In theory, having another entry on the list of dinosaur-themed movies should be thrilling, especially given the less-than-stellar performance of the recent “Jurassic World” trilogy. Add someone like Adam Driver, whom many know from the new “Star Wars” films, and viewers should be sold.
With their latest release, writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (“A Quiet Place”) have indeed capitalised on this idea, throwing prehistoric beasts into an epic-sounding adventure with a charismatic leading man bound to save the day.
Yet, for all its strengths on paper, “65” is just… adequate.
The film begins by introducing Driver’s character Mills, who needs money to help his sick daughter who requires treatment. He accepts a job shipping passengers in cryostasis (read: frozen) back to their home planet.
Unfortunately, their ship is hit by asteroids en route and crashes onto an unknown planet that’s eventually revealed to be Earth – 65 million years ago when the dinosaurs roamed freely. Rawr.
Mills soon discovers he and a young passenger named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) are the only survivors of the crash. Together, man and girl have to traverse dozens of kilometres to locate an escape vessel – while evading various giant lizards that are hellbent on having them for their next meal.
And that’s it. That’s the plot.
This is pretty much a two-person show focusing almost entirely on Koa and Mills, with his daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman) occasionally popping up in holographic form (cue “Interstellar” flashbacks).
With films such as “BlacKkKlansman” and “Marriage Story” under his belt, Driver is undoubtedly a good actor. But despite doing his best with a physically and emotionally demanding role, there’s just something missing here, that indefinable ingredient either in the writing or the execution or both, that would have made the audience truly care for him.
Greenblatt, meanwhile, is a decent child actor who plays the part of a terrified kid in an unfamiliar and dangerous environment well. You’ll likely empathise with her as she is forced to trust this strange, stoic man for protection… and it doesn’t help that she doesn’t speak his language.
But are decent performances enough to make a film good? Sadly, no.
The most jarring issue is the pacing, namely that things seem to move too quickly. The characters exchange a few words, run into reptiles, kill them or escape, take a breather, and then the same process is repeated.
Yes, there are some good action-packed scenes, but “65” lacks something more substantial that would make you grip your armrest in fear, or cheer for the leads when they get away, rather than shrug.
Perhaps it’s because the two characters don’t bond, so the emotional impact and sense of high stakes is not there when either of them is in peril. An extra 10 or 15 minutes added to the lean hour-and-a-half runtime to establish their connection would have been welcome.
What, then, about the component of the film that viewers are likely most eager to see? Well, the CGI dinosaurs are not terrible in and of themselves, but if you are waiting for the T-Rex or pterodactyl to show up, you’ll be disappointed.
What the audience gets instead is a discount version of the creatures that’s neither memorable nor distinctive – they’re just there to attack and eventually be outwitted or slain by Mills. It’s kind of a bummer considering they’re meant to be the movie’s biggest selling point.
All in all, “65” falls short of being the thrilling sci-fi survival saga it could have been, which is a shame given its pedigree both oncreen and behind the scenes. This includes having Sam Raimi of the “Spider-Man” and “Evil Dead” franchises as its producer.
That said, if you’re keen on watching Kylo Ren kill dinosaurs and 90 minutes of your day, then this is the popcorn flick for you.
As of press time, ’65’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.