Few film formulas feel as good as classic ‘80s Amblin – all-American adventure stories taking in lonely kids, absent parents, supernatural forces invading small towns, and delivering finales boasting serious spectacle. It’s an era that’s often harked back to – from JJ Abrams’ Super 8, to Spielberg’s own Ready Player One – and now Netflix once again wants to tap into some Amblin sensibilities with The Adam Project. While we all wait for the first half of Stranger Things 4 to drop, the streaming service is offering up the next film from the team behind Free Guy – with Shawn Levy (not-so-coincidentally an exec producer on Stranger Things) back in the director’s chair, and Ryan Reynolds here to riff up a storm in the central role. But rather than an A.I. video-game story, this one is an old-school time-travel alien-invasion adventure flick that seems determined to invoke memories of E.T., Flight Of The Navigator, and Back To The Future. Check out the latest trailer.
If the vibe here is none-more-‘80s, this one is (mostly) set in the present day. But there’s timey-wimey stuff at play, because soon lonely kid Adam (Walker Scobell) comes face-to-face with his future self (Ryan Reynolds), who’s travelled back in time in an extraterrestrial war to try and change the future. Fighting alongside Zoe Saldana’s warrior Laura, they’ll need the help of Adam’s dad (Mark Ruffalo) to try and save the day. It’s a sweet concept, and early word on the film is warm – hopefully, a cosy and exciting at-home blockbuster to warm everybody up for summer movie season.
The Amblin vibes continue in the new poster, which seems like an intentional nod back to the legendary Drew Struzan designs that defined that era.
Looks fun, right? And there’s not long to wait – The Adam Project will be streaming on Netflix from 11 March. Unless you’re able to time-travel a week-and-a-half in the future, in which case watch it now. By which we mean, then. Or something.