfort of your homes.
A version of this review was first published at The Daily Guardian.
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