65
1 out of 5 stars
A Quiet Place was a groundbreaking suspense thriller written by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods that led these writers to prominence in Hollywood. Yet, the success of that project relied on a fantastic combination of the right director, a compelling script, and some of the best sound technicians in the industry. This has led to more of their writings being greenlit, and they have been allowed to direct their project, the action thriller 65.
Adam Driver is a pilot of a space exploration team that unexpectedly is struck by a meteor shower that causes their ship to crash land on an uninhabited planet. Mills has to quickly assess the extent of the loss of the crew and if there are any means of rescue from this undeveloped world. He eventually discovers that the only other survivor of the landing is a young girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt). Despite speaking different languages, the pair must get to an escape pod from the ship that landed 15 kilometers away. As they make their way through the dense forest and dangerous landscape, the duo is made aware of the inhabitants of this land. The dinosaurs who rule this planet all desire to hunt down these humanoids before they can get to their ship and escape.
As a concept, Beck and Woods' proposal must have been compelling since they consider what would happen to someone who had landed on prehistoric Earth 65 million years ago. This combination of Jurassic World, The Martian, Robinson Crusoe and a bit of Armageddon added in has potential. Still, something must have happened along the way to implementation. Since the special effects have been in place for years for dinosaurs to be portrayed in a terrifyingly realistic manner, this element is easy to lean into as filmmakers. The budget must have been tight since this film had primarily carnivorous creatures. Yet, this is the highlight of this space-age, prehistoric excursion.
Despite having Adam Driver as your lead character, there is only so much actors can do with poorly written screenplays. The majority of the storyline is somewhat predictable and unbelievable. This pair should have been dead within moments of meeting the first dinosaur, much less after the crash landing. Then the dialogue and the unrealistic nature of their trek across the jungle floor made this less of a horror, and it turned into a cringe-worthy example of how a great concept can be underdeveloped. There needed to be more time to truly develop the father/daughter relationship between the characters, even though they try to make it work through Mills' backstory. Then this writing team forces the audience to believe that this pair could have survived this perilous existence without food, medicine, and very little weaponry to fight off their carnivorous adversaries.
The surprise is that 65 was released into cinemas at all. This film has all of the earmarks for a streaming release as a means of making back some of its budget. Yet, for those keen to see Adam Driver running from dinosaurs, do not despair; this movie will be streaming on your television very soon.
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REEL DIALOGUE: Did God create dinosaurs?
Based on what we can know from the Bible, mankind, creatures and planets were created by God. 65 is a science fiction 'what if' scenario of what happened at the beginning of time on Earth. Yet, the film needs more time to consider how these planets came into being or who created these worlds, humanoids, or dinosaurs. This film proves how stories like this do manage to open the door to these discussions, but they fail to provide answers.
Many would argue that the Bible is not a science textbook. Still, interestingly it does provide answers to the origins of all of creation. It does get us closer to understanding that God brings all things into being by creating the universe, humanity, and, yes, even dinosaurs. Also, Genesis shares that God created these things, including the purpose for all of His creation, and shows how it is meant to glorify Him. Understandably, 65 is intended to be mere entertainment, but the philosophical ideas it engages with should open the door to discussions with viewers about the actual story of God's plan for His good creation on this planet.
