Blast from the Past (1999)
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The story
In 1962, a paranoid scientist builds a secret fallout shelter in the San Fernando Valley to protect his family from a perceived nuclear threat. After a plane crash leads him to believe a nuclear war is imminent, he locks the shelter for 35 years. In 1997, the shelter opens, and his son, Adam, emerges into a world he doesn't recognize. Adam must navigate a modern landscape that has transformed from a suburb into an urban area, while attempting to find a 'non-mutant' wife and reconcile his outdated views with the reality of the 1990s.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1962, Dr. Calvin Webber builds a fallout shelter in the San Fernando Valley. Following a plane crash, he locks the shelter for 35 years, leading the public to believe his family died. In 1997, the shelter unlocks. His son, Adam, emerges and meets Melker, a man who believes the family are holy figures. Adam meets Eve, a woman who helps him navigate the modern world. They fall in love, and Adam eventually reveals his past to her. While they navigate the complexities of his upbringing, Adam's father, Calvin, remains convinced they are in a wasteland. After Adam and Eve marry and settle into a new life, Adam reveals to his father that the Cold War ended and no nuclear war occurred. The film ends with Calvin still secretly planning to build another shelter.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 112
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Hugh Wilson
- Writers
- Hugh Wilson · screenplay; Bill Kelly · screenplay; Bill Kelly · story
- Cast and characters
- Brendan Fraser · Adam; Alicia Silverstone · Eve Rustikov; Christopher Walken · Dr. Calvin Webber; Sissy Spacek · Helen; Dave Foley · Melker
- Genres
- romantic comedy; adventure; comedy-drama; science fiction comedy
- Themes
- culture shock; misunderstanding; isolation
- Tone and mood
- comedy; quirky
- Setting
- San Fernando Valley, California, spanning from 1962 to 1997.
- Premise and plot tags
- fish-out-of-water; time-jump; post-apocalyptic
- Source material / true-story basis
- story by Bill Kelly
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 59% · scale: percentage · review count: 80; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.1 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Production trivia
- The film was produced on a budget of $35 million.; It grossed $40.3 million worldwide.; The film features a soundtrack including 'It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' by R.E.M.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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