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 precise narrative architecture, characteristic of Shawn Levy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-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.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Young Adam sits alone in the principal's office after a fight, small and isolated in his grief-stricken world a year after his father's death. His status quo is one of anger, loneliness, and unprocessed loss.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Young Adam discovers a wounded man in his garage—his own future self, Big Adam, a time-traveling fighter pilot from 2050 who has crash-landed in 2022 while searching for his missing wife Laura.. 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.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Laura reveals the devastating truth: she was sent to the future and is dying from temporal side effects. Big Adam realizes Sorian murdered Louis in 2018 to steal time travel technology. The stakes crystallize—they must go back to 2018 to stop it all and save Louis. False victory turns to urgent mission., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 78 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Laura sacrifices herself, using her remaining energy to save the Adams before dissolving into temporal particles. The whiff of death is literal—Big Adam loses her again, and both Adams lose their guide. All hope seems lost., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 83 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The finale: the three generations of Reed men storm Sorian's facility. They fight together—Louis with intellect, Big Adam with skill, young Adam with heart. They destroy the particle accelerator, erasing the dark timeline. Big Adam and the future fade away as history rewrites itself., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Adam Project's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. 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 10 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 Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Shawn Levy analyses, see Just Married, Date Night and This Is Where I Leave You.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Adam sits alone in the principal's office after a fight, small and isolated in his grief-stricken world a year after his father's death. His status quo is one of anger, loneliness, and unprocessed loss.
Theme
Ellie tells young Adam: "You're not scared, you're angry." The theme emerges—this story is about processing grief and fear masked as anger, about accepting loss and finding connection.
Worldbuilding
We see young Adam's fractured life: bullied at school, distant from his worried mother Ellie, haunted by memories of his physicist father Louis. The household is marked by tension and unspoken grief. Adam is small, smart-mouthed, and lost.
Disruption
Young Adam discovers a wounded man in his garage—his own future self, Big Adam, a time-traveling fighter pilot from 2050 who has crash-landed in 2022 while searching for his missing wife Laura.
Resistance
Young Adam debates helping his injured future self. Big Adam is reluctant to involve his younger self, but needs his DNA to operate the ship. They argue, bond awkwardly, and hide from Ellie. Young Adam resists accepting this bizarre reality but is drawn in.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The "fun and games" of the premise: two Adams, past and future, bickering and bonding while running from Sorian's forces. They fight time-jumping soldiers, discover Laura is alive, and learn Sorian has weaponized time travel. The adventure we came for delivers.
Midpoint
Laura reveals the devastating truth: she was sent to the future and is dying from temporal side effects. Big Adam realizes Sorian murdered Louis in 2018 to steal time travel technology. The stakes crystallize—they must go back to 2018 to stop it all and save Louis. False victory turns to urgent mission.
Opposition
The Adams travel to 2018 to find Louis alive. Initially joyful, the mission becomes harder: Louis is reluctant to destroy his life's work, Sorian's forces close in, and Big Adam must face his unresolved feelings about his father. Pressure mounts as the window to act narrows.
Collapse
Laura sacrifices herself, using her remaining energy to save the Adams before dissolving into temporal particles. The whiff of death is literal—Big Adam loses her again, and both Adams lose their guide. All hope seems lost.
Crisis
The Adams grieve Laura. Big Adam confronts his pain and regret. Louis grapples with the cost of his invention. In the darkness, young Adam processes what loss truly means. They sit with the weight of sacrifice and impermanence.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The finale: the three generations of Reed men storm Sorian's facility. They fight together—Louis with intellect, Big Adam with skill, young Adam with heart. They destroy the particle accelerator, erasing the dark timeline. Big Adam and the future fade away as history rewrites itself.