The Adam Project (2022)
Story overview
The Adam Project is a 2022 sci-fi adventure comedy about a time-traveling pilot who teams up with his younger self to save the future. Together, they embark on a mission that involves futuristic technology, action sequences, and family themes. The story blends humor with emotional moments as the two Adams navigate their relationship and the challenges of their quest.
Parent Guide
A sci-fi adventure with action, humor, and family themes that's best for older children and teens.
Content breakdown
Sci-fi action sequences with futuristic weapons, combat, and perilous situations involving time travel.
Some intense moments and sci-fi threats that might be unsettling for sensitive viewers.
Occasional mild language consistent with PG-13 rating.
No sexual content or nudity present.
No substance use depicted.
Themes of family, loss, and redemption create emotional moments throughout the story.
Parent tips
This PG-13 rated film contains sci-fi action violence, mild language, and some intense sequences that may be unsuitable for younger children. Parents should be aware of the time-travel plot which involves perilous situations and futuristic combat. The movie explores themes of family, loss, and redemption that could prompt discussions with older children.
Parent chat guide
Parent follow-up questions
- What was your favorite part of the movie?
- Did you like the flying machines?
- How did the characters help each other?
- What did you think about the time travel in the story?
- How were the two Adams different from each other?
- What would you do if you could time travel?
- What themes about family did you notice in the movie?
- How did the characters deal with difficult choices?
- What did you think about the balance of action and story?
- How does the film explore themes of redemption and second chances?
- What did you think about the portrayal of family relationships across time?
- How effective was the blend of sci-fi action with emotional storytelling?
🎭 Story Kernel
Beneath its sci-fi spectacle, 'The Adam Project' is fundamentally a therapeutic fantasy about healing childhood trauma. The plot isn't driven by saving the future, but by a son's desperate need to reconcile with his deceased father. The time-travel mechanics serve as a literal device for self-confrontation—young Adam must witness his older self's unresolved pain to begin his own healing. Every action sequence is secondary to the core emotional mission: giving a boy the closure his adult self never received, reframing grief not as something to outrun, but to integrate.
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
The film employs a distinct visual duality. The 2022 future is rendered in sleek, cold blues and sterile whites, reflecting adult Adam's emotionally guarded state. In contrast, 2022 scenes are bathed in warm, nostalgic amber and greens, visually coding childhood as a place of emotional truth. The action choreography is notably fluid and weightless, with ships and fights that feel more like a dance—this isn't gritty realism but the heightened, dreamlike logic of a memory or a child's imagination, where physics bend to emotional needs.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
Director Shawn Levy and star Ryan Reynolds developed the project together, with Reynolds' own experiences with fatherhood deeply informing his portrayal of Adam. The film's Vancouver shooting locations doubled for both Washington state and the future, utilizing the region's diverse landscapes. The de-aging technology for young Adam (Walker Scobell) was minimal; Scobell's uncanny, natural mimicry of Reynolds' mannerisms was so spot-on that the VFX team focused more on seamless scene integration than major facial alteration.
Where to watch
Choose region:
- Netflix
- Netflix Standard with Ads
Trailer
Trailer playback is unavailable in your region.
