65 Review

Adam Driver crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover dinosaurs and must fight to survive. Would you like to know more? If not this movie is not for you.

If yes, then you might want to check this out. Fair warning, however, it’s not as fun as the premise sounds. A film with this kind of premise should be way more fun.

The problem with this film is it takes itself too seriously. This film posits that there were humanoid-type people who spoke English and lived 65 million years ago, in another galaxy.

And we’re supposed to be serious when he begins shooting dinosaurs? Understandably, the danger needs to feel real, but we can have fun while keeping the danger feel real.

This should’ve been closer to Kong Skull Island. That movie is a blast and it’s ridiculous, but it is self-aware, so it’s a fun ride. The 65 trailer sets the audience up for that but does not deliver.

The danger could’ve felt fake as well because of the shoddy CGI work on the dinosaurs. There is a particular scene on a beach, the pterodactyls look two-dimensional.

It is not all doom and gloom for this film however, Adam Driver is captivating as always. He and his co-star Ariana Greenblatt as Koa have chemistry even if she doesn’t speak English.

Adam Driver is piloting a load of people to a new planet and his ship is hit by an asteroid. Everyone dies except for Koa who does not speak the same language.

It’s a testament to the two actors who find common ground in vaguely drawn characters. Unfortunately not even they could ultimately save this film.

The ultimate sin of this film is it is unforgettable. Probably because of everything mentioned above. It’s not that fun and it has poor CGI. With vague characters, it’s hard to be invested in their survival. There is one good jumpscare that gave me false hope because it comes early in the action, but it is all downhill from that point on.

2/5 Stars