There's something magical about adventure movies from the 1980s--and not just big-name titles like Indiana Jones. Family movies from this time period were filled with wonder and were all coming-of-age stories in one way or another. Many of these films leaned heavily into science-fiction, weather the hero was fighting aliens in space, traveling back in time with a robot that sounded like Pee-Wee Herman, or building a spaceship with friends, there's a lot of cues that are reminiscent of a time where family movies got dark and deal with having to grow up in a hurry. Netflix's latest film, The Adam Project, feels like it was plucked from this time and slammed into the present.

The Adam Project stars Ryan Reynolds as Adam, a time traveler from 2050 who ends up in 2022. He runs into the 12-year-old version of himself--played by Walker Scobell--and the duo set out to escape from the bad guys. Said villains are also time travelers with Catherine Keener's Maya Sorian leading them. She owns the company in charge of all of time travel technology. The film also features a stellar supporting cast which includes Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo as young Adam's parents, and Zoe Saldana as older Adam's love interest.

The Adam Project follows the well-familiar format of a child who needs to move forward in their life--whether that's growing up, moving on from trauma, etc.--and being beckoned by the hero's call to step up. It's the Hero's Journey in a nutshell, a tried and true formula for a great adventure movie. Young Adam is lashing out verbally against his mother and peers--well, bullies to be more precise--in order to deal with his own grieving of his father's passing a year and a half prior. His call to arms moment is when older Adam (Reynolds) needs his younger self's help in order to time travel again. And there is nothing more magical as a child than seeing a film where the adults need help from the kid. It's empowering, and it's a trope we see again and again in family films. It works incredibly well here and will hit that nostalgic button for so many people.