65 (2023)

Score: 3.5 / 5

I absolutely love it when a film so confidently embraces its classic B-movie potential and feeds it to us with a big budget and lots of fun. It requires a dynamic, unique premise (regardless of the screenplay itself), committed performers, and daring production design or effects. 65 does all of these things, and it's such a balls-out daring move that I couldn't help but fall in love with this admittedly corny flick.

The title refers to the setting, which is supposedly 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled Earth. Adam Driver crash lands on the planet, which suggests that high-tech human civilizations existed elsewhere in the galaxy back then. Driver plays Mills, a space pilot on a multi-year exploration search in order to make enough money to medically help his daughter. En route, the ship is damaged by asteroids and Mills crashes what's left of it, though unfortunately all the passengers in cryogenic sleep die. All except one, named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), who is conveniently the same age as Mills's daughter and who does not speak his language. If you didn't know the premise of this film based on its title and marketing, you might be completely shocked when, after a surprisingly lengthy opening sequence, the title card finally appears, dramatically emphasizing Mills's discovery of a large dinosaur footprint in the mud. 

Yes, dinosaurs. This is Alien meets Jurassic Park, and what a fun ride. While I'd have preferred another entry in the Alien franchise (and why not? The Predator series just set a film in the pre-historic Great Plains, and it was the best in the series!), this is still a delightful and original concept. I would compare this film tonally and formally to Jurassic Park III, as both essentially have little but plot and flair going for them. While 65 is much darker, both films function as a series of increasingly bad encounters with dinosaurs. They pile up so quickly, the brief running time nevertheless pushes you to the edge of your seat as you wonder how the characters' situations could possibly get any worse before they inevitably do.

There's not much to these characters, despite some heavy-handed attempts at sentimentality from writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. And really, the whole backstory of Mills and his family don't matter at all in context; the scenes between Mills and Koa are as close as this film comes to drama, as their bonding is sweet to witness, if unnecessary. This family angle never really lands. But who cares, when we're treated to almost nonstop dinosaur action? The film works best through its endless jump-scares as a panoply of beasts launch themselves violently at the heroes, resulting in what amounts to an endurance test for both the characters and for us, the audience. I'm not sure I really breathed during at least half of the running time because it just doesn't take a break between set pieces.

Mills takes Koa to the top of a nearby mountain, where an escape pod landed and could still be functional. That's the plot. Along the way, they are waylaid by monstrous beasts, each hungrier and more deadly than the next. While the body count isn't high -- there are only two characters -- it's a consistently thrilling experience as they get injured and worn down from each dino encounter. Mills has several high-tech weapons, but none of them are used imaginatively, which is a bit disappointing. And Driver himself as Mills makes a strong case for being an action hero, intense and physical as he is, though one wonders why (especially with Sam Raimi as a producer) he didn't dig a bit into the potential for camp. Then again, too much humor and this film would have failed utterly. It needs nonstop tension to convince us to keep watching. Salvatore Totino's lovely cinematography is also deadly serious, and beautiful, despite some truly bizarre editing; the effects are all pretty darn good, though the climax is more than a little overwrought as the asteroids that first downed the ship approach Earth (SPOILER ALERT) for the major extinction event.

As soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again. Not because it's smart -- other than its bonkers premise -- but because it's dumb, thrilling fun. Even as I watched the climax end, I wondered if the creators would try to expand their concept into any sequels, and though it's not likely based on the ending, I'll keep hoping!