The Adam Project reviews are in: what the critics are saying about the Ryan Reynolds sci-fi movie

The Adam Project starring Ryan Reynolds lands on Netflix on Friday, March 11. In this new sci-fi adventure, a time-traveling Reynolds plays fighter pilot Adam Reed who crash-lands in 2022 and enrolls his 12-year-old self (Walker Scobell) in a quest to save the future.

As well as the star-power of Ryan Reynolds, The Adam Project has enlisted a stellar cast including Mark Ruffalo (aka The Hulk) and Ruffalo's 13 Going on 30 co-star Jennifer Garner as Adam's parents. In addition, Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy) plays Laura and Catherine Keener plays the movie’s villain, Maya Sorian.

The reviews of the movie are in, so we've pulled them together in one place to see how the critics rate The Adam Project. Could Reynolds and director Shawn Levy have another hit on their hands following 2021’s Free Guy? Let’s take a look.

• Check out what else is new to Netflix in March. 
• Plan the rest of your viewing with our guide to the new movies in 2022

The Adam Project reviews — what the critics are saying 

Starting off with the general consensus, The Adam Project currently scores a very healthy 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, which has it firmly planted in the "fresh" tier of movies. Metacritic — which has three tiers, rather than just the "fresh"/"rotten" of Rotten Tomatoes — currently has The Adam Project rated in the middle tier, "mixed/average," with a score of 55.

Based on the reviews, it seems like one of the biggest factors in determining whether you'll enjoy The Adam Project is how much you like Ryan Reynolds and his quips and if you're a fan of sci-fi movies — particularly the nostalgic charms of 80s genre flicks, there's more than a hint of E.T. and Back to the Future.

*Scores and reviews as of March 10, 2022*

Ratings and reviews

Rotten Tomatoes: 71% 

Metacritic: 56% 

Ryan Leston, IGN: 9/10
"The Adam Project is like a leap into the past — a film that revels in the sci-fi nerdiness of the ‘80s while packing epic adventure and heartfelt life lessons into a fun, time-traveling yarn."

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: B-
"For all its earnest sentiment and questionable science, though, Adam barrels along on movie stars and charm, from futures past and back again."

Nell Minow, RogerEbert.com: 3.5/5
"The Adam Project is a popcorn pleasure"

Jordan King, Empire Magazine: 3/5
"Though a forgettable villain and some uninspiring set-pieces sometimes hinder The Adam Project, Reynolds and Scobell’s cracking performances and the film’s surprising emotional depth make it worth a look."

Adrian Horton, The Guardian: 3/5
"The Adam Project offers a buffet of family-friendly hooks — slickly choreographed action sequences with invisible fighters of the future, booming score, the baseline emotional pull that is the passage of time — that make little sense if you think at all about it, which is not really the point. "

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: 2/4
"I wish I liked The Adam Project the same way I like Ryan Reynolds. It’s fun-ish. It’s an efficiently packed time-waster that doesn’t take up much of your life (about 90 minutes without the end credits)."

Derek Smith, Slant: 1.5/5 "Ultimately, the film tries so hard to do so much that it doesn’t end up doing any of it particularly well."

Watch The Adam Project trailer:

The Adam Project premieres exclusively on Netflix Friday, March 11.