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Familiar futuristic tale unearths new star
Levy and Reynolds team up again
Having delighted audiences with last year’s infectiously entertaining video gameflavoured romp Free Guy, it’s no surprise that Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy wanted to work together again.
The shock is how quickly the team-up has taken place as here they are once more with another family-friendly adventure – this time for Netflix.
Reynolds stars as time-travelling fighter pilot Adam, who accidentally crash-lands in 2022 and is forced to join forces with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) to try and save the future.
We’ve seen plenty of body-swapping flicks but not too many where a character interplays with their younger self.
It works a treat here as Scobell, remarkably making his movie acting debut, has all of Reynolds’ quirks, facial expressions, verbal cues and sarcasm down to a fine art.
The youngster is apparently a huge fan of Reynolds – and can recite every line in the first Deadpool film – and it shows as he swipes the flick from underneath his hero’s feet.
I also appreciated seeing 13 Going on 30 stars Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo reunite, and the pair are terrific as Adam’s parents.
Some of the emotional moments between older Adam and his mum and dad will have you reaching for a box of tissues.
Zoe Saldana makes a welcome return to movies in her first appearance since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame as Adam’s wife Laura, but Catherine Keener’s Sorian doesn’t project enough menace or threat as the main antagonist.
The Adam Project shares similarities with Free Guy – Reynolds playing a fishout-of-water, futuristic visuals, its overall message of hope and the importance of love – and, as a result, would probably have benefited from being released a couple of years from now.
However, Levy never lets his latest flick lose its warmth, even when the special effects and set pieces take over, and as well as enticing raw emotion from Reynolds, he has introduced the world to a potential top new talent in the superb Scobell.
●Pop me an email at ian.bunting@ reachplc.com and I will pass on your movie or TV show recommendations to your fellow readers.
Jamie Tyler said: “I’ve started watching Schitt’s Creek on Netflix and can’t stop; it’s absolutely hilarious.”