After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth…65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.
As a movie critic, I look forward to seeing many film genres, and sci-fi is one of my favorites. Hence, it came as a shock when I discovered I wouldn’t get to see “65” in advance as Sony Pictures decided not to have a press screening before its theatrical release date on March 10th. However, receiving a 4K review copy begs the question; why no press screening? Believe me, I have seen films at press screenings that weren’t worth my time but “65” was not one of them. It was a really good sci-fi thriller that Sony should have had more faith in because I will give it a good review.
Precisely 65 million years ago, on the planet Somaris, Pilot Mills (Adam Driver) decides to take on a two-year mission so he can raise the money to treat his daughter Nevine’s (Chloe Coleman) illness. On the mission, his spaceship, the Zoic, is bombarded with meteor fragments and forces the ship to crashland on a planet that, unbeknownst to him, is actually Earth. All of the passengers he was transporting in cryostasis are killed upon impact. Except one. A young girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), who doesn’t speak his language. With the ship having split in half entering the Earth’s atmosphere, Mills realizes that the only working escape shuttle is attached to the other half, which sits atop a mountain. As they begin their trek, they quickly learn they are not alone. The planet is inhabited by savage beasts, dinosaurs, that can tear a person apart. In addition to the man-eating leviathans, Mills notices a strange object in the sky, a gigantic asteroid heading straight for Earth. Now he and Koa must make it to the escape shuttle before the entire planet is decimated.
It’s not easy to spend an entire movie with only two characters who can’t even speak the same language, but writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who wrote the nerve-wracking “A Quiet Place,” a movie that worked because of its lack of dialog, imbues “65” with many of the same elements and while they don’t always coalesce, they manage to achieve the desired result. Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt share undeniable onscreen chemistry while cinematographer Salvatore Totino (“Everest,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming”) shoots the film in glorious anamorphic 2.39:1 widescreen, allowing for expansive breathtaking vistas, as well as our enormous carnivorous behemoths. Writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods deliver an entertaining piece of sci-fi hokum that doesn’t deserve the hate it received. While it is no classic, it is a fun way to spend 93 minutes.
Now available on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, & DVD
