It wasn't for everyone, but it might be for you...
65 is a bit of a unique beast. Think about it... How many movies franchises can you think of that feature aliens? Loads, right? What about superheroes? Plenty. What about cowboys? Serial killers? Spaceships? Ghosts? Robots? Sharks? We could list them all day.
But what about dinosaurs? Aside from the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies, for some reason, Hollywood has completely overlooked attempting to bring other dinosaur movies to the big screen.
So when 65 was announced, with two-time Oscar nominee Adam Driver starring, written and directed by the guys who wrote the script for A Quiet Place, produced by horror maestro Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell), and that it was involving dinosaurs, we were suitably psyched!
But then the movie arrived in cinemas in March and what we got was one of 2023's most interesting failures. Check out our interview with Driver himself about the movie right here:
65 had so, SO much potential...
The movie cost a relatively scant $45 million to produce, but it made only $60 million at the worldwide box office, which is not what you'd hope for from a movie involving dinosaurs AND spaceships.
Admittedly, the movie didn't go over well with critics either when it hit cinemas, landing with a thud of just 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. But those who did dig it made it clear they understood that while it was far from a masterpiece, it did contain some entertainment value:
Screen Daily - "We’ve seen the bones of this creature before, for sure, but some terrific GGI monsters, swampy scares and Driver’s committed performance make 65 a snap-toothed popcorn multiplex movie which, at 93 minutes, is sprightly in comparison with its lumbering rivals."
The Playlist - "While the first two-thirds of the film gets the job done, it’s the third act where 65 goes all out, and it sticks the landing perfectly."
Variety - "Anchored by another in a series of committed performances from Adam Driver and an ensemble of suitably menacing prehistoric beasts that chase him for just over 90 minutes, Beck and Woods’ adventure delivers requisite thrills even if its creativity seems stuck in the distant cinematic past."
You can watch 65 at home right now on Sky Cinema or with a NOW Cinema Membership.
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