Première sortie

It has never happened, but during the Cold War many people feared that they would be the victim of a nuclear war between the West and the USSR. A lot of those people had visions of living in an atomic shelter for the next three to four decades, perhaps even longer and not being able to see the daylight ever again. Well, it may never have happened, but this romantic comedy shows us what it must be like.

"Blast from the Past" tells the story of Adam Weber. In the 1960's, during the Cuba crisis, his parents locked themselves in the bomb shelter which his eccentric father had constructed for just in case. Having been locked for 35 years, Adam has never seen anything else but the confined space of the shelter. He has never seen anything of the world and has become a very naive man. Now, the doors are unlocked and Adam must venture out into LA to find food and supplies for his family and a non-mutant wife for himself...

Romantic comedies can be found in many forms, but this sure was one of the more original ones. And I must say that I liked it. The acting for instance is more than OK. I liked Brendan Fraser as the naive Adam and together with Alicia Silverstone he forms a nice couple in this movie. Even though the entire story could have used a little bit more developing, overall it looks good and offers some good laughs and plenty of fun for the people who like romantic comedies. I give it a 7/10, perhaps even a 7.5/10.

See the movie to find out why, but Brendan Fraser's crazy dad has had him underground for thirty years in an elaborate bomb shelter, so that when Brendan finally goes upstairs in the 90's to get more supplies for his parents, he's in for a bit of a shock.

Christopher Walken is wonderful as the crazy, atomic-age inventor. Alicia Silverstone deserves to be on screen more - she's cute and sassy as the love interest, but still pulls funny faces with her mouth. Brendan Fraser was a perfect choice for the biggest fish out of water ever. His fresh-faced naivety is so convincing. He's larger than life, and sometimes so naive its corny, but he's consistent, so it works. Depending on what mood you're in, Sissy Spacek's part adds psychological depth to the movie or detracts a tad from the fun.

This movie is not at all implausible. There were many people as scared as Christpher Walken during the 60's. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy and Khruschev were one button press away from blowing us all to smithereens (see Thirteen Days for a historically accurate portrayal of this). And Walken's character is set up as crazy enough to build and stock his shelter with 30 years worth of supplies.

8/10. Terrific fun time-skipping romantic comedy buoyed by the personality of Fraser - perfect to watch with a sweetheart, or with family on a warm weekend in.

Need an escape? Here's your ticket! This is a delightful movie depicting life in the past and the shock one can get when fast forwarding to the future. There's something about gong back in time! For those of us who lived thru the 60s as teens, it's a reminder of a more innocent time. Seeing the past come alive in the form of music, baseball cards and even the furniture makes you feel like a window has been opened and you're actually watching family life in the early 60s. Watching the reactions of a full grown man who has been in a fallout shelter with his parents, now coming above ground for the first time is hilarious! Seeing him search for a "non-mutant" girl friend while he learns all about life above ground, is just as funny. You have two choices. You can watch the movie as a critic and look for things that you think "don't work" in the movie.....or, you can relax and enjoy the trip, the jokes, the characters and the trip back to the present! That's what I do, every chance I have to see this "Blast From The Past."

There surely is a lack of originality in movies now. Romantic comedies always seem to have the girl outwit the guy, the guy persisting, and then they finally get together. That's exactly the case in Blast from the Past, except that the guy has been living in a bomb shelter for all of his life. It's a joke that could work for a five minute sketch, or it might just flop overall, but that's not the case here. It's a simple romantic comedy with a huge twist thrown in, which works to the movie's advantage.

Adam (Brendan Fraser) had lived in a fallout shelter for all of his life, because his father (Christopher Walken) thought a nuclear bomb was dropped on the house. 35 years afterwards, Adam goes up to bring supplies and meet a girl, which he does. Eve (Alicia Silverstone) is a feisty, typical 90's American, but since Adam had never met anyone else besides his parents, he just accepts it. Soon he falls in love with her (hence, Adam and Eve), but the reverse is not the same. Will he convince her? Only the cliché on romantic comedies will tell us!

Blast from the Past is surprisingly lightweight romcom. It never goes to take itself seriously, which helps keep the mood light, which is what it's supposed to be. At times it gets silly, including a Benny Hill-ish chase scene, and the obligatory man-who-can't-drive-car-drives-car-wildly scene. A scenario like this could easily descend into heartstring-plucking land, but thankfully stays on the top, and over the top. Director Hugh Wilson, whose resumé includes such movies as the original Police Academy and The First Wives Club, can keep a movie that could turn drastically wrong on the right track.

Fraser is great. It really seemed like he was brought up in a fallout shelter. His mannerisms were all from the sixties, and the way he acted was exactly on key. Silverstone was okay, but nowhere near as good as Walken and Sissy Spacek as Adam's parents. They embody their roles as people who have to live in the same space for 35 years. This movie is everything romantic comedies today don't have: no crude humor, funny lines, good acting, and a fun story. People could really learn a lesson from watching Blast from the Past.

My rating: 7/10

Rated PG-13 for brief language, sex and drug references.

'Blast From the Past' is a funny little romcom. It's very enjoyable as long as one does not expect anything serious. The plot does follow the romcom cliché where dude tries to woo dudette but here the dude was raised all his 35 years in an underground shelter, away from the outer world and that just makes the story funnier. Wilson maintains to sustain the movie's lightness as the screenplay is consistent. Silverstone and Fraser make an odd but fun romantic couple. There's the sweet chemistry. Fraser plays his awkward goofy naive persona that we've seen in a few other films but he still manages to be funny and likable and Silverstone is pretty and charming as she ends up delivering a decent performance. Pity we don't see her much these days. Spacek and Walken are cast against type and I have got to say that they provide some of the laugh out loud moments without going over the top. Of course they play Fraser's parents who have been living underground for the last 35 years. What I also liked about 'Blast From the Past' is that its comedy does not rely on crude humour (unlike most American comedies today). The film does have its downside as I felt it was moving a little slow in the beginning but the fun that I had from watching it made that a minor flaw.