Blast From The Past (1999)

Blast From The Past (1999)

7/10

Starring

Brendan Fraser

Alicia Silverstone

Christopher Walken

Directed by Hugh Wilson

Blast from the Past was done in 1999, and it’s a movie I watched more times than I could count eighteen years ago. That was back when Brendan Fraser was still a hit, and this movie came after his Disney success, George of the Jungle (1997).
Blast from the Past is a silly rom-com that takes its time to settle into the plot, but once you’re settled, the movie kicks off on a journey through life from the eyes of a man who’s been denied all social interaction for thirty-five years.

It’s obvious that things turned out lucky for our Adam Webber (Brendan Fraser). If he hadn’t met Eve (Alicia Silverstone), the whole movie would have been much longer. If you ignore the improbability of any of these things happening the way they did, you’re left with a fun ride of two people discovering love.

The movie gets one thing right about life: romantic love can suck, we get hurt, and nothing ever lasts. That’s the only true thing the movie nails, as our lead actress is on that plane. Meanwhile, Adam is in another world where being naïve isn’t taken for granted—that’s the fiction. When the plot brings together the fiction and the real world, it plays with your emotions as you watch and wish your life could be this cool.

That’s why this movie is one I’ll always love. Adam Webber was born in a shelter and lived there with his mom and dad. The three of them stayed in this shelter for thirty-five years, cut off from the world and surviving on stockpiled food and power meant to last that long.
While growing up, Adam learned to read, dance, defend himself, speak other languages, stay updated on current affairs (as of the time he was born), and became highly educated.
The reason they moved to the shelter is something you’ll find out when you watch, but time was up, and the young man born in the shelter finally gets the chance to leave and see the real world. However, he must hurry back because his father is sick.

He steps out and gets lost, but he’s lucky to find a kind woman named Eve, who he hires as his assistant. Together, they set off on his adventure to experience the present world while he tries to get back to his father as soon as possible.

Now, I don’t know if I’ve done a better job summarizing the plot than the movie delivers. One thing to note is that this movie was made in 1999, before the #MeToo movement and during a time when female empowerment movements were less prominent. So, to me, it’s one movie I’ll always remember and cherish.