They say hindsight is 20/20.  But what good is it if there’s nothing to be done?

What would it be like to see your younger self? And perhaps more interestingly, what would it be like for your younger self to see you and how they turned out? This is the premise of The Adam Project, the new sci-fi NETFLIX movie by director Shawn Levy and actor/producer Ryan Reynolds.

 
And that core of getting a second chance at things in one’s life, whether big or small, far-reaching or seemingly insignificant, is what really holds the film together.  That second chance is exactly what Adam Reed, Reynold’s character, gets as he jumps back in time.

Shawn Levy collaborated heavily with Steven Spielberg while directing 2011’s Real Steel, and has since said that the experience has been a dream mentorship, and one of the most defining collaborations of his career.  And perhaps that’s why from the very opening sequence of The Adam Project, you can’t help but get a familiar, almost nostalgic vibe to it. There are moments that are not exactly signature-Spielberg, but very similar, and as those who grew up with his movies know, that can be a very good thing.

  
There is a sense that kids from a past era will pick up on, something comforting and at the same time exciting.  The movie is a throwback to beloved  80’s sci-fi movies such as E.T., or Flight of the Navigator, movies that have the same sense of whimsy.

  
It doesn’t take a genius detective to deduce that The Adam Project has bits of Star Wars and Back to the Future in its DNA. From the puffed jacket 12-year-old Adam (played hilariously well by Walker Scobell) that is reminiscent of Marty Mcfly’s to that its-not-a-lightsaber weapon, you can tell the creative minds in charge love classic cool stuff and know how to blend them in with classic new stuff.

And yet, it also feels very modern and now, thanks to the witty and snide one-liners effortlessly delivered by Ryan Reynolds.  In fact, some of the best parts of the film are those  moments when Adam gets smart-mouthed by his younger self.

Rounding out the cast are Jennifer Gardner and Mark Ruffalo as Adam’s parents, who unintentionally had a 13 going on 30 reunion for the film.  Also, with them is  Zoe Saldana, herself a sci-fi stalwart having appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, and Star Trek franchises, as grown-up Adam’s main squeeze.

There is a fair amount of action and excitement with slick, cool visuals, more than enough to satisfy any action junkie. But don’t get caught up in the action or the conspiracies in the course of the story.  At the end of the day, the movie is more personal than it lets on, with moments that tug at your heart whether you’re a parent dealing with kids or a kid dealing with your parents, and whether you’re unsure about whether you’re doing it right or not.  It is about getting a do-over of your life, a chance to do things differently, with the benefit of hindsight. 

 
The Adam Project premiers on NETFLIX on March 11, and is an automatic must for anyone’s must-watch list.