Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (June 7, 2023)
10 years ago, it looked like Adam Driver would stick with a career focused on character dramas. However, he agreed to play a major role in the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, a choice that altered his trajectory.
Somewhat, at least, as Driver continues to concentrate on the kind of fare he did pre-Star Wars - albeit often with bigger budgets. Nonetheless, Driver shows openness to Action Hero Status, as he demonstrates with 2023’s 65.
On the planet Somaris, a pilot named Mills (Driver) takes a job that will keep him from his wife Alya (Nika King) and daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman) for two years. He dreads so much time away from his family, but Nevine suffers from a life-threatening illness that the pay from this gig will help treat.
On the return trip home, though, Mills’ ship crashlands onto an unknown planet. There he deals with deadly threats.
As longtime readers know, I try hard to avoid spoilers, and that becomes a challenge with 65. The nature of the place Mills ends up – and the time period in which the movie takes place – offer major twists, ones that I don’t know if I should reveal.
Oh, to heck with it. If you want to avoid this info, look away!
The movie’s title refers to the story’s era, as it takes place on Earth 65 million years ago. On its own, that seems like a neat idea, though it becomes one that falls into the “high concept” domain.
Basically 65 provides an opportunity to see an advanced civilization face off against dinosaurs. Of course, the film could use a fictional planet as a location to send a future Earth astronaut – or not involve Earth at all. It’s science-fiction – there could be Space Dinosaurs, too!
That means the twist in which an alien lands here feels somewhat superfluous. This conceit allows for cutesy moments – ones I also won’t describe to avoid more spoilers – but outside of semi-cleverness, these add little to the tale.
At its core, 65 shows potential. No one goes into a movie like this with the expectation of anything other than a brisk mix of Star Wars and Jurassic Park, so it’s not like viewers anticipate more than a fun popcorn flick.
Which I would embrace – if 65 actually managed the “fun” part of the equation. Unfortunately, it takes itself too seriously and fails to deliver the requisite action thrills.
In addition to the obvious influences I mentioned, 65 often feels like it borrows heavily from the Alien franchise. Some of that relates to the classic 1979 film, but we also find obvious links to 1986’s Aliens.
The ship Mills pilots comes with passengers, almost all of whom die when the vessel crashes. Young Koa (Arianna Greenblatt) exists as the only survivor other than Mills.
And Koa becomes an extremely obvious echo of Newt from Aliens. The role exists literally for no reason other than to offer “dino bait” and give Mills a personal connection/goal beyond his own survival.
Just as Newt offered a stand-in for Ripley’s lost daughter in Aliens, so does Koa give Mills a connection to his own child. This all seems transparently manipulative and unnecessary.
Let’s throw in superfluous as well. Of course, I like depth in action fare when done well – such as with Aliens, which integrates Newt and Ripley’s maternal journey in a way that benefits the movie’s emotional resonance.
During 65, though, these elements – and the frequent maudlin views of Poor Dying Nevine – feel like they exist for no reason other than to stir the heartstrings. They don’t, as they seem so cheap and clumsy that they backfire.
It doesn’t help that it often feels like we spend more time with scenes in which a mopey Mills views video messages from Nevine than anything else. A movie based around an alien astronaut who fights dinosaurs should probably focus more heavily on scenes in which an alien astronaut fights dinosaurs.
Really, that’s all anyone in the prospective audience wants from 65. Give us relentless spaceman vs. dino action and we’ll go home happy.
Unfortunately, 65 ignores that basic mission far too much of the time. While not a terrible movie, this becomes a surprisingly dull one that fails to achieve its simple goals.
