65: Sam Raimi’s failed combination of sci-fi and Jurassic Park

Sam Raimi is revered for his horror, action and superhero films, especially The Spider-man trilogy. His last film after nine years was also a superhero, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which didn’t become quite acclaimed. 

He returned to directing again with this year’s latest sci-fi action film 65, full of fighting dinosaurs while stuck in prehistoric times.

In this film, Adam Driver plays a space pilot named Mills on a mission to explore other planets to afford medical treatment for his ailing daughter but gets stuck in the dinosaur age. The plot takes place 65 million years ago and suggests that advanced civilisations existed on planets throughout the universe. 

The film is a big-budget production featured in a Super Bowl ad and reportedly cost US$ 91 million. 

However, despite the star power and the hefty budget, 65 falls short of expectations.

The film tries to juggle a survival story with a poignant family drama, but neither element is given enough time to develop fully. The characters are underdeveloped, and the action sequences quickly become repetitive and boring. The creatures in the movie, while startling at times, also look unrefined and fake.

Even though the film has a good idea, it doesn't use it in a fun way. The jokes aren't funny, and the scary parts aren't scary enough. Adam Driver doesn't get to act as much as he should. 

The last heroic character he played was Kylo Ren from the last Star Wars trilogy; in this film, he seems to be a hollow figure of it. The character he plays is just a normal hero and doesn't have much personality. Ariana Greenblatt tries her best as protagonist Mills’ daughter, but her character isn't developed. She mostly repeats the things the main character says to her. There's no connection between the two of them.

The plot becomes exciting and crazy at the end, with a sneaky quicksand, a hungry T-Rex, a perfectly-timed geyser, and a disastrous asteroid shower happening simultaneously. However, this happens when it's already too late for the viewers’ interest in the film. 

65 could have been easily a well-made B-Grade action thriller. But the high production budget with a meaningless storyline and no chemistry between characters makes it quite an unsuccessful and dull movie, even by Sam Raimi’s standard. 

65 might pique some interest for Jurassic Park and sci-fi action genre fans, but not interesting enough for most of the viewers.

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