BLAST FROM THE PAST by DeWyNGaLe Rating: B
Brendan Fraser is the star of this nutty new comedy, which tries to be like the 1997 smash, Austin Powers. Fraser plays Adam, a boy who has lived underground with his parents, played by Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken, all of his life. His dad built a world underground in case a nuclear strike were to occur, and he believes that the strike has occurred and they must go underground for the next thirty years. While underground, their son Adam is born. He must live in a limited world, not knowing what the sky or other people looked like. Now, after a long thirty years, it is time for Adam to see the world.
The scenes underground with Adam's parents are very nicely done and are absolutely hysterical. Unfortunately, they don't last for long, and Spacek and Walken's performances are extremely limited. Unlike Austin Powers, Adam has never been out in the real world before, so it will be a total surprise to him. Before setting foot in the real world, he makes a wish that he could meet a girl. His wish is about to come true. When Adam was finally able to come out of the underground cell, the movie goes downhill. Once Adam comes above ground, Alicia Silverstone is the only thing saving the film from completely collapsing. A corny plot line withing the plot is the shop above where the cell has been built. When the workers in the shop above see Adam, they think he is from a different race, which I thought could have been cut from the film entirely. To make some money, Adam decides to sell some of his father's baseball cards. At the baseball card shop he meets Eve, played by Alicia Silverstone. She is very confused about the ignorance of Adam.
Following the tradition of romantic comedies, Adam and Eve fall in love and then when everything is going just right, something bad happens. Luckily in Blast From The Past, there are a few more twists to make the same old plot line a little more fun to watch. Spacek and Walken as the parents were the best part of the film, and the stole the show. Silverstone gives a lot better performance than in her latest films, but she doesn't surpass her outstanding, one of a kind performance in Clueless. Fraser's character of Adam is a little overdone, and quite annoying at times. He is still a pretty likable character though.
The relationship between Adam and Eve doesn't go anywhere, and it doesn't seem like the two characters bond well. As Eve takes Adam out to more and more places, he becomes interested in more things, including other girls. Eve is very disappointed, but she won't give up Adam. After Adam tells her the story about how he lives underground, she thinks he is crazy and she tries to admit him to the mental institution. This is probably the most humorous part of the film. A very predictable ending occurrs, which is very disappointing to me. It would be nice for once for a film to have a funny, surprising ending, but Blast From The Past disappoints me once again.
The scenes in Blast From The Past are a little humorous, but nothing more than that. That's pretty much how the whole film is. It isn't great or a classic, but it isn't meant to be. It is a feel good, enjoyable movie that is fun to watch. It could have been taken further, to a higher level of comedy. The key to that would have been to add more scenes with Spacek and Walken.
The Bottom Line- Just your average romantic comedy.
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