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The film performed pretty well at the box office last weekend, but 65 seems destined to be forgotten. It is not the atrocity that some critics are saying it is. It currently holds a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests a dud. That’s a shame because for what it is, a fast-paced 90-minute sci-fi thriller, it does pretty well. Unlike 95% of the shit in theaters today, it’s not a remake, reboot, or sequel. It’s an original IP from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writers of A Quiet Place, a similar stripped-down science fiction/post-apocalyptic story of survival. This one, 65, happens to take place during the Cretaceous period.
The basic setup is simple. The film is set 65 million years ago and stars Adam Driver as Mills, a pilot from Somaris, who has a sick daughter and convinces his wife that he needs to go on a two-year space journey to help pay to cure her sickness. Unfortunately, on his way back to Somaris, Mills crash lands on Earth during the Cretaceous period. Yes, that means dinosaurs. Mills contemplates suicide until he happens to find another survivor named Koa. Together, they must travel across an unfamiliar geography perforated with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.
I’m somewhat biased toward movies like these because I want the genre to do well enough to justify further theatrical releases. I’m not sure 65 entirely does that. It’s a bare basic simple story with sound special effects for a mid-range budget (listed strangely at $45-$91 million on Wikipedia) science fiction film. It’s rather unremarkable but also not bad. Sadly it doesn’t live up to the potential of the somewhat intriguing story. Part of that concerns the sheer charisma of Adam Driver and his lead performance. At the same time, I must admit it held my attention throughout its running time.
Think of 65 as The Last of Us with dinosaurs. There doesn’t seem to be any agenda behind it. It was just trying to tell a simply good story. Some might be disappointed with the lack of dinosaur action, but using CGI with limited exposure is also intelligent. It’s a film that perhaps leaves you wanting more, as did both Quiet Place movies. The movie is adept at providing tension. It’s not necessarily wall-to-wall action, but they are pretty effective when the action scenes come. Still, there’s the nagging sense the full potential of this premise is not being taken advantage of. Overall, a mixed to positive review for 65 though I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see in theaters.
**1/2 out of ****
