65 has a whole lot of potential when you look at who is involved, but ultimately it wastes a lot of it. That isn’t to say it’s not a fun movie, because it is. It just could have been better, and that’s a shame.
65 takes place 65 million years ago and follows a traveler, Mills (played by Adam Driver), who crash lands on Earth. Only one other passenger on their ship survives, a young girl named Koa (played by Ariana Greenblatt). The two must traverse the treacherous terrain, while avoiding dinosaurs, in order to get to their escape pod.
What follows is certainly more entertaining than not, but it does have its issues. The plot is never fully fleshed out.
A Quiet Place Vibes
Due to the writers of this film being co-writers of A Quiet Place, we kind of assumed it might have a similar feel. Especially since A Quiet Place was such a big hit.
In that film there is an alien invasion which a family is hiding out from. Said aliens cannot see but they can hear. The son of the family is deaf, so they use sign language to communicate. This does cause a bit of a language barrier if the child cannot see them.
In 65, the transport ship that Mills is piloting contains people who speak a different language than him. Of course the translator on the ship was damaged in the crash so he and Koa cannot communicate well. Conveniently, she picks up on a couple of words like move, family, and home, but they still struggle, especially when in intense situations.
They aren’t being hunted by aliens, but they are being hunted by several different species of dinosaurs. These are dangerous foes that can kill them in one bite so the language barrier causes some issues here.
You Won’t Be Watching For The Plot
Here’s the thing about 65. Is it fun at times? Yes. Is it a good movie? Not really. If you are looking for a movie that features Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs, that is exactly what you are going to get. If you want more, you might leave disappointed.
The biggest problem lies within the plot. There are several things that are brought into the story that feel like they could have big implications, one in particular that happens to Mills but we are keeping this spoiler free, and then they don’t ever come back up. Viewers will sit and wait for the outcome and it is never addressed further.
Because of the timing of 65 million years ago, this takes place literally as the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs is about to hit Earth. This means that not only are Mills and Koa trying to get off the planet, they have to fight dinosaurs and try to beat a ticking clock. This is a lot to process and to pack into a ninety-minute film (although we are thankful for the shorter runtime).
A Quick 90-Minute Movie
There is not a lot of dialogue in 65, which can be hard to pull off. While this definitely causes some moments to not hit as hard as they should, the score helps to bring intensity when necessary.
The pacing itself is pretty good, all things considered. The use of Nevine, Mills’ daughter, who is played by Chloe Coleman, to break up the story at times and help move us forward is decent. She has some really great moments, and even feels a bit underused.
There is that parallel of her to Koa that is important for viewers to believe the bond between Koa and Mills, however you can’t help but feel like there should have been more to Nevine.
Overall Thoughts
65 is going to give the majority of audiences exactly what they want. It might not be perfect, but it is entertaining and fun. The biggest issues lies in the moments of heartbreak and emotion that are intended to raise it to the next level and they don’t always work.
Still, Adam Driver gives this role his all, and he goes toe to toe with some big creatures. We get a little bit of blood, but not too much gore. The ending feels a bit underwhelming, however 65 ends up being pretty much exactly what viewers will be expecting to see. And we can’t fault it for that.
Rating: 5/10 SPECS
65 crashes into theaters on March 10th.
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This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Tessa Smith owns MamasGeeky.com and is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic and a huge geek. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for almost ten years and is a member of several Critics associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association. She grew up watching movies, playing video games, and reading comic books -- and still loves all of those things. She proudly lets her geek flag fly and spreads the word that there is nothing wrong with being a geek.