Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds team up again, but this time instead of riffing off video games, they go after science fiction and time travel. The idea itself is intriguing, go back in time to find your wife and stop total annihilation. The idea of Reynolds going back in time and interacting with his younger self definitely sounds intriguing, but ultimately gets bogged down in sentimentality and the cleverness of its own story.

The Ryan Reynolds schtick has run its course, yes, we know you have a smart mouth and a quick wit, please show us a more subdued and reality-based performance. Not every role is Deadpool.

Starting out with young Adam (Walker Scobell) as he is dealing with the death of his father his night alone at the house is interrupted but his future self (Ryan Reynolds). The two team up and head into the past to enlist the help of their deceased father to save the future. Aside from its stacked cast, “The Adam Project” offers little else for its viewers in terms of entertainment. The overall production is very polished and the special effects team puts in work, but the end result feels very empty.

The spirit of the film is definitely trying to harken back to the science fiction films of the 80s, but its hollow heart and forced sentiment come up short. The film would like to examine a son’s relationship with his parents in both past and present but the focus is too heavy on the interaction with his older self, but only for what seems like laughs and not self-reflection. The emotionally stagnant finale moments are not fully earned and play more towards manipulation as we watch a father literally play catch with both versions of his son.

The “sciencey” aspects are never fully realized and any attempt at understanding the tech is thwarted by characters explaining it in spurts of unconvincing dialogue. The distracting scenes that are supposed to be outdoors but very obviously are shot on a sound stage make for a disjointed and uneven experience, one where you cannot connect to the characters nor invest in their story.

1 out of 5