In the 1990s, Brendan Fraser was the king of fish-out-of-water movies. From his first major role in 1992’s Encino Man to his 1997 turn as the titular star of George of the Jungle, Fraser became known for his skill at portraying charming, lovable heroes who are truly out of their element. His talents for this kind of film reached a crescendo with 1999’s unique genre mash-up Blast From the Past, now streaming for free on Tubi. An unusual comedic mix of a rom-com, sci-fi, and Cold War-era intrigue, Blast From the Past remains an infinitely charming movie that has only grown better with age.
‘Blast From the Past’ Has a Uniquely Fun Premise
In Blast From the Past, Fraser portrays Adam Webber, a 35-year-old man who was born and raised in his parents’ nuclear-fallout shelter. His father, Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken), built the shelter at the height of the Cold War, believing a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union on the United States was imminent. At the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Calvin and his pregnant wife, Helen (Sissy Spacek), take refuge in the bunker, right before a military jet crashes into their home, leaving them trapped inside. Calvin misunderstands the accidental crash as a nuclear apocalypse, and the family stays locked in the bunker for 35 years.
Helen eventually gives birth to their son, whom they raise and teach over the next several decades. Years later, the now-adult Adam ventures to the surface to get supplies for his family’s shelter and possibly find a wife. The plot mixes the fears and paranoia of the Cold War era with a hilarious fish-out-of-water premise, as Adam struggles to learn about the modern world after a sheltered life with his parents’ traditional, conservative 1950s values. Then, he inexplicably meets and falls in love with a single modern woman, Eve Rustikov (Alicia Silverstone), and high jinks naturally ensue. Blast From the Past’s mixture of satire and light sci-fi was whimsical, and something we hadn’t seen in a modern Hollywood rom-com at that point.
Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone Make an Unexpectedly Perfect Romantic Pair
Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone play off each other well as a classic opposites-attract rom-com pair. Silverstone brings a believable, witty, and modern sensibility to the role, showing increasing maturity as an actress following her iconic turn as Cher Horowitz in 1995’s Clueless. Eve is initially confused and put off by Adam’s starry-eyed wonderment and aw-shucks personality, but eventually comes to believe his cover story that he’s traveling from out of town and looking to stock up on supplies for his family.
Eve has a grounded, believable cynicism to her character, and even after she genuinely starts falling for Adam’s charming personality and old-fashioned values, she still suspects that he is too good to be true. After a significant misunderstanding, Adam finally tells Eve the truth, which allows Eve to finally embrace their relationship, and Adam to finally realize that his father was wrong about the nuclear apocalypse. Fraser and Silverstone display amazing onscreen chemistry and since the actors have such a natural, likable dynamic, it’s easy to root for them to get together by the end.
‘Blast From the Past’ Has Only Gotten Better With Age
Blast From the Past was not embraced by critics when it was released, but 27 years later, it holds up better than many of its rom-com contemporaries. Its tremendous cast, unique premise, and the incredible chemistry between Fraser and Silverstone elevate the experience, making it exceptionally entertaining.
In addition to its love story, Blast From the Past also has something moving (and perhaps fairly retro) to say about families. Walken and Spacek prove their comedic chops as Adam’s eccentric parents, Calvin and Helen, and director and co-writer Hugh Wilson uses their storyline as a way to nicely showcase how we deal with and accept our parents’ eccentricities. Even after Adam told his father the truth about how the Cold War ended, Calvin is still stuck in his ways; Eve observes her future father-in-law taking measurements outside to build another fallout shelter. As Eve recounts at the end of the movie, “Adam says this is simply how things work. First, the parents take care of the children, and then the children take care of the parents.” It’s a very idealized, albeit charming, view of accepting our parents’ foibles.
Meanwhile, Adam proves that he’s much more adaptable in the modern world, growing more accustomed to life in 1999 by the film’s end. However, he still maintains his more idealized view of the world — and as Eve points out at the film’s end, she refuses to spoil his dreams, saying, “Why spoil his dreams? They’re such wonderful dreams.” This is another element that sets Blast From the Past apart: its genuine earnestness and the heartfelt emotional truth to its characters. The movie is just as much about the love Adam has for his parents as his love for Eve. Blast From the Past is an easy viewing choice for anyone looking for a fun rom-com with a unique sci-fi-esque premise, and it will only continue to get better as time progresses and it becomes even more of a literal blast from the past.
