Directed By Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

Starring – Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman

The Plot – An astronaut (Driver) crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he’s not alone.

Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and peril, and brief bloody images

65 – Official Trailer (HD) – YouTube

POSITIVES

Truthfully, very few aspects about “65” consistently work, but what does resides in the directing side of Beck and Woods, who at the very least know how to construct a series of thrilling and unnerving sequences to the engagement that seamlessly subscribe to the urgency and vulnerability of our characters’ respective plights. Between fighting prehistoric dinosaurs, weaving in and out of a cave of claustrophobia, and battling any other unforeseen environmental elements, this duo of directors put us quite literally and frequently in the thick of things, attaining the same kind of tender tension and rattling of nerves that made them a household name while writing “A Quiet Place”, all the while illustrating the depth in established setting that vividly conveys the danger and survivalistic aspect of this world where quite literally anything could happen at any given moment. Aside from this, I love the futuristic technology supplanted to Driver’s protagonist, which not only helped to even out the playing field with some pretty unique gadgets, but also served as the only kind of world-building to the advanced civilization that we are unfortunately saddled with throughout. Most of these can easily be attributed to serving as plot devices or conveniences at the very least, but considering it’s our only glimpse into the cultural and technologically advanced society, it’s easily forgiven, allowing me to lose myself in a fantastical side of the storytelling, even if only temporary. Finally, the duo of turns from Driver and Greenblatt are especially cloaked in the kind of heart and humanity that spawns seamlessly from their evolving dynamic, despite the language barrier between them that adds a conflict of its own. Driver emits his single most physically grueling display to date, solidifying the action star from within that’s dying to get out, and when coupled with the tender moments he displays in his character being millions of light years away from his family, enacts a dual threat in talents for him that may cement him as one of the more versatile actors of the current generation. As for Greenblatt, she takes her biggest step forward after small roles as young Gamora in “Avengers: Infinity War” and young Nina for “In the Heights”, relying on her emotional impulses to convey the internal feelings of the character, with little to no distinguishible dialogue at her disposal. Because of such, Greenblatt not only effortlessly conveys in a look what very few actresses twice her age measure with long-winded dialogue, but also with Driver in tow conjures a kin-like dynamic in evolving bond that further defines the stakes and circumstances of those many vulnerable moments, providing plenty of commanding grip for each of them to capably handle along the way.

NEGATIVES

Missed potential is littered casually throughout a film with a 100 million dollar idea that is executed with a 45 million dollar reality, but none more obvious than the combination of special effects and surface level storytelling that echo the sentiment of wasted returns throughout the experience. On the former, this is video game levels of illustration from the special effects team, and while that sounds appealing to gamers everywhere who love to lose themselves inside of these fantastical worlds, the one rendered in the film is meant to articulate historical significance and believability, instead capturing these monsters with cartoonish designs and artificial movements that stand out painfully each time they’re brought back into the fold of the film’s tension-filled moments. On the latter, shallow storytelling is conveyed repeatedly throughout, whether in the rushed and underdeveloped dynamic between Driver and Greenblatt’s respective characters, or the complete abandonment of this futuristic world that Driver’s character comes from, or even an entire first act of the film, which feels omitted from the finished product. I make this assesment because we don’t really learn much about the characters before we’re thrown into the mix with them, the on-screen text of the introduction strangely tells more than the movie shows us, and the aforementioned hinderance of the characters’ language barrier sort of creates not only this lack of investment for the objective at hand, but also makes this idea in plot feel lazily pursued, with a fleshing out that often feels restrained by an 88 minute run time that is consistently cutting corners behind each scene or sequence. In addition to this, the tonal consistencies are a bit scattered and sporadic throughout, with forced humor being casually sprinkled in between life-threatening circumstances, to give the film a disjointed and unintentionally contradicting enactment to everything we previously experienced with scenes of ruthless predators. The humor itself is the wrong kind of cutesy material that should never see the light of day in a film this urgent and action packed, leaving the sequencing in storytelling feeling a bit choppy by directly undercutting the lasting power of moments where characters nearly die in the blink of an eye. Finally, and most obvious at this point to anyone reading, the film is cloaked in the kind of derivative material and familiarity that not only makes this a predictably bland one-note diversion, but also brings to light the obvious desire to capitalize on two particular franchise’s to make this a compelling hybrid of Frankenstein-assembled parts. The execution of the dinosaurs and their often weightless arrivals feels directly plucked from “Jurassic Park”, while the plot and structure of the narrative feels ripped from HBO’s newest success, “The Last of Us”. Neither of these are necessarily a crime if the material exceeds expectations on the obvious similarities, however the script’s inability to submerge itself in the risks and rewards of the idea keep it from ever being an animal of its own, and because of such leaves “65” feeling a bit light and inconsequential on its journey to obliteration.

OVERALL
“65” pushes a creative idea to the brink of extinction, with flat characterization and shallow storytelling that waste away Driver’s remarkable commitments to a project that he’s clearly too good for. Beck and Woods’ science-fiction thriller is ultimately defined by the same simplistic approach that made their previous film a rousing success, outlining an engagement that is all roar and no reward to a concept that demands to be pursued.

My Grade: 5/10 or D+