When it opened in March 2023, the sci-fi film65seemed to be a sure-fire hit. It starred Oscar-nominated actor Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt (Barbie) as the only survivors of a spaceship crash that strands them on Earth 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the planet. The idea of Adam Driver vs. dinosaurs seemed fun, but the film flopped in theaters and scored a dismal 35%among critics at Rotten Tomatoes. That wasn’t the end of the story for65, however.
Its short theatrical run led to an early premiere on streaming, and it immediately shot tonumber one on Netflixas it found a new audience and won over fans of the sci-fi genre. Despite the poor critical response, the film’s outstanding digital effects were fully appreciated, and the film pays much better at home. The film’s writing/directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place,The Boogeyman) and producer Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spider-Man) crafted an entertaining B-movie with some standout moments.
Driver plays Mills, a pilot of a spaceship from the planet Somaris, working a job to earn money to treat his daughter’s (Chloe Coleman) illness. A meteor shower forces the ship to crash-land on an uncharted planet, which turns out to be Earth 65 million years ago. In a case of terrible timing, the meteor that hits Earth and kills all the dinosaurs is only hours away from striking, so Mills and the only other survivor, a young girl named Koa (Greenblatt) need to get off the planet, fast. Koa’s parents were killed in the crash, but Mills says her parents are alive and in a part of the ship that crashed miles away. That part of the ship has escape pods, and Mills lies to keep her spirits up.
Featuring alien-like dinosaurs quite differentfrom those in theJurassic Parkfilms,65takes a more somber yet suspenseful tone than those films, making for a unique 90-minute thrill ride. We’ve ranked the best moments from65, with a time stamp of their place in the film. Obviously, major spoilers for the movie apply.
11There’s a Bug in Your Mouth (51:00)
In one unnerving shot, the film reminds us all of that urban legend thathumans swallow up to eight spidersa year while they sleep. While trying to sleep inside a cave, Mills discovers that Koa is unconscious and foaming at the mouth, thanks to a strange insect that has attached itself to her tongue. The sequence is reminiscent of a scene inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The bug even resembles the one fromWrath of Khan, in a likely homage to the classic film.
10The Cave In (58:00)
At one point, all seems lost for Mills and Koa. When they are trapped inside a cave, they use small explosives to open up a small crawlspace to escape. Koa gets through, but a cave-in separates them, and each thinks the other is dead. It’s an intensely claustrophobic scene.
9The Crash (5:50)
After a quick introduction of Driver’s character, the film immediately gets the story going by having Mills' ship hit a meteor shower and then crash-land on a prehistoric Earth. The crash also manages to kill off most of the crew, leaving only Mills and Koa. Visually, it’s an impressive sequence, although it is over far too quickly (it lasts only a minute or so). While it is well done, it feels like a wasted opportunity for a longer, more memorable scene.
Related:10 Live Action Movies With Dinosaurs That Aren’t Jurassic Park
8The Tiny T-Rex Attack (20:50)
It takes a while for the dinosaurs to start showing up, but when they do, it gives the audiencea good jump scare. As Mills begins his search for the back half of the ship that broke off (with the escape pods), he is attacked by a small T-Rex. The scene puts the audience on edge for what’s to come, including a few more well-earned surprise scares.
7Mills Is Being Followed (1:01:00)
Mills carries with him a device that senses movement, and while trapped in a cave alone, he discovers he is being followed. It turns out to be a raptor-like dinosaur that nearly gets the upper hand until Mills gets a hold of his gun. It’s intense, and although the hand-held camera movement is too jerky (one of the film’s major issues), it does allow for the creature to remain somewhat hidden in the shadows, providing more of a sense of mystery.
6The Dino Attack on the Beach (39:30)
The film really gets rolling around the 40-minute mark, with an excellent sequence that combines several action scenes into one extended, intense battle for survival. It also shows one of the film’s better plot devices: Mills and Koa get separated, and each has to fight off a dinosaur attack on their own at the same time. The scene starts with Mills falling from a tree and separating his shoulder, alerting a herd of four-legged dinosaurs that swoop down on him. Koa helps him pop his arm into place just in time to grab a gun and hold them off.
Koa flees the scene and finds herself on a nearby beach, and stumbles upon a group of pterosaurs (a type of pterodactyl). While she manages to avoid the herd, she ends up getting stalked by more of the creatures attacking Mills.
5Hiding Places and Quicksand (1:04:00)
When Mills and Koa get separated in the forest, each faces a new danger. Koa is pursued by a raptor-like predator, and she finds a hollow log to hide in. The creature, however, discovers her and goes into the log after her. Koa manages to outsmart the creature and get away, only to discover that Mills, hearing her screams for help, has stumbled into quicksand while trying to find her, and is sinking fast.
4The Meteor (1:23:00)
There have been plenty of meteor movies over the years, and65manages to avoid the obvious clichés, even though the meteor is essentially the film’s “final boss.” We all know it’s going to hit (Bruce Willis isn’t here to stop it), and the only question is whether Mills and Koa can survive to get to an escape pod before it hits. The final shot of the meteor hitting Earth is fantastic and a visually stunning end to the film. The shot is nicely contrasted with a scene in the credits, showing the Earth coming back from the devastation the meteor caused.
3Koa Discovers Her Parents’ Fate (1:11:00)
One of the drawbacks of65is the pacing, particularly the quiet scenes between all the dinosaur action. Thewriting/directing combo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woodsmade the odd narrative choice of havingMills and Koa speak different languages. It is explained that the ship’s translator device was damaged during the crash, so they have trouble communicating (apparently, there isn’t an app for that on their planet). That makes for some awkward scenes with stilted dialogue, and it makes no sense to handicap two very good actors in this way.
Related:Best Dinosaur Documentaries to Watch, Ranked
However, there is one standout scene that transcends language. When Mills and Koa finally find the piece of the ship containing the escape pods, Koa discovers that her parents didn’t survive the crash, and Mills lied. In a flashback scene earlier in the film, it is revealed that Mills' young daughter has died while he was in space, and he has been mourning her this whole time. He communicates this to Koa, who understands (she has been watching holograms of Mills' daughter that he had with him) and embraces him, as they bond over their losses.
2A Final Fight (1:14:30)
With the meteor bearing down upon them, Mills and Koa attempt their escape, but several dinosaurs are in their way. First is a pair of T-Rexes, and after barely surviving those, one of the four-legged dinosaurs that they had encountered earlier in the film returns to finish the job of killing them. The final fight is intense and features an ingenious payoff, and the CGI is quite good.
