Adam (1992) User Reviews

Good animation coupled with a sometimes entertaining, occasionally tedious, story

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 18 December 2001]

This short was nominated for an Academy Award and is well worth watching, though it was probably about a minute too long or thereabouts. It's often amusing, but drags in spots. Interesting idea with excellent animation, but uneven and tedious at times. Recommended.

Funny, Cool, Bumbling, Bawdy Adam!

[sashank_kini-1 · 6/10 · 23 November 2011]

On hearing stories about Adam and Eve, I used to wonder how they survived in such loneliness. Isn't it dull to be with one person on a vast planet, at least after a while? Adam, the 1991 short dispelled my questions. It seems God or rather the Hand of God had an active participation in Adam's life. We see a clay Adam being taught how to act like a human, understand the concept of gravitation and the fact that the earth is round. We also see him being tormented by God at times- and in the end, we get a surprise from the Hand of God.

Six minutes of entertainment, a fat six rating for 'Adam.

My Rating: 6/10

Good looking short with some funny slapstick.

[TOMNEL · 8/10 · 21 June 2008]

Adam is the story of the first man on the planet Earth, who is known better with his female counterpart Eve. Adam, the short claymation film from Aardman animation is more about Adam and God and how the two got along, and how lonely Adam was with no female, or anyone for that matter.

The short starts off with God, who is portrayed by the hand of film artist Nick Upton, making Adam out of clay. He sticks him on the world, which is only about 10 times as big as Adam himself and is nothing but a ball of clay. There is no talking here, so anything that would be said is acted out instead. Adam does various things, like try to travel around the world, which takes him only a few seconds, and throws a piece of the Earth which flies around the Earth until stopped by his head. Adam becomes lonely and asks God to make him a companion, which ends in a silly, but effective ending.

This is a very slapstick reliant short. Adam is like one of the 3 Stooges and does amusing things either ending in him getting hurt or acting goofy. I wouldn't call the humor hilarious, but it's quite amusing. The animation is good, with Adam being the only main clay animated character, and God being a stop motion hand. You can find this on the Creature Comforts shorts compilation DVD, and if you're a fan of Aardman animation, or just a fan of animation in general, you'll be sure to enjoy this.

My rating: *** out of ****. 6 mins.

A 5-minute film short on the beginning of man.

[TxMike · 19 November 2005]

This 5-minute film short is one of 4 different shorts on one VHS tape by Aardman Animations, the group that has given us the Wallace and Gromit animations.

"Adam" is a whimsical look at the creation of man. We see a rather small (compared to the size of the real Earth) blue-green crater-pocked ball of clay. Onto it the hand (and arm) of God (but not really God) places this lifeless figure on the top, it falls, He picks it up, eventually it gets the hang of standing up, and then it explores this new world. Then we wonder, will we see him get his mate??

At only 5 minutes running time it doesn't require much effort to stick with it. Nothing Earth-shaking but a fun 5 minutes.

A good portrayal of an ancient belief

[Mightyzebra · 7/10 · 30 September 2007]

Many believers of the Bible may wince when they watch this Aardman short based on the first man and God, but it is likely to entertain them in some way otherwise. People who do not believe the Bible are more likely to love this, the absurdity of "the hand of God" (played by a real human hand) and Adam being a coward and being surprisingly stupid - which makes him more the irresistibly lovable!

Basically, this "amazing" short to watch, is based on the story of the first man, Adam, who comes down to a rather barren, rocky earth and learns to be like a man. The plasticene animation makes Adam look very entertaining and the hand of God is done very well. The background is also surprisingly unnerving and realistic.

So, if I am not mistaken, you (hopefully) should be entertained by this short.

Enjoy "Adam".

Just Little Story

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 25 October 2021]

We start with a barren globe. Adam is placed on it and proceeds to check it out. It is all wet claymation and after about a minute offers very little of interest.

A claymation Genesis

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 26 April 2022]

Basically, a humorous version about the Biblical story of the creation of Adam, done with the clever comedy stle of Aardman.

I liked a lot the little twist at the end.

A Classic Creation

[soymilk · 9/10 · 18 June 2005]

Yet another fine example of Aardman's pure unbounded brilliance, this amusing and engaging short focuses on the misadventures of a lonesome plasticine figure when his Creator (represented by a real human hand) places him on a tiny nondescript planet and brings him to life. The musical score used in the opening title is bold, beautiful and breathtaking but, in a sparkling piece of irony, when we actually get to meet this 'Adam' for ourselves, he turns out to be a weak, innocent and hopelessly naive being who, having been given life, has trouble working out exactly what it is he's supposed to be doing with it. He goes through all the various stages of coming to terms with his own existence and identity and exploring the world around him, and when it becomes apparent that Adam will never get by down there on his own, his Creator finally chooses to take more clay and mould him a companion, much to Adam's delight. Trouble is, the finished product isn't quite what our hero had in mind, making way for a hilarious and at the same time rather poignant conclusion.

The animation, in spite of looking just a tad unpolished, is excellent, the sight gags are perfectly executed (I like Adam's futile attempt to head off and see the rest of the world myself), and Adam himself is as charming a stop motion character as they come. His total obliviousness to his own limitations, which somehow manage to land him in all kinds of perilous situations on this seemingly innocuous planet, is what makes him so thoroughly appealing. It all comes together to produce one of the most fascinating and ambiguous films that the Bristol-based studio has ever crafted. Did Peter Lord intend it as a social commentary on male and female relations, a statement about humankind in general, an analogy of the animator's role as 'God' to the claymation figures he sculpts and brings to 'life', or simply a playful variation on the familiar creation story? Well, that's for your own interpretation to decide, but I personally view it as being a mixture of them all. Whatever the real meaning, it's lovable, enjoyable and Aardman's most inspired shot at a non-dialogue film.

Grade: A

Clever and cute

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 11 February 2008]

Considering that the film is called ADAM, you can probably assume this animated short is supposed to be a strange retelling of the Creation story. However, instead of God, you have the hand of the animator dropping a simple claymation man onto a small newly formed planet. From there, the poor clay creature is mercilessly messed with by the nasty hand. In the end, in a sick twist, the hand realizes that Adam is lonely and creates a mate--you just have to see it to appreciate it.

This short has both a lovely sense of humor and is very creative. In light of this, it seems appropriate that it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short of 1993.