Great acting from Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt in dinosaur thriller 65
Film review: 65 (12A) – seen at The Light Cinema, Wisbech
Starring: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt and Chloe Coleman
Running time: 1hr 33 mins Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Over the last few years a regular gripe of mine has concerned the needless padding out of films, almost as if there’s a belief that anything under two hours shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Well this one comes in at one hour and 33 minutes and, wow, they sure pack some action in. In fact, I’ve got to admit another 20 minutes or so could and probably would have made this thoroughly enjoyable movie even better.
When I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago, it immediately piqued my interest.
I loved Adam Driver in the most recent Star Wars movies and thought he was excellent in both The Last Duel and House of Gucci in 2021.
I was raised on dinosaur classics such as The Land That Time Forgot and One Million Years BC and also enjoyed all the Jurassic Park movies, so mention giant lizards and I’m in.
The premise of the film is pretty simple... 65 million years ago, on the planet Somalis, space pilot Mills (Driver) takes on a two-year expedition to fund treatment for his sick daughter.
On his way home, an asteroid crashes into his space ship and he crash lands on a an unknown planet, which is actually prehistoric earth.
The only other survivor is a young girl named Koa (played by 15-year-old American starlet Ariana Greenblatt), who is unaware her parents have perished in the crash.
The next hour is non-stop, full throttle drama as the two, who speak different languages, battle dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, as well as acid springs, killer quicksand and spiders, while trying to reach their displaced rescue pod.
Driver and Greenblatt are both superb throughout as their characters battle to survive, alongside their own heartache, as we find out Mills’ daughter has died after all and Kia discovers the fate of her parents.
Yes there’s lots of “that would never happen” moments and many of the close shaves the couple survive are far fetched, but if you’re a fan of well acted, fast flowing action adventures, this is a movie for you.
By Jeremy Ransome
Rating: 8/10
