The Adam Project is filled with time travel, electromagnetic waves, the time continuum future spectacular future vehicles, and storm troopers, but it boils down to a hug and that makes the film enjoyable and attractive to watch
We have the opportunity to see in the character Adam Reed who is played by Ryan Reynolds as an adult and Walker Scobell (as the thirteen old Adam) to meet each other and learn from each other’s different location in time.
Scobell is flawless as the smart quick answering kid that does not have much stature and is bullied at school. The dialogue between the two Adams is quick and snappy somewhat like Young Sheldon on television. But here the adult Adam always has one up on the kid because he is the kid grown up. Think of the possibilities of meeting your 13 year old self in the future (well actually in the past) because of time travel.
Mark Ruffalo is their father Louis Reed who as a physics professor developed a time travel system working with Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener) who also appears in a younger version and a present version of herself
All of this leaves Ellie Reed (Jennifer Garner) in a strange place when two versions of her son appear together (even when she doesn’t know they are the same person). Ruffalo as Dad as the story begins has been dead for nearly two years, and as expected both the son and wife continue to be effected by the loss.
Being a part of the Adam Project, Adam is a pilot that can travel in time because of the invention of his father and Maya Sorian. But Sorian has now grown older in spirit and just wants the financial benefit of the project.
Coming back in time adult Adam is able to find his father alive and both he and young Adam visit with the father they loss either 2 years before or much longer in the past for the older Adam.
With very solid interesting and smart dialogue the two Adam’s hold our interest and bring a number of comical lines and situations to the script. The two along with Dad recognize that the solution to the problem is to destroy the Adam Project and that becomes the action scene in the final reel.
With decent special effects each character pushes the right buttons, fights the storm troopers and Sorian to bring each of them into the proper time location which they must live in. For adult Adam it includes Zoe Saldana as Laura who is his love interest and who is difficult to explain in detail to himself as a thirteen year old.
Director Shawn Levy hasn’t developed a perfect film, it’s a bit uneven but it’s always enjoyable.