65 bc movie review

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You’d think a movie in which Adam Driver fights a bunch of dinosaurs couldn’t possibly be boring, but that’s exactly what “65” is.

This is a movie that would have benefitted from being a whole lot stupider. The big-budget sci-fi flick—which reportedly cost $91 million to make and was featured in a Super Bowl ad—should have embraced its inherent B-movie roots. Instead, it tries to juggle a wild survival story with a poignant family drama, but both elements feel so rushed and underdeveloped that neither ends up registering. There’s nothing to these characters, and the action sequences quickly grow repetitive and wearisome. There’s a jump scare, insistent notes from an overbearing score, some running and screaming, the gnashing of teeth, and maybe an injury before a narrow escape. Over and over and over again.

But the film from the writing-directing team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods , whose credits include co-writing “ A Quiet Place ” with John Krasinski , offers an intriguingly contradictory premise. It takes place 65 million years ago, but suggests that futuristic civilizations existed back then on planets throughout the universe. On one of them, Driver stars as a space pilot named Mills. He’s about to embark on a two-year exploratory mission in order to afford medical treatment for his ailing daughter ( Chloe Coleman from “ My Spy ,” who’s featured in the film’s prelude and sporadic video snippets).

On the way to his destination, the ship Mills is flying enters an unexpected asteroid field, gets torn to shreds, and crashes. All of the passengers in cryogenic sleep are killed—except one, who just happens to be a girl around the same age as his daughter. Her name is Koa, and she’s played by Ariana Greenblatt . And the planet, which has swampy terrain reminiscent of Dagobah, just happens to be—wait for it—Earth.

“65” requires Mills and Koa to schlep from the wreckage to a mountaintop so they can commandeer the escape pod that’s perched there and fly out before dinosaurs can stomp and chomp on them. The creatures can be startling at times, but at other times they look so cheesy and fake, they’re like the animatronics you’d see at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant. And yet! It almost would have been better—or at least more entertaining—if “65” had leaned harder into that silliness if it had played with the basic ridiculousness of mixing complex technology with the Cretaceous period. They rarely use Mills’ advanced gadgets in any inspired ways within this prehistoric setting. The few attempts at humor fall flat—they mainly consist of Koa making fun of Mills for being uptight—and moments of peril wrap up too tidily for us to luxuriate in their anxiety. 

Worst of all, Driver doesn’t get to ham it up nearly enough here. He’s an actor of great intensity, which can be both thrilling and amusing if he’s amping it up in a knowing way. Imagine him screaming “More!!!” as he’s blasting Luke Skywalker in “ Star Wars: The Last Jedi ,” or punching a wall during an argument in “ Marriage Story .” But the man he plays in “65” is blandly heroic and just seems generally annoyed. Greenblatt, meanwhile, does the best she can with a character we know absolutely nothing about. Koa speaks a language that’s not English, so most of her exchanges with Mills consist of mimicking the basic words he says to her, including “family.” There’s no real bond between them, but neither is there any sort of prickly tension since they’re stuck with each other. “The Last of Us,” this is not.

Beck and Woods offer some clever camerawork here and there, but also some erratic editing choices. And they borrow quite a bit from the “ Jurassic Park ” franchise: a giant footprint in the mud or a dinosaur’s yellow eye leering menacingly through a window. But maybe that’s inevitable at this point. Their film only gets truly enjoyably nutty toward the end, with its climactic combination of a sneaky quicksand patch, a ravenous Tyrannosaurus rex, a well-timed geyser eruption, and a catastrophic asteroid shower. But by then, it’s too late for us—and the planet.

Now in theaters. 

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images.

Adam Driver as Mills

Ariana Greenblatt as Koa

Chloe Coleman as Nevine

Nika King as Alya

• Bryan Woods

Cinematographer

• Salvatore Totino
• Chris Bacon

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‘65’ Review: What on Earth?

Millions of years ago, a guy from another planet landed on this one. Like most survivors, he had a moody little girl with him.

• Share full article

By A.O. Scott

To paraphrase an old Monty Python sketch , nobody suspects the Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction.

Certainly the poor dinosaurs didn’t, though for their more obsessive present-day human fans the fact that this movie is called “65” — as in million years ago — might count as a spoiler. When Mills the space pilot crash-lands on a muddy, reptile-infested Earth after his vessel is hit by an asteroid, you might have an inkling of the larger disaster in store.

I don’t mean the movie; that would be unkind. “65,” directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (two writers of the first “Quiet Place” film), is not interesting enough to be truly terrible or terrible enough to be halfway interesting. As Mills, Adam Driver does a lot of breathing and grunting as he runs a gantlet of familiar dangers. In addition to the T. rexes and other saurian menaces, he faces quicksand, large bugs, falling rocks, malfunctioning equipment and the withering judgment of a 9-year-old girl.

But let’s back up a second. Who are these people, and how did they get to our planet before (if I may quote the opening titles) “the advent of mankind”? The answer is that they belonged to an ancient extraterrestrial civilization, one sufficiently advanced to have invented not only space travel, but the usual array of futuristic sci-fi technology.

Their health care system was pretty bad, though. Mills’s adolescent daughter, Nevine (Chloe Coleman), suffers from a persistent, apparently life-threatening cough, and the only way he can afford her treatment is by taking on a high-paying “long-range exploratory mission.” He’s already grief-stricken when the asteroid hits, cleaving his spaceship in two and killing all of his cryogenically frozen passengers except one, a girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt).

The folks on their home planet, realistically enough, speak more than one language, so Koa and Mills — whose native idiom is English — can’t communicate very well. Also, he’s a grumpy, unhappy man and she’s a moody girl, so we’re on familiar survival-story terrain. “65” is a little like “ The Last of Us ,” but with dinosaurs instead of mushrooms and no obvious sociological theme that would sustain a think piece.

Which would be to its credit, if it managed to be a simple, effective action movie. Or science-fiction movie. Or scary movie. Or something. Like Mills’s emotional back story, the special effects seem to have been pulled out of a box of secondhand ideas. Nor is the execution all that impressive. There’s little in the way of awe, suspense or surprise. Just a quickly hatched plan to get off this God-forsaken planet and leave it to its fate.

65 Rated PG-13. Dinosaur blood and prehistoric curses. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. In theaters.

A.O. Scott is a co-chief film critic. He joined The Times in 2000 and has written for the Book Review and The New York Times Magazine. He is also the author of “Better Living Through Criticism.” More about A.O. Scott

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‘65’ Review: Adam Driver Battles Dinosaurs and Other Stone-Age Story Ideas in Derivative Thriller

'A Quiet Place' writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods direct a prehistoric adventure that feels like it's 65 million movies in the making.

By Todd Gilchrist

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Identifying the distant remains of the rest of their ship using a handful of relics from his technologically advanced culture, Mills and Koa make a difficult trek across terrain filled with quicksand, steam-filled geysers, life-threatening flora and a variety of dinosaur species. But even as they overcome each new hazard, a much bigger one appears: the asteroid that felled their ship is on a collision course with Earth. They soon find themselves in a race against the clock to get to the ship’s escape pod before either dying in a planet-leveling fireball or being eaten by a carnivorous reptile.

But those quiet moments also give the audience to wonder: so a humanlike species from another planet, armed with the technology for interstellar travel (not to mention laser guns and 3D GPS) came to Earth 65 million years ago, long before humankind existed — and the point is “just” that they’re trying to get back home? Seems like a long way to travel to go nowhere particularly meaningful.

That said, Beck and Woods make dinosaurs frightening for the first time in decades, thanks to some classic misdirection and staging that involves a lot of shadows to make the audience say “nope” when the characters decide to plumb further into them. If their filmmaking isn’t particularly inventive, the duo approach it with the same kind of sturdy proficiency they use when borrowing scenes or genre boilerplate to tell their stories. “A Quiet Place” worked because it gently tweaked a lot of familiar formulas and then director John Krasinski executed the whole thing with a workmanlike attention to detail; “65” doesn’t have the same core emotionality holding it together (this family is fractured, not fighting to stay together), but behind the cameras Beck and Woods merely service their ideas rather than strengthening them from the page.

At just 93 minutes, ”65” feels pleasantly diverting in competition with a glut of sequels that include “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Creed III,” “Scream VI” and “John Wick Chapter 4” — not that anything in it is all that original. Then again, perhaps the reason it still falls short is because the idea of a standalone story seems too good to be true in an era of cinematic universes, especially given the fact that buried in its premise, before the title card even, is the idea there’s more than just our own to explore.

In which case, the best thing for “65” would be that no more installments follow, but if it proves a hit, audiences couldn’t possibly be that lucky. Who were Mills’ other passengers? Why was he transporting them? In what way do his “people” relate, genetically, or otherwise, to ordinary humans? These are all questions that you can see Sony salivating at the prospect of answering in a sequel or spinoff, but they all feel more intriguing without some sort of canonical answer. In which case, “65” is a film whose past feels like it was 65 million movies in the making, and its future depends on a several hundred millions in box office revenue. They best way to enjoy it is to let go of all that and be present.

Reviewed at Thalberg Screening Room, Los Angeles, March 9, 2023. MPA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 93 MIN.

• Production: A Sony release of Columbia Pictures presentation of a Bron Creative, Raimi Prods., Beck Woods production. Producers: Sam Raimi, Deborah Liebling, Zainab Azizi, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods. Executive producers: Maryann Brandon, Doug Merrifield, Jason Cloth, Aaron L. Gilbert.
• Crew: Directors, writers: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods. Camera: Salvatore Totino. Editors: Josh Schaeffer, Jane Tones. Music: Chris Bacon
• With: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman.

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10 Mar 2023

Given they are the subject of the one-time biggest box-office hit in history ( Jurassic Park , naturally), it’s a wonder that Hollywood hasn’t embraced dinosaurs more. Bringing the wildest dreams of small children to life seems like an obvious win for blockbuster filmmakers looking for some paleontological pleasures at the picturehouse; special effects wizards like Ray Harryhausen and Phil Tippett once kept them alive in the cinematic imagination but these days, outside of the ongoing Jurassic series, big-screen dinosaurs are a rare beast.

Now, finally, comes this dino-disaster-movie from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who have — as with their script for A Quiet Place — sketched another simple but effective sci-fi premise: what if a spaceman from another world crash-landed on our planet, 65 million years ago, at the tail end of the Cretaceous Period? It’s a basic idea which reframes dinosaurs not as the terrible lizards of wonder that captivated young minds in science classes, but deadly, terrifyingly unknown aliens.

This is a very straightforward, efficient kind of blockbuster. Following some rather gloopy exposition back on his home planet which establishes him as a stock-in-trade Sad Dad, Adam Driver ’s Mills crash lands on Earth within ten minutes. There is so little flab here, it is almost skeletal: not counting the prehistoric beasties, there are only four speaking roles, and one of them doesn’t even speak English. That would be Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), Mills’ fellow survivor, quickly taking the role of surrogate daughter for his real one, who is suffering from an unspecified illness (we’ll call it ‘Character Motivation Syndrome’).

65 breaks no new ground. But it is a short, sharp, largely original studio movie.

In the spaceman-falling-to-a-planet-that-turns-out-to-be-ours setup, there are faint echoes of Planet Of The Apes , but Beck and Woods aren’t especially interested in making any kind of satirical commentary on our world, past or present. Instead the film lurches into a lean genre exercise, a survivalist thriller that occasionally draws from the filmmakers’ horror background. The sheer hostility of prehistoric nature means peril is always lurking, the experience always at some degree of stress.

It plays more or less as you might expect: there are problems that require solving; there is a journey requiring the characters to get from A to B; there is, unhelpfully, the odd Tyrannosaurus rex in between those two points. The dinosaurs are fun and frightening (even if — sorry, paleontologists! — none of them have feathers here), and while plot holes loom like falling asteroids, it is at the very least handsomely presented, blending epic landscape cinematography — including lush location shooting in Louisiana's Kisatchie National Forest — with solid, subtle CGI.

It’s also bound together by a typically compelling Adam Driver performance. As he did in three Star Wars films , Driver brings a thoughtfulness to his genre character even when the screenplay doesn’t, a humanistic approach that grounds the bombastic silliness around him. He shares an easy warmth with Greenblatt, too, despite their characters speaking different languages, her character having hailed from the "upper territories" of their home planet. They commit, admirably, to the project at hand.

65 breaks no new cinematic ground, upends no rules, challenges no clichés. But it is a short, sharp, largely original major studio movie, unbound to any franchise or intellectual property — at a time when such a concept is being threatened with extinction. Also, it has a T-Rex in it. Sometimes, that’s enough.

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Writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods put a lot on the film’s shoulders. They got butts in the theater with the sci fi action premise, but the heart of the film is a thin, trite indie drama about grief and finding a reason to continue to live.

Full Review | Jun 2, 2024

It was the worst of times, it was the end of times. For the characters anyway. Not as bad I had heard, 65 is improved by the performances and also the constant pummelling that pre-historic Earth doles out to poor old Mills.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 21, 2024

...a pared-down premise that’s employed to mostly compelling (and periodically spellbinding) effect...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 30, 2023

Watches so much like an adaptation of a classic pulp dime novel...

Full Review | Dec 25, 2023

65 may not be as refined or ravishing as the other survival thrillers or sci-fi adventures, but if you’re tired of mush and masculinity, this may be a slightly different experience.

Full Review | Nov 27, 2023

Silly but too serious, kinda exciting and pretty familiar.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 28, 2023

Wasted potential with an excellent lead, dinosaur mayhem & nice sci-fi gadgets.

Full Review | Aug 16, 2023

The limited cast of two major players and a script that allows for little flexibility leaves the production as just being bland.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 9, 2023

65 is as unimaginative and predictable as anticipated, only even less entertaining and far more bland. Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt try their best. A dinosaur flick this uninteresting should be considered a cinephilic crime.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Jul 21, 2023

A no-frills, no-thrills dud.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jun 6, 2023

65 should only be recommended after one has run out of films to watch, which might not be for many years.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Jun 5, 2023

A passable sci-fi survival adventure pushes a thin premise to a mercifully short end.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jun 2, 2023

Driver is always very good no matter what role he takes on, whether it is a spaceship pilot battling dinosaurs or Darth Vader's grandson battling the force and the inner conflict that wages war inside him.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 1, 2023

The whole desperate dad thing gets wearisome as if the movie were conscientiously telling lonely 9-year-olds how much their absent work-junkie fathers actually love them. Which it is. Driver’s big salary-earning business trip isn’t happening “to you."

Full Review | May 29, 2023

It’s maybe too slim and uninspired for its own good, but it’s quick enough to where you aren’t all that bothered by the time spent with it.

Full Review | May 27, 2023

Driver makes it all stick. It’s his first lead role in the action hero genre, and he adds depth and nuance to a thinly written role. We don’t know much about Mills, but the actor keeps us plugged in due to his ability to elevate material.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 27, 2023

Confusingly bland and riddled with plot holes, 65 doesn’t give its talented lead much to work with.

Full Review | Apr 21, 2023

Dreary, under-developed wannabe sci-fi action adventure that strives for suspense but plays like the kind of grade B-creature feature that used to be drive-in theater fare.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Apr 19, 2023

With excellent, double-strength VFX and whole-hearted embrace of B-movie aesthetics, 65 is terrific entertainment with outstanding action cinematography giving the film a visual polish that sits several grades above what we typically see in Marvel films.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 16, 2023

Nothing really sinks its teeth in deep enough to draw blood, metaphorically speaking, of course.

Full Review | Apr 12, 2023

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65 (2023) Review

A BAREBONED SCI-FI EXPLORATION INTO

Earth’s prehistoric past.

There are movies that talk about history by gazing into the past and telling stories from different eras and time periods and then there are movies that takes a closer look at “predated” history by promising a glance into the prehistoric age of Neanderthals, cavemen, dinosaurs, and a menagerie of primal indigenous wildlife. There’s something fantastic about these types of movies, bringing a cinematic lens by pulling away the veil of ancient and primordial world into our own world, with the juxtaposition of life and survival during such dangerous times. Such vigorous storytelling deals with prehistoric flights of fancy with some being a bit more austere and gravitas like 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey , 1984’s Iceman , 2008’s 10,000 BC , 2018’s Alpha , while others are more comical and family friendly like 1994’s The Flintstones , 2002’s Ice Age , 2013’s The Croods , 2015’s The Good Dinosaur , and 2018’s Early Man just to name a few. Now, Sony Pictures and director Scott Beck and Bryan Woods travel back to Earth’s prehistoric time with a unique sci-fi tale with the film titled 65 . Does the merging of science fiction nuances within a prehistoric setting find cinematic harmony or does it, like the dinosaurs, go extinct with its flat and uninspiring concept?

Long ago…. far away on the planet Somaris, Mills (Adam Driver) has reluctantly accepted an employment prospect as the leader of an exploratory mission into unknown deep space. The job will take him away from his loving family for two years, leaving his wife (Nika King) and his daughter, Nervine (Chloe Coleman), behind for such extended duration. During the journey, Mills’s ship is suddenly hit by a collision of asteroids, making an unexpected crash landing at a nearby planet, with the vessel splitting into two sections. Surveying the damage, Mills discovers most of the cryo-tubes have been destroyed, killing those inside and leaving the pilot alone to understand what’s happened and how he can be rescued. Enter Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), a young child, the only survivor of the cryo-tube humans, and who doesn’t speak the same language as Millis, complicating their way of communication with one another. As the pair venture forth together to try to make their way across the land to the other half of their wrecked ship (where the escape pods are located), Millis and Koa quickly discover the harsh environment of this alien world, filled with physical threats of dinosaurs emerging from shadows to feast on their prey and a looming threat of an asteroid in the sky, which is on a collision course for the planet….Earth.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

I’ve always found it interesting to explore the past and the various time periods and eras that span the planet’s lifecycle and the variety of civilizations. Exploring the prehistoric past is somewhat interesting because everyone’s mind immediately drums up the fantastical ideas from mainstream and popularity nuances of cavemen and dinosaurs. Of course, such imagery is iconic to all, but scientist and proven such illustrations to be a bit false to certain degrees of it, with the evolution of homo sapiens coming way before the time of dinosaurs; proving the false depiction of the two races co-existing together during such ancient times. Though it’s still fun to imagine such a possibility and (again) such a depiction of cavemen and dinosaurs has literally been engrained into everyone’s mind since we were little. Of course, Hannah-Barbera’s Flintstones cartoon series comes to my mind to such drawing of prehistoric life as well as other feature films like 10,000 BC, The Croods , Ice Age , and Dinosaurs just to name a few ones that I personally find interesting to watch. Overall, the allure and fascination of the prehistoric era of Earth’s history continues to inspire and Imaginate the mind’s of everyone; depicting such primordial creatures and beings that were once the dominate species, yet now only exist within the pages of history books and museums.

This brings me back to talking about 65 , a 2023 sci-fi film and the latest project to tackle the cinematic depiction of Earth’s prehistoric era. I can’t exactly remember when I first heard about this movie. I think I read somewhere online that actor Adam Driver was going to be attached to a science fiction film (titled 65 ) and was going to be about someone time traveling (presumably) into Earth’s prehistoric past. Of course, right before I saw the movie I found out that it was set solely on the prehistoric past and the characters would come from another (more developed) world. Soon after that, the film’s movie trailers began to surface on the web and in theaters during the “coming attractions” previews, which showcased that premise. I wasn’t completely convinced by the preview to make the movie a “must see”, but I was a bit curious to see what the project held and how it was going to handle its premise. So, I decided to check out the movie a few weeks after its initial release (March 10 th , 2023). However, while I did see 65 in theaters, this particular film wasn’t on my “top list” to get my review done that quickly, especially since I was still trying to “wrap up” my reviews for 2022 releases and trying to punch out my reviews for some of the bigger releases of 2023. So, sadly, my review for 65 got massively delayed for quite some time. However, as I’m trying to wrap up my reviews for 2023, I am finally ready to share personal thoughts on this sci-fi / prehistoric hybrid movie. And what did I think of it? Well, unfortunately, it was disappointing. Despite having an interesting premise and some good visual effects shots and nuances, 65 is a very basic and stripped-down narrative presentation that feels very clunky in its mechanics and overall execution. There’s definitely some parts that are good, but, negatives outweigh the positives, which isn’t great for the movie itself.

65 is directed by Scott Beck, whose previous directorial works include such projects like The Bride Wore Bloo d, Haunt , and 50 States of Fright , and Bryan Woods, whose previous has previously worked on those same projects as well. The duo are frequent collaborators with each other and have worked on not only directing, but also as producers and writers, including the 2018 hit A Quiet Place . Thus, their frequent collaboration for each other is quite a cinematic union with Beck / Woods’s approach to this film to be a bit similar to the 2018 sleeper hit. Not so much in the way of monstrous alien creatures that stalk the land by sound alone, but in a way that keeps the feature on a straightforward narrative progression trajectory and doesn’t get bogged down with too many superfluous details of side stories or unnecessary tangents. This can be seeing as a bit of a both good or bad thing (more on that below), but, for the good part, the directors shape the movie as a sort of “survival” drama, choosing to bring a slimer and leaner narrative to a film and provides plenty of visual on-screen creatures and environments that Mills must navigate through.

Naturally the action scenes in 65 are what sells the most on the project, with Beck / Woods staging plenty throughout the entire film. As mentioned, the movie is presented almost as a survival movie, which gives plenty of thrills and scares in the feature’s narrative and effectively utilized the classic “jump scare” tactic in a few moments. Monsters, both large and small, are hostile to Mills and, while his futuristic weaponry help neutralize many threats that stalk him, he has to use his wits to survive this dangerous environment. These actions scenes are pretty good and help build upon the film’s suspense and tensions, which are only further compacted twice over, due to Mill’s care over Koa, who is fearful of the dangers that come at them. This is where the Beck / Woods use the prehistoric angle of the movie’s premise, using predated beings of flora and fauna and dinosaurs to wreak havoc beyond the alien intruders that have entered their domain.

Of course, the duo directors do take several “breathers” throughout the movie to help break up the barrage of action thrills and furious encounters, finding a few sentiment moments where the two characters reflect on their lives and their current situations. Overall, I felt that Beck / Woods did a somewhat decent job in bringing 65 to the screen, brandishing a hostile prehistoric world that Mills and Koa must traverse, bonding in their survival, and reach their destination before time runs out. It’s a clear cut and effective movie that knows what it wants, with the two directors present in such a way that keeps in lean on all fronts.

As a sidenote, I do like how the movie’s main plot starts to become a sort of “race against the clock” for Mills and Koa to make it to the other half of the wrecked ship as constant reminder of a looming asteroid threat heading towards them is repeatedly brought up. For the video gamers out there…. this element in the film reminded me of the scenario from the classic JRPG Chrono Trigger, with Chrono and the gang exploring the prehistoric time period, battling against the reptites, and the ominous threat in the sky in the form of Lavos that’s hurdling towards them. I do like those parallels between the two projects.

For its presentation, I do have to say that 65 does look pretty good and depicts a very intriguing portrayal of Earth’s prehistoric era in a way that’s both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Of course, this depiction of predated and primal setting of Earth during such an ancient era doesn’t quite push the boundaries of “groundbreaking material” in the realm of filmmaking, but, for what it’s worth, it does meet the somewhat industry standard for such imagery, which does seem to work in the film’s favor. Lush flora and fauna in the various locations feel real and organic (and sometimes alien / otherworldly) and the creatures themselves are (both large and small) have that primitive appearance that looks dangerous in such a world of nature. Plus, the moments where the film focuses on some of the sci-fi elements and aspects certainly do look quite sleek and stylish. Thus, the movie’s “behind the scenes” team, including Kevin Ishioka (production design), Michael Kaplan (costume designs), and Chris Caine, Kelly Curley, and David Storm, for their efforts in bringing the feature’s visual world to life. In addition, the cinematography work by Salvatore Totino is actually pretty good in a few areas in the movie, which definitely helps amp up the dramatic flair of the story and builds upon some moments to be quite cinematic. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Chris Bacon and Danny Elfman, does a decent job throughout the picture, with a music composition that displays the serene beauty of the pre-dated Earth (as well as in quieter character-built moments), but also within its more bombastic and suspenseful scenes that make tension-driven sequences enticing.

Unfortunately, 65 is quite heavily punctured with lots of criticisms in its proceedings, which does hinder the movie from reaching such lofty and cinematic goals that the filmmakers were trying to reach. How so? Well, for starters, the movie itself, despite its gimmick of “future meets past” aesthetics, does come off as a bit “meh” for a great majority of the feature’s duration and doesn’t really go beyond anything new or exciting. It’s definitely not for a lack of trying on the filmmaker’s part in their efforts to make the film feel exciting, but there is a sense of emptiness and blandness throughout. The story is there, but it does lack the substance it needs to make the whole endeavor compelling. Again, the gimmick idea for 65 does have its merits, yet it comes off as a sort of “bareboned” presentation. Fending off against dinosaurs and surviving a prehistoric / underdeveloped world seems intriguing premise, but it does lack the conviction and cinematic bite that is required for such a feature. There can be a sublime blissfulness in a simple story premise, which can be seeing in A Quiet Place (and expand upon), but 65 seems like a very humdrum picture that never rise to the challenge (or occasion) to warrant excitement and well-roundness. Basically, if you are looking for something simple like a “man vs. beast” idea for a film, then you might like what this movie has to offer. That being said, it all feels underwhelming and lacks the conviction in the unanswered intrigue.

Who is to blame for this? Well, it’s a combination of the directing aspect as well as the writing for the film. Beck / Wood’s direction is again streamlined for an effective aim of storytelling, which does play up the survival mode of 65’s plot. Yet, it all feels quite hollow and lacks substance within those said aims, which results in a lot of “meh” moments. The action does help elevate those scenes with suspense and thrills, but it does feel derivate and almost to the point of being conventional and predictable. Particular jump scares feel “meh” and almost to the point of being to formulaic, especially in modern Hollywood where such tactics are overused. Then there is the matter of the feature’s pacing, which is quite sluggish throughout the entire project. Again, there are moments where there are thrills, but the overall film feels quite unbalanced from onset to conclusion; rendering 65 to be quite the slog endeavor. There just seems to be a lacking finesse and execution of a great majority in the movie, with Beck / Wood’s touches of shaping the film feeling to be heading in the right direction yet loosening its course throughout the picture. From a writer’s standpoint, the movie misses that particular avenue due to the feature’s basic formula of storytelling, which keeps things very streamlined and simple, yet feels lacks substance in almost every aspect. Beck / Wood, who pull double duty on 65, penned the script for the feature and (again) feels pretty limp. There is potential there, but it feels quite shallow and limps on without very much to entice or excite viewers. Elements of Mill’s past and relationship with his daughter seems prime for further examination, which does affect his current standings with Koa, but it’s never fully explored and does feel like a missed opportunity.

The cast in 65 is relatively small (by design) and gives more screen to the two established characters of Mills and Koa respectfully. Thus, the acting talents of both actor Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt rest solely on them and, for their sum parts, they actually do a pretty good job in conveying such characters in this survival situation. Driver, who is known for his roles in The Last Duel , House of Gucci , and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens , has certainly been a rising star in Hollywood of late, appearing more frequently in projects in recent years. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Driver would lead / headline this particular movie as the film’s “big ticketed” star, especially since the cast of the feature is minimalize by nature. Thus, Driver does bring enough screen presence in 65 and does most (if not all) of the heavy lifting throughout the entire picture. For his part, he actually does pull off the character in the movie, providing a decent role in his portrayal of Mills, a man who is confronted with a survival situation and must find a way out of it. The character arc and overall trajectory of Mills (as a whole) is quite straightforward and precise, with very little to deviate from that survival mode aspect as well as finding a similar paternal feeling with Koa. Thus, there is a little bit of flatness found within that character, but, to his effect, Driver does help sell those moments quite well and does make for a capable leading performance in Mills, regardless of if the writing for him is a bit weak.

The same can be also said about Greenblatt, who is known for her roles in Barbie , The One and Only Ivan , and Avengers: Infinity War , who does a relatively good job in playing Koa, a young girl who find herself alone with Mills and doesn’t speak the same type of language as her fellow companion, which results in the pair bonding / learning from each other. Basically, she is the younger person who the veteran character (Mills) must protect throughout the whole journey, which (again) is a conventional and formulaic in the survival premise, but, for her part, Greenblatt does a decent job in portraying Koa. However, while both Driver and Greenblatt are quite capable talents and work well within their respective own characters, their on-screen chemistry with each other feels rather awkward at times. Of course, their scenes together are supposed to emulate a father / daughter relationship and, while that idea is quite present in the movie, it just doesn’t come together in the end. Thus, while Driver and Greenblatt are relatively good in the movie, their on-screen chemistry with each other is a bit jarring at times, which doesn’t quite help sell the bonding moments between Mills and Koa.

With the movie mostly focusing on both Driver’s Mills and Greenblatt’s Koa, the story (and the film) doesn’t offer much in the way of supporting characters by design alone. However, actress Chloe Coleman ( My Spy and Marry Me ) does make a small yet memorable appearance in the movie as Mill’s daughter Nervine. The character is presented as a narrative plot device via video recording flashbacks, so there isn’t a whole lot particular “growth” or character arc for Nervine, but Coleman still has enough gumption to make her performance, however short it is, memorable. Lastly, actress ( Euphoria and Greenleaf ) does a decent in her small character role as Nevine’s mom and Mills’s partner. She doesn’t bring much beyond the concerned wife archetype, especially since she only appearance in the first during the beginning part, but, for her sum parts, she does a relatively okay job.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Stranded on a hostile and primitive alien world, Mills, along with an unexpected passenger in his care, must journey across a land of vicious creatures and dangerous pitfalls before calamity crashes from above them in the movie 65 . Director Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’s latest film takes an interesting “what if?” scenario and runs with it by having an advanced civilization man let stranded on Earth during the prehistoric age and how he must survive in the classic “kill or be killed” scenario. While the movie’s concept does have moments of intrigue and some of the action / visuals do work well, a great majority of the film is undercooked and underserved by a lackluster script, a thinly sketched plot, and a derivate progression trajectory. Personally, I thought that this movie was pretty “meh” and forgetful….and that’s put it modestly. The visual effects were good, and I thought that Driver and Greenblatt were good in the movie, but such an interesting concept of “past meets future” is squandered with such blandness and derivate nature of survival on an alien world. There was potential in this project, but such potential is progressively diminished as the movie plows forward. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a “rent it” at best, while probably a “skip it” would be the best option as the film doesn’t really bring much to the table of the various genres it’s trying to pull from. In the end, 65 , while promising with its gimmick concept, just comes off as an unmemorable and forgettable endeavor of a bareboned sci-fi exploration into Earth’s pre-historic past.  

2.7 Out of 5 (Rent It / Skip It)

Released on: march 10th, 2023, reviewed on: may 4th, 2024.

65  is 93 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images

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It’s visually appealing with a few good emotional moments and some decent action pieces. Without the meat on its bones I never felt compelled to watch it again. It is one of those movies you enjoy in a hotel room after a long day of work or travel. Lol

Definitely agree with you. It’s maybe okay to watch as a rental one time, but I have very little reason to watch it again.

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The Ending Of 65 Explained

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of the first "A Quiet Place" film, deliver their third directed feature together with "65," a sci-fi action thriller that sees the future collide with the past. The film follows Mills ( Adam Driver ), a pilot whose mission to transport people is upended after asteroids damage his ship, causing him to crash on an unknown planet. Although Mills has no idea where he is, the film tells us that he has landed on Earth — albeit 65 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed the land and human civilization was nowhere in sight. With few options, Mills grabs Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) -– a young girl who's the only other survivor -– and begins traversing these dangerous lands in the hopes of reaching the other half of his ship to possibly escape.

"65" does its best to make dinosaurs scary again through its intense action and some of the creepier creatures that Mills and Koa come across. Along with some thrilling sci-fi action, the film delivers some interesting story beats for Mills and Koa as their personal struggles are touched on and they gain a stronger connection with one another. The film's finale is especially rich with story moments and action as the pair attempts to escape before a cataclysmic event keeps them in this prehistoric prison. With a lot happening in the film's final moments, let's delve into the fast-paced finale and nail-biter ending of "65."

Future meets past

While it might seem strange to see a futuristic soldier like Mills stuck in the middle of a prehistoric world, the film does delve into how he got there. Mills is actually from a distant planet whose people act and speak like human beings. The film never clarifies what species or race Mills people exactly are, so it's safe to assume that they must be humans too. Either way, Mills is tasked with transporting people to an undisclosed location, but his ship suffers severe damage from a cluster of asteroids, forcing him to crash-land on Earth.

So rather than Mills arriving on Earth through some kind of time-traveling or universe jumping, he simply exists 65 million years before our time. Mill's people are just so advanced that they've been able to develop the sophisticated technology and weapons that ultimately help him survive. Even with these tools, though, Mills faces fierce opposition from both the environment and creatures he's forced to fight against, leading to him nearly losing his life on more than one occasion. "65" is truly a future meets past scenario that pits futuristic tech against prehistoric beasts to see who's really dominant.

The meteor that killed the dinosaurs

Throughout the film, there is an obscure red-looking entity in the sky that seems like it's drifting closer to Earth. Koa is the first to see it when she notices a weird light phenomenon above her. However, when Mills sees it sometime later, it looks much more ominous and massive. At first, you can't help but hope that maybe it's just the rescue transport Mills called for coming down to Earth, but once Mills is able to get an actual read on what this strange entity is, it's much worse than expected.

Mills' scanner says that it's actually a gigantic meteor with the mass to cause cataclysmic destruction once it impacts Earth. Perhaps you are familiar with the idea that the dinosaurs were killed by a massive asteroid that caused a mass extinction event ? Well, this is that meteor — and it surprisingly has a stronger connection to Mills' current situation. 

The asteroid cluster that Mills encountered earlier, which ultimately caused the ship to crash, actually came from this world-ending meteor, and it looks like it's coming to finish the job. This meteor adds new stakes to Mills and Koa's escape and plays a big role in making the finale of "65" super intense and visually stunning.

Brought to the edge

Mills crashing into this rough survival situation has a deeper effect on him than initially expected and hints at a secret he hides throughout the film. Once he's able to get up after the crash, he sees that nearly all the passengers are dead and that half of his ship is missing. Even worse is that the part of the ship containing the escape pod is nowhere in sight, which means that there's virtually no way off the planet. After his first few steps outside, Mills also sees how dangerous the environment truly is. Rather than try to survive, he looks like he's ready to end things.

While he attempts to call for help at first, he eventually just tells them that he isn't worth looking for and prepares to end his own life right then and there. However, he soon finds Koa, and she gives him a reason to keep going. Given how harsh this environment is and how vicious the creatures are, it's hard not to blame Mills for thinking that things are over. 

It later becomes clear that Mills' hopelessness stems from the death of his daughter, Nevine (Chloe Coleman). Mills' willingness to accept his fate after the crash is the first moment that hints at that. 

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by callin g 1 -800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Seeing something more

Mills' relationship with Koa starts on some rocky ground. Their inability to communicate — because they don't speak the same language — makes for some frustrating moments between the two, with Koa sometimes doing her own thing, which really gets under Mills' skin. However, Mills eventually warms up to Koa because he sees her as something more than just a helpless survivor — he almost begins to see her as a surrogate daughter. While it at first appears to annoy Mills, he definitely appreciates Koa's interest in learning about his daughter through video messages. They watch a hologram of her together in the cave and it feels like a real bonding moment between them. 

Ultimately, Mills and Koa have some real father/daughter energy in some of their more light-hearted moments together. It's these moments, which connect back to Mills' daughter and the way that he does everything he can to protect her, that make it clear that he sees his daughter in Koa. Plus, once we learn that Mills already knows that his daughter is dead, it becomes obvious that he's trying to make up for what he couldn't do for Nevine. 

Mills and Koa's bond is a central part of the film's heart and arguably the main thing that keeps them going over the course of their survival adventure. 

Environmental horrors

The vicious dinosaurs in "65" are certainly enough to make surviving in this world a daunting task for Koa and Mills, but it's far from the only thing they have to worry about. While the big creatures are tough to deal with on their own, there are also some big nasty bugs that cause the pair some trouble in their journey. There's a gut-wrenching moment when one of the bugs crawls down Koa's throat while she's sleeping that is sure to leave a massive knot in your stomach. Beyond that, just looking at the sticky goo that comes from one of the bugs that Mills crushes makes you not want to touch an insect ever again. 

Unfortunately, the environment is just as deadly as the creatures they find in it. As Mills learns, it's very easy to walk into deadly tar fields or quicksand. Mills and Koa's cave exploration nearly proves fatal when a cave-in occurs. Of course, there's also the geyser field that Mills first comes across after landing on the planet spews water so hot that it could melt skin. 

"65" makes viewers thankful that Earth isn't like this anymore since it looks like a genuinely nightmarish world to try and survive. 

Is there help?

Almost as soon as he crashes on Earth, Mills attempts to contact his people to try and organize a rescue for him and the other passengers. However, after realizing that all the passengers are dead, he deletes the help message and calls off help — largely because he thinks it's hopeless anyway. Once Mills finds Koa still alive, though, he creates a message that once again signals the need for assistance, and he's left wondering if anyone will come. So, does anyone pick up Mills' distress signal?

Luckily for him and Koa, his message manages to reach someone, but they're not exactly within easy reach. Based on what his scanner says, a ship will meet him at an interception point in space to take him and Koa home. However, the only way for Mills and Koa to get back to space is by finding a distant escape pod before the fast-approaching meteor strikes Earth. 

It's a shame that no one can come and just scoop up Mills and Koa from this horrific situation, but the realization that there is a way home at least drives them to survive and push forward.

Koa's realization

Koa's main concern throughout the film is finding her parents. Mills initially tells her that her parents are at the top of the mountain where the escape pod is, but he only tells her this to get her to go on the journey with him. In reality, Mills knows that her parents are dead and only tells her otherwise to keep her motivated as they journey toward the escape pod. There's even a point where Mills becomes so frustrated by their situation and language barrier that he tells her that he lied. Unfortunately, since Koa can't understand him, she still doesn't know that her parents are dead until she finds the destroyed escape pods. 

This realization that Mills has lied about her parents being dead understandably hurts her and she becomes furious with him. For Koa, the journey to the ship likely feels like it was for nothing now, and part of her would rather just stay on the planet and die rather than go on without her parents. It's a tough moment for Koa, and it almost seems like she's not going to go along with Mills to leave Earth. 

However, he's able to get her back on his side by deeply opening up to her about what happened to his daughter. 

The truth behind Mills' daughter

When Koa gets angry at Mills for lying about her parents, he decides it's a good time to tell her about what really happened to his daughter Nevine. When Mills first left, his daughter was set to go through a procedure that would cure her of a mysterious illness. This procedure would be paid for by this transport job Mills was completing when he crashlanded on Earth. Although he would be away from his daughter for two years while completing the trip, at least she would be healthy when he returned. Unfortunately, Nevine died while he was out doing this job — which means Mills never got to see her again after he left. 

The death of Mills' daughter is hinted at throughout the film, and there are some key moments that show Mills' frustration. As noted earlier, his willingness to accept his fate at the start of the film shows the lingering pain he has from his daughter's death. The video messages from her also start to take a dour turn that matches the gut-wrenching feelings of some of the dreams Mills has about her. Further, the way Mills views Koa as a daughter and how he protects her also make more sense once it's clear that his daughter is gone. 

Mills opens up to Koa about his lingering pain and how he felt that protecting her was a way for him to feel like he did something right. This admission helps Koa forgive Mills, and she decides to continue on with him to try and return to their home. 

Botched launch

Now that Koa and Mills have unpacked some of their emotional baggage with one another, they have little time to spare. Fragments of the meteor are crashing all over the place, and there isn't much time left until the meteor collides with Earth. They quickly hop into the escape craft and start the launch sequence. Unfortunately, the fragments begin to impact the mountain they're on and cause the terrain to collapse, sending the ship hurtling toward the ground. 

Miraculously, not only are Koa and Mills somehow not dead from that violent crash, but the escape pod is also still seemingly operable. However, they can't launch it right away because the ship has been flipped upside-down. As they scramble to deal with the inverted spacecraft, they soon realize they have bigger problems on their hands — two giant dinosaurs are approaching them, creating a deadly predicament. Although safety seems right in their grasp, this meteor once again causes Mills and Koa problems that could put the final nails in their coffins. 

Sacrifices and rescues

Mills and Koa have a lot on their plate — an unflyable ship, a giant meteor racing towards them, and two dinosaurs looking to gobble them up — so Mills springs into action. He's able to distract the two dinosaurs away from the ship, but his gun is malfunctioning which leaves him a sitting duck. Everything seems hopeless for once again, but Koa is able to show him a hologram of his daughter that motivates him to kill the two dinosaurs. Even better, one of the dinosaurs has actually reoriented the ship by slamming into it, which means it can fly again. 

However, before they can escape, the dinosaur Mills has wounded approaches them seeking revenge. To protect Koa, Mills sacrifices himself to lead the dinosaur away from the ship towards the hot geysers he came across at the start of the film. 

At first, the geysers don't seem to do much damage to the dinosaur, and Mills' wounded leg makes him easy prey. Luckily, Koa is there to rescue him by stabbing the dinosaur in the eye with the makeshift weapon she crafted earlier. This causes the beast to fall into the geyser, where the intense heat causes its skin to melt and ultimately kills it. The big finale action sequence of "65" is full of emotional sacrifices and rescues that show how Mills and Koa have come together. 

Having killed the dinosaur, Mills and Koa have one last thing to do -– escape! 

With the world-ending meteor nearing impact and Mills severely injured, there's no time to waste. Koa helps Mills back to the escape ship and Mills launches the ship. They narrowly fly into space, just missing the meteor, and make their escape from this prehistoric hellscape. Mills and Koa even get some satisfaction knowing that all the dinosaurs that have been hunting them down have been wiped out by the meteor and will no longer roam Earth.

Mills and Koa's fates are never truly revealed, but they should be heading to the interception point, which implies that they will be rescued. Throughout the end credits, the film even shows what happens after the meteor causes the extinction of the dinosaurs and the evolution that eventually leads to human civilization. Although the climax of "65" kept Mills and Koa on the run and near death the entire time, they finally have a moment of well-earned rest.

Could there be a sequel?

There's no news on a sequel for "65" going into development and there likely won't be one. The film ends on a pretty conclusive note, with Mills and Koa escaping Earth before the meteor hits and the end credits show how humanity developed over time. The dinosaurs are gone and there are no hints that someone else crash-landed there beforehand, so a prequel isn't likely either. Not to mention, the box office predictions for "65" aren't looking too hot. The film faces stiff competition in "Scream VI" and is projected to earn just shy of $10 million in its opening weekend — which isn't great considering its $45 million budget.

If the film does better than expected or becomes a hit on streaming, there's certainly a chance that a sequel could happen. Although there are no hints that someone landed on Earth before Mills, it's possible that a prequel could go back further to show someone else having to fight for their life. In this case, "65" could turn into a bit of an anthology series that sees futuristic soldiers having to face off against dinosaurs in a battle for survival. 

Sequel ambitions for "65" will likely be snuffed out by lackluster opening weekend box office results, but a cult following could change things.

Review: There are ‘65’ million reasons to avoid the new Adam Driver dinosaur space flick

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If you asked the AI program ChatGPT to write a dinosaur/space movie as if Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were trying to make fun of each other, you’d probably still get something more entertaining than the thudding hack job “65,” a movie about as thrilling as watching footage of someone — in this case, Adam Driver and his young co-star, Ariana Greenblatt — on the “Jurassic Park” ride at Universal Studios .

The writers of “A Quiet Place” — Scott Beck and Bryan Woods — are clearly not done with monsters and family and the apocalypse. But this time, as directors too, they’ve decided to take us not forward but back, to when a routine trip went disastrously wrong. Think “Gilligan’s Island.” Not because it’s like “65.” Just because it’s more entertaining than “65.”

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Do you like introductory text that removes that nagging worry that you won’t be expositionally satisfied? Because “65” has that. “BEFORE THE ADVENT OF MANKIND” reads the first. “IN THE INFINITY OF SPACE” reads the next, which is, by the way, set against the backdrop of … space. Just so everything’s clear! And later, after a sentient audience will have guessed from the huge dinosaur footprint that exploratory mission pilot Mills (Driver) has been stranded on a particular planet at a very particular time, here come the words: “A VISITOR CRASH LANDED ON EARTH.” Yes, that “65” refers to the number of millions of years ago. Not, as one might hope, the number of minutes in the film.

Do you like stories about absent dads? Based on the movies, they seem to be an emotional connection between humanity’s meager time on Earth and social systems in long-ago galaxies. (“ChatGPT, add George Lucas in the mix.”) By taking one more gig, Driver’s character not only leaves behind an adoring wife but, more urgently, an adoring and ailing daughter (Chloe Coleman), whose hologram messages of love, longing and increasing sickness are like stabs to his heart as he’s trying to avoid dinosaur teeth stabbing everywhere else on his body. So, if you wanted to give him only one human companion to heighten that guilty-father feeling, out of all the possible cryogenically frozen passengers to survive an inconvenient ship crash, who would you pick? A grandmother? Wrong! “ChatGPT, are you familiar with ‘The Last of Us ’?”

Do you like made-up tongues not translated because it’s cuter when an othered figure learns English? Maybe Beck and Woods just didn’t feel like writing dialogue for the girl, Koa (Greenblatt), that would help establish this child as a person beyond at first seeming like a feral creature and then a surrogate daughter. Dialogue is hard! So instead this poor character gets an untranslated language until she can trigger “aww’s” by learning the words “home” and “family” and, with stick figures, inventing cave art.

Do you think Adam Driver can do anything? He might have thought that too, when signing on for this.

Do you believe that dinosaurs have long since outlived their CGI-rendered ability to instill awe and terror? Because the filmmakers seem pretty convinced 172 “Jurassic Park” movies haven’t already been made. Sometimes that kind of innocence inspires reinvention. Sometimes it just means that once majestic, still mysterious and endlessly fascinating creatures begin to feel like faceless goons in a video game.

Do you occasionally wish that studios would run dank-looking movies that seem stripped of color through a Snapchat-like filter that would add bright, rainbow-hued tails, faces, starbursts, pizzazz-y augmentations and the like? I’m not saying there are quickie backlot black-and-white adventure movies from 90 years ago with more visual breadth, color range and compositional tension than “65,” but, OK, well, yes, I am saying that.

Is “65” a hall-of-fame bad movie? No, and that may be its problem. It’s just pedestrian dumb and dull. It drops humans from eons away and ago into an extinction-level event, and instead of being full-on weird and wondrous about it, prefers to be utterly imitative and complacent. Way to extinguish yourself.

'65'

Rated: PG-13, for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes Playing: In general release

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65 (United States, 2023)

If all you’re looking for out of a movie is Adam Driver running around in a jungle shooting dinosaurs while protecting a young girl, 65 delivers in spades. If you’re hoping for something more complex, either in terms of character development, background narrative, or world-building, the movie has neither the time nor the patience to accommodate. The dino special effects are adequate for the job (better than in 1993’s Jurassic Park but inferior to those in the third installment of the Jurassic World series ) and Driver appears committed to the work. The running length is a svelte 93 minutes, meaning that 65 isn’t around long enough to wear out its welcome. By keeping its goals limited, it’s able to deliver what it promises, and that stands for something. I’ll admit I was more entertained by this high-concept sci-fi adventure than half the films I have seen thus far in 2023.

In their directorial debut, Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (the writers of A Quiet Place ) keep it simple. The plot could be the template for a video game: get the hero from Point A to Point B without dying. Along the way, there are various impediments that have to be overcome: rockslides, steam geysers, quicksand, and (of) course dinosaurs. 65 mixes in an Aliens - inspired subplot about a lone, grieving adult “adopting” and orphaned young girl. At no point, however, does Adam Driver say to any of the dinosaurs, “Get away from her, you bitch !”

One could argue that 65 is real throw-back – all the way back to the 1920s and 1930s, when monster movies could enthrall and amaze. The first two-thirds of King Kong , after all, focused on explorers wandering around a prehistoric jungle and encountering dinosaurs. 65 has all the advantages of modern technology but it’s not significantly more sophisticated than the movies of Willis O’Brien. This is the kind of production that provides a couple of memorable moments (the T-Rex “reveal,” which is spoiled by the trailers, being the most notable) but somehow seems smaller than it should. Maybe that’s because we have been trained to expect that a menagerie like this is appropriate only for epics while the most lofty goal 65 can claim is being a slickly-made B movie.

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‘65’ trailer pits adam driver against dinosaurs after space mission gone wrong.

The sci-fi flick, directed by 'A Quiet Place' writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, hits theaters in March and counts Sam Raimi as a producer.

By Ryan Gajewski

Ryan Gajewski

Senior Entertainment Reporter

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Adam Driver is facing off against dinosaurs in the first full trailer for Sony Pictures ‘ sci-fi thriller 65 .

Set 65 million years in the past, the film centers on a spacecraft pilot named Mills who realizes he and a child, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), are the only two survivors of a crash on a mysterious planet. The two of them soon find themselves battling dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures as they attempt to return home.

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The trailer, which calls to mind the Jurassic Park franchise, shows Mills and Koa doing their best to band together and outlast their unlikely foes. “You need to be quiet — and move,” Mills tells Koa in a key moment from the spot. “You and I are going to get home.”

Driver, known for playing Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, can next be seen in Noah Baumbach’s White Noise , which hits Netflix on Dec. 30. Driver’s part in the film adaptation of Don DeLillo’s acclaimed novel earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination earlier this week.

He is a four-time Emmy nominee, three of which came for his work on HBO’s Girls , and has earned Oscar noms for his roles in BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Marriage Story (2019).

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"A But Too Bloody and Uninspiring"

What You Need To Know:

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse: No smoking or drugs; and, Miscellaneous Immortality: Scary scenes with images of dinosaurs would scare young children.

More Detail:

In 65, a science fiction thriller, an asteroid hits an interstellar spaceship, which crash lands on Earth 65 million years ago, and the pilot must battle deadly dinosaurs to keep himself and the only other survivor, a 9-year-old girl, alive.

The opening scenes shows Commander Mills (Adam Driver) with his wife and daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman) having a nice family day on some beach. It’s quickly established his daughter is sick and needs a lifesaving medical procedure to get better. Mills agrees to pilot a two-year interstellar mission to get a paycheck big enough to help his daughter.

Where is he going? What illness does his daughter have? Where do he and his family live? These questions are never answered, and the movie begins with the one word that seems to follow it throughout, confusing.

As Mills pilots the spaceship, he watches home videos of his daughter at home, telling him how much she loves and misses him, while also begging him to come home soon. Then, she dies. Next, the plane crashes. Mills was fighting for his daughter, but now she is gone. Also, what about his wife? No idea. The movie never mentions her again.

Mills looks around and notices all the passengers are dead. He is injured and dejected. He is almost ready to just give up himself when he runs into Koa, a young girl about his daughter’s age who has also survived. Koa is from a different place so she doesn’t speak the same language as Mills, and they can’t communicate with words. However, Mills can’t just let this young girl die.

The two begin their journey, venturing into the dangerous prehistoric lands, filled with deadly meat-eating dinosaurs. They also encounter large bugs, falling rocks and quicksand. In addition, Mills’ gun, the only true source of protection they have, doesn’t always work in time. However, they must get to the ship’s escape pod before being eaten by dinosaurs or falling asteroids, that are periodically in the distance.

Throughout these intense action scenes, Mills reveals that Koa’s family has died. Okay, so why are we watching this movie again? After Koa learns this, she’s very upset with Mills, but later must save him from a dangerous dinosaur.

65 is an engaging movie to watch for moviegoers interested in epic battle scenes between humans and dinosaurs. Aside from that, however, there’s not really a reason to sit through this movie. It’s just too hard to care about these characters since the movie reveals so little about them or the reason they’re fighting, especially since their families are already dead.

Another huge flaw in the movie is the lack of clear direction. Is 65 a horror movie? Or a science fiction movie? It tries to incorporate elements of the JURASSIC PARK franchise, but it lacks any characters that viewers might care about, so it fails in that arena. 65 is a short movie, at only 93 minutes, but it’s not a very inspiring movie. MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution because of some extreme action violence, bloody scenes and scary images of dangerous dinosaurs.

Screen Rant

65's budget explained & how much it made at the box office.

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The sci-fi survival thriller 65 was hotly anticipated but underperformed at the global box office. The film, starring Adam Driver, follows a pilot who must defend himself and a young fellow passenger against dinosaurs and other natural dangers after a crash landing on a prehistoric earth. 65 released under Sony Pictures in January 2023 with a deal with Netflix promising a release on the streaming platform shortly thereafter. Despite a respected leading man and proven talent behind the camera, 65 disappointed at the box office .

65 was produced by Spider-Man director Sam Raimi, and was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writers of another survival thriller, the 2018 hit A Quiet Place and the modest horror success Haunt , which they also directed. The mid-budget 65 's team shot for 10 weeks in Louisiana and Oregon, finding intelligent ways to keep costs low while shooting the dinosaur movie. However, a variety of factors contributed to the film’s underperforming financially. Negative reception, stiff competition, and an over-reliance on its star contributed to 65 ’s ultimate box office fate.

RELATED: Adam Driver's 65 Proves A Harsh Reality About Dinosaur Movies

65’s Budget Was $45 Million

65 ’s final production budget calculates at $45 million, although the film actually cost even more to make. Like many modern productions, 65 took advantage of tax rebates to offset some of the costs of the film, allowing the filmmakers to spend more than their listed budget. 65 actually cost around $90 million, with the film recovering some of these expenses on rebates. The state of Louisiana, where the bulk of 65 ’s principal photography took place, offers a tax credit of up to 40% on productions that take place in-state.

The action-thriller doubtless spent much of its budget on VFX and on securing Adam Driver in the lead role. However, the choice of Driver to lead 65 may not have been as sound as it would initially appear; although Driver registers as a big name, having worked with numerous respected directors in prominent films, he has not proved himself a reliable box office draw. With the exception of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, for which Driver was not the main attraction, the actor’s box office track record has been underwhelming, with bombs such as The Last Duel , The Report, and Silence under his belt.

RELATED: Adam Driver's 65 Bomb Continues 1 Miserable Sci-Fi Movie Trend

65 Made A Box Office Profit Of $15 Million (But Not Really)

65 ’s overall box office gross was $60.7 million (per Box Office Mojo ). Sony was uneasy about 65 ’s box office chances against other recognizable titles, even moving the film to avoid releasing alongside Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness . Nevertheless, 65 still struggled against its competition, releasing on the same day as Scream VI and one week after Creed III , both massive commercial successes. While the film performed well on its first weekend, even exceeding expectations with a $12.3 million opening, its fortunes quickly fell, with 65 dropping to third place in its second weekend.

It’s likely that this drop-off in second weekend viewership can be attributed to poor critical reviews and word-of-mouth. While 65 ’s well-received trailer had built substantial anticipation for the film, it would amass only 35% on Rotten Tomatoes . Although the gross of $60.7 million against a $45 million production budget technically constitutes a profit, the film’s overall cost was likely much higher. Studios do not publicize marketing budgets, but the general rule of thumb is to add on half of the film’s production budget to account for advertising. Accounting for this expense, the total cost of 65 was likely around $60-65 million, meaning the film made an overall loss.

Source: Box Office Mojo , Rotten Tomatoes

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Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle

Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round. Despite a strong field, the Karasuno High volleyball team advances past the preliminary round of the Harutaka tournament in Miyagi prefecture to reach the third round.

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• Jun 2, 2024
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• Runtime 1 hour 25 minutes
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