
Netflix time travel film with A-list star is 'everything you need from a movie'
The 2022 sci-fi action comedy features an A-list Hollywood cast — right from Ryan Reynolds and Mark Ruffalo to Jennifer Garner and Zoe Saldaña — bringing together some of the biggest names in the industry
Netflix's ambitious 2022 film The Adam Project is a heartwarming sci-fi action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds who is supported by a top-tier, A-list cast of Hollywood's biggies.
The film has been directed by Reynolds' longtime friend and collaborator, Shawn Levy, with writing credits for T. S. Nowlin, Jonathan Tropper, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett.
Production on The Adam Project first began all the way back in 2012. At the time, Tom Cruise was said to be attached to the film, however the movie subsequently fell into developmental hell until it was rescued by Netflix as the streaming giant acquired its distribution rights.
Set in a dystopian 2050, the Netflix original sees Reynolds take on the role of Adam Reed — a fighter pilot who steals a time jet in order to land in 2018 in a bid to save his wife Laura (played by Zoe Saldaña). Laura's assassination was ordered by Sorian (Catherine Keener) who is trying to monopolise time travel, however in his efforts, Adam ends up crash-landing in 2022 where he comes face-to-face with his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell).
In 2022, the younger Adam is struggling with being bullied in school and has become distant from his mother Ellie (Jennifer Garner) after being severely impacted by the death of his father, Louis Reed (Mark Ruffalo), the previous year.
On March 9, 2022, Ryan Reynolds' film had a limited "one night only" theatrical release, followed by its streaming release two days later — on March 11. The Adam Project proved to be extremely successful for Netflix, squarely ranking as the streamer's third most popular film worldwide at the time, garnering 157.6 million views within the first 28 days of its release.
The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, with one saying: 'I enjoyed The Adam Project, its past, present, and future permutations an exciting joyride fit for the whole family.'
While another reviewer was not that impressed: 'It's an assemblage of ideas from other popular films that just hangs there with little cohesion. It's like watching a movie that hasn't been made yet.'
One critic felt it was: 'A movie with so many octopus ambitions is unlikely to pull off any of them, and that's the bind The Adam Project finds itself in."
While another called it: 'Funny, fast-paced and surprisingly tender.'
Audience reviews followed suit, with some left impressed, while others didn't care for Ryan Reynolds' offering.
A viewer placed The Adam Project bang in the middle of the line and wrote: "It's basically what you'd expect from a time travel movie. Really enjoy sci-fi stuff, and this was another solid addition. Nothing crazy, but nothing really against it. Thought it was a really good cast as well. Ryan Reynolds continues to shine in whatever role he is in. Had a good amount of laughs. Also thought it was visually well done. Overall, not bad!"
While another said: 'The type of movie that you'll forget 5min after you watch it. Full of clichés and the "science" part is beyond laughable.'
One viewer said of the film: 'One of my favourite movies. Literally anything you will want from a movie, it's funny, it's exciting, it's emotional, it's interesting, it has great character and actors, just absolutely amazing, if you like action, fantasy, sci-fi, time travel - YOU WILL LOVE THIS MOVIE!!'

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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
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I hated socialising, hated doing anything but joining the Youth Theatre gave me that bit of confidence I needed.' Leah went on to study at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, graduating in 2019. She adds: 'I met people at the Youth Theatre who believed in me and really pushed me to make acting a job. So thanks to them, I'm sitting here now.' But Leah admits she was left starstruck during her first days on set alongside the likes of Trainspotting star Kelly, who plays therapist Dr Rachel Irving, however, she did well not to show it. She explains: 'I did a self-tape (audition video) about two years ago now, and I remember reading the script and being like, 'This is amazing, this is so big, like, I really hope I get it'. 'Then I got the part which was like Christmas for me, just waiting for it to start filming. 'But when I got the full cast list through, I saw that not only would I be working with Matthew Goode himself, but also it was a list of just about every massive Scottish star there is. 'I remember meeting Kelly Macdonald and thinking back to when I was maybe like seven or eight years old and going to see Nanny McPhee in the cinema with my mum on a rainy bank holiday. 'She was Miss Evangeline. She's been part of my life, and then I was next to her in the make-up trailer getting my hair done. 'Did I mention that to her? No. I just said, 'Hi, how are you?'. But I'm sure if I had, she would have been cool because everybody who worked on this show was lovely.' The Netflix series is based on the books Department Q by bestselling Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, with their Copenhagen setting swapped for the cobbled streets of Edinburgh. And the show certainly shows the tourist capital in a different light, kicking off with an explosive start when three cops are gunned down at a crime scene. Leah says: 'I think that's what the show does so well, is that we're not afraid to go to some dark and quite intense places. 'But I think also mirroring that, there's some really, really funny comedic moments too. Comedy shines through when you're in the darkest of moments.' 'I don't think you can have one without the other. And so I think that's what makes the show so special. It goes from being intense, but then the next scene you'll be laughing about something silly.' She adds: 'That's what I love about Rose and the show in general. She is so colourful. She's like a beam of light that kind of jumps through.' While Leah is definitely one of the country's most exciting acting talents, she is happy to admit that Rose's hairstyle helped her grab the limelight in a show packed with big names. She says: 'I love Rose's hair. That was Lizzi (Lawson Zeiss), our hair and makeup designer, who found this amazing reference photo of a model with gorgeous tight, curly, ginger hair. 'We both fell in love with it and tried to recreate it, but I had quite short hair at the time. So Lizzi decided to just curl my hair and see what happens. 'By the end of it I had this gorgeous mop of curls that just felt so right. I then did a screen test and everyone said it felt like Rose.' And despite her blossoming stardom, Leah has no intentions of going incognito anytime soon. She adds: 'Ever since I've dyed my hair people have been so kind about it. I can't imagine myself without it now. So the copper is going nowhere - it's here to stay.' All nine episodes of Dept. Q are available to stream now on Netflix.