The Adam Project
Adam Reed, age 12 and still grieving his father's sudden death the year before, walks into his garage one night to find a wounded pilot hiding there. This mysterious pilot turns out to be the older version of himself from the future, where time travel is in its infancy. He has risked everything to come back in time on a secret mission. Together they must embark on an adventure into the past to find their father, set things right, and save the world. As the three work together, both young and grown Adam come to terms with the loss of their father and have a chance to heal the wounds that have shaped them. Adding to the challenge of the mission, the two Adams discover that they really don't like each other much, and if they are to save the world, first they need to figure out how to get along.
Produced on a significant budget of $116.0M, the film represents a studio production.
1 win & 13 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Adam Project (2022) demonstrates deliberately positioned story structure, characteristic of Shawn Levy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 44 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Adam Reed (Adult)
Adam Reed (Young)
Laura Shane
Louis Reed
Ellie Reed
Maya Sorian
Maya Sorian (Young)
Main Cast & Characters
Adam Reed (Adult)
Played by Ryan Reynolds
A time-traveling fighter pilot from 2050 who returns to 2022 to save the future and confronts his younger self.
Adam Reed (Young)
Played by Walker Scobell
A 12-year-old boy grieving his father's death who teams up with his future self on a time-travel mission.
Laura Shane
Played by Zoe Saldaña
Adam's wife from the future, a brilliant physicist who discovered time travel and is presumed dead.
Louis Reed
Played by Mark Ruffalo
Adam's father, a physicist who created the original time travel technology and died under mysterious circumstances.
Ellie Reed
Played by Jennifer Garner
Adam's mother, a widow struggling to raise young Adam while dealing with her own grief and moving forward.
Maya Sorian
Played by Catherine Keener
A ruthless tech magnate from the future who weaponized time travel and will stop at nothing to maintain power.
Maya Sorian (Young)
Played by Catherine Keener
The younger version of Sorian in 2018, a colleague of Louis Reed who takes his technology after his death.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Twelve-year-old Adam Reed sits in the principal's office after another fight, revealing his anger issues and grief following his father's death. His sharp wit masks deep pain as his exhausted mother Ellie picks him up.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when A wounded pilot crashes a futuristic jet in the forest near Adam's home. Young Adam discovers the injured stranger is his adult self from the year 2050, forcing him to confront an impossible reality that shatters his ordinary world.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to When Maya Sorian's soldiers from the future arrive hunting Big Adam, young Adam makes the active choice to help his older self escape and join his mission, leaving his ordinary life behind to enter the world of time travel and adventure., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Laura sacrifices herself fighting Sorian's forces to buy the Adams time to escape, telling Big Adam she loves him before her apparent death. This false defeat raises the stakes dramatically—now it's not just about saving Laura, but honoring her sacrifice., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 79 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Maya captures Louis and threatens to kill him. Big Adam realizes his years of anger at his father for dying—for not being there—mirrors young Adam's current pain. The "whiff of death" is literal: they may lose their father twice, and their chance to make things right., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 84 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Louis reveals he can help destroy the time travel technology from inside the facility. Both Adams choose to trust their father and work together as a family—synthesizing Big Adam's combat skills with young Adam's cleverness and Louis's scientific knowledge., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Adam Project's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Adam Project against these established plot points, we can identify how Shawn Levy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Adam Project within the action genre.
Shawn Levy's Structural Approach
Among the 14 Shawn Levy films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Adam Project takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Shawn Levy filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Venom: The Last Dance. For more Shawn Levy analyses, see Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, This Is Where I Leave You and Free Guy.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Twelve-year-old Adam Reed sits in the principal's office after another fight, revealing his anger issues and grief following his father's death. His sharp wit masks deep pain as his exhausted mother Ellie picks him up.
Theme
Ellie tells young Adam that his father would want him to move forward, not stay stuck in anger. She emphasizes that holding onto pain won't bring him back—foreshadowing the film's central message about processing grief rather than trying to undo it.
Worldbuilding
Young Adam's difficult life is established: bullied at school, struggling with his father's death, distant from his mother, and resistant to her new boyfriend. His intelligence and sharp tongue are defense mechanisms against unbearable grief.
Disruption
A wounded pilot crashes a futuristic jet in the forest near Adam's home. Young Adam discovers the injured stranger is his adult self from the year 2050, forcing him to confront an impossible reality that shatters his ordinary world.
Resistance
Big Adam reluctantly explains time travel and his mission to find his wife Laura, who disappeared in 2018. Young Adam learns about his future—including that he never reconciled with his mother before her death. The two Adams clash over their shared trauma and defense mechanisms.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
When Maya Sorian's soldiers from the future arrive hunting Big Adam, young Adam makes the active choice to help his older self escape and join his mission, leaving his ordinary life behind to enter the world of time travel and adventure.
Mirror World
The two Adams discover Laura is alive, hiding in 2022 after learning Maya Sorian corrupted time travel. Laura embodies the thematic lesson—she chose to sacrifice seeing Adam again to protect the timeline, demonstrating the mature acceptance of loss that both Adams lack.
Premise
The promise of the premise delivers: two versions of the same person team up across time. Big Adam and young Adam bond through bickering, action sequences against futuristic soldiers, and shared memories. Laura reveals Maya's plan and the true stakes of their mission.
Midpoint
Laura sacrifices herself fighting Sorian's forces to buy the Adams time to escape, telling Big Adam she loves him before her apparent death. This false defeat raises the stakes dramatically—now it's not just about saving Laura, but honoring her sacrifice.
Opposition
The Adams travel to 2018 to stop time travel from being invented, but must confront their father Louis who is still alive. Big Adam's bitterness toward his father clashes with young Adam's desperate desire to reconnect. Maya Sorian closes in with her forces.
Collapse
Maya captures Louis and threatens to kill him. Big Adam realizes his years of anger at his father for dying—for not being there—mirrors young Adam's current pain. The "whiff of death" is literal: they may lose their father twice, and their chance to make things right.
Crisis
Both Adams process their grief and anger. Big Adam admits he pushed everyone away after their father died, including their mother. Young Adam begins to understand that his current behavior is setting him on the same painful path. They must choose connection over isolation.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Louis reveals he can help destroy the time travel technology from inside the facility. Both Adams choose to trust their father and work together as a family—synthesizing Big Adam's combat skills with young Adam's cleverness and Louis's scientific knowledge.
Synthesis
The three-generation Reed team infiltrates the facility. In a climactic battle, they defeat Maya and destroy the particle accelerator that enables time travel. Louis gets his goodbye with both sons. Big Adam returns to his timeline, and young Adam returns to 2022.
Transformation
Young Adam, transformed by his journey, embraces his mother and tells her he loves her—something he couldn't do before. The final image shows him playing catch alone, at peace with his father's memory, no longer running from grief but carrying it with grace.