2022, Adam Levy (Night at the Museum) -- Netflix
Ryan is Adam, a pilot for some sort of ... military time travel organization? Or a military pilot who knows about time travel? Or ... I dunno, I really didn't catch what he was supposed to be or where time travel fit into his Future. I mean, that works entirely in Travelers but the mysterious nature of the future, and why the time travelers risk everything, is essential to that series plot. But Adam steals a time travel jet (again, why jets? they need to reach 88 mph?), escapes the baddies but the plane, and Adam, get shot. He flies to 2022... by accident? He was actually heading to 2018 to find out what happened to his fellow time pilot, and wife (Zoe Saldaña, Guardians of the Galaxy). Adam believes she was killed by the baddies, and if he goes back to the time when his own father CREATED time travel, he can stop it from happening, therefore ... saving his wife's life? He also believes that very little he does in the past affects the future, because ____ (???), so I am not sure why he thinks changing his father's mind will affect the future of time travel. But <hand-waving> !!!
Really, the charm is Adam bumping into Adam (Walker Scobell, his first role!) who is younger Adam, still grieving the loss of his father, and getting beat up by bullies. Young Adam really embodies the Reynolds snark, and the best bits of this movie are while Big Adam and Small Adam hang out, while Big Adam and his ship heal from the damage -- yup, the ship "heals". But, that comedic respite is interrupted by more baddies from the future, in stormtrooper style body armour (i.e. serve absolutely no protection and you can PUNCH the wearers unconscious) which Adam proceeds to kill off in droves with pew pew guns and "totally not a lightsabre laser sword". Once safe, they escape to 2018. Yup, both, because ___ (???).
In 2018, Adam and Adam find dad (Mark Ruffalo, Begin Again) who immediately recognizes who they are and is rather upset that a) he invented time travel successfully and its nothing but trouble and b) his son(s) from two different eras are here in front of him causing no ends of havoc. Dad has opinions on time interference, but agrees he needs to end his experiments and destroy time travel from ever happening, BUT still has an issue finding out how he dies in the time period between 2018 and 2022, because _____ (???). I am not sure why this movie gives a shit about some paradoxes, while hand-waving the rest away.
That all said, the movie sure was damn pretty and the Adams are a treat, like all Reynolds are.
I saw the trailer and was really drawn to it, then realized it was because it was full of actors I like and referencing visually every damn thing from my childhood. It feels like pandering and it sound maddeningly thin on logic. If I have to inject some Ryan Reynolds in my life, I'll wait for the inevitable Deadpool sequel, watch it once, be enertained and never watch it again.
ReplyDeleteYou have a dislike for Ryan Reynolds?
ReplyDeleteNot so much a dislike for RR, but just an utter apathy about the projects he chooses and the default persona he plays. I guess I keep hoping he will reach for more but maybe it's not what he's capable and/or interested in. Then again, action stars of the 80s and 90s generally just did the same schtick with a different plot on repeat too, so perhaps that's all he's really after.
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