65 (2023)
65 is an old-fashioned science fiction movie starring Adam Driver that will probably play better on (P)VOD than it did during its theatrical release.
65 is the work of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who wrote the screenplay for the first A Quiet Place movie, which turned out to be an unexpected blockbuster.
Before that, Beck & Woods had already written and directed a few small feature films, but thanks to the success of their breakthrough movie they were given a big budget to make their own science fiction film.
However, the movie got pushed around on the release schedule a number of times. Which created the impression that it isn’t very good.
In some ways 65 mines a similar vein as A Quiet Place. In both cases, avoiding or making noise can mean the difference between life and death.
This happens to Mills (Adam Driver) and Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), who are both from the planet Somaris. Mills is a pilot who goes on a two-year mission to earn enough money to pay for a potentially life-saving operation for his ailing daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman). When his plane crashes on an unknown planet, which turns out to be Earth 65 million years ago, teenage girl Koa is the only other survivor.
Together they must reach the top of a mountain where the only rescue pod is supposed to be. By this point, it is clear that these two only have each other and this creates a kind of father-daughter relationship, which even though the story itself is quite thin, provides the movie with some much-needed emotional resonance.
From there on out the remaining question is: can Mills and Koa get away in time and back to Somaris, or will they become the last snack of the dinosaurs as an asteroid is already hurtling towards earth and we know they are about to become extinct.
65 is a bit predictable, but it is still a well-made film, that references the old monster movies from the 1950s and 1960s, but also pays homage to Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
Driver is not only a great actor when it comes to drama, but he also convinces as an action hero, while both Greenblatt and Coleman (in a small role) are good too.
65 is neither a masterpiece nor a mess, but a decent three star movie.