65

Ironically, also the critic score on Rotten Tomatoes

This felt like an executive producer just said “We need another Jurassic Park, but different!” It’s silly, a tad predictable, but still better than anything else Netflix has put out in a while (*cough* Rebel Moon *cough*).

Anything with Adam Driver is worth watching. He’s an actor who never makes me feel like I’m watching an actor at work. So it might come as a surprise to know that Adam Driver being on the poster wasn’t the reason I decided to watch it…

It was how Netflix advertised it:

Do you see it?

When has “exciting” ever been a genre?

I made it my mission to watch this immediately.

The film has dinosaurs, space travel, and blasters…OH MY!

Alas, the last word I would use to describe this film is “exciting”. The story follows an astronaut named Mills who crash lands on a prehistoric Earth and must traverse through deadly obstacles while protecting the only survivor — a young girl who doesn’t speak his language. It’s a B movie, or what I call “A to B”; most of the plot revolves around traveling from one destination to another. It can run a bit long sometimes and be a bit…boring.

This movie had good CGI, actor appeal, and distribution needed to make it big. I think it could’ve been the blockbuster for the summer. Let’s break down why it wasn’t.

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Lack of a distinctive original score

When you think of a summer blockbuster you think of Jaws, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park. What do all these have in common? Hint: it’s not Steven Spielberg.

Answer: An immediately recognizable score.

A score swells and crescendos to help subconsciously signal to the audience: “pay attention — this is important”.

I believe that a movie soundtrack is like a rug. It can pull together a space while hiding the shoddy woodwork. If the scene isn’t the most touching, or dramatic…maybe a bit awkward…put music to it. Mute your TV on an action chase scene if you don’t believe in the power of a film score. Instant snooze.

There were many moments in this film where I was holding my breath waiting for a great soundtrack to cement the moment. Many times a decision Mills made felt…lacking. So the movie felt amateurish and unfinished.

Bring in an Original Soundtrack

It’s a post-production fix. I would argue it doesn’t call for a heavy price tag either: no need for Hanz Zimmer or Ludwig Göransson or John Williams. Just some local orchestra in the recording room.

An original soundtrack could help with this emotional resonance issue, allowing us to feel the moments rather than just rushing through them.

Listen, I will be the first to admit to my Gen-Z status. Yes, yes, I could watch Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse without getting a headache. My brain is rotten from TikTok (a superpower). So why am I mentioning this? I do not struggle to take in information quickly, so TELL ME WHY I STRUGGLED to see what the film scenes were showing me??

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Linger loooonger

Within the first 10 minutes of 65, I had to rewind twice. Apparently, I missed the entire establishing shot of the cryotubes Mills was transporting. That scene was up for what—0.3 seconds? Turns out I’ve found my kryptonite: scenes shorter than a sneeze.

Later, the film pulls the same thing again. A one-second flash of the crashed spacecraft on the hill—the spacecraft we’ve been waiting for. The whole movie builds up to it, and they give it no screen time. Establishing shots are called establishing for a reason; establish the eye line, the goal, the interest, and the action.

Mills Needs to Interact More

Giving Mills more interaction with his surroundings would allow us to emotionally connect to the stakes. For instance, he could have interacted more directly with the cryotube passengers to show us what’s at risk. A close-up on Koa—the kid we’ll follow across prehistoric Earth.

It might seem like a nitpick, but it’s good filming etiquette. Anyone else miss the '90s style of film-making? Where movies took their time with longer, more deliberate moments?

Miranda’s Hot Take: Bring that back please. Brain rot is not actually a good thing.

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Kids who can’t give witty dialogue are boring

There I said it.

In film, kids tend to fall into two categorizes. The lovable-asshole type or the asshole-asshole type. Surprisingly, the latter is actually boring because all you do is yell at the screen being forced to watch their stupidity.

Take Harley in Iron Man 3 — A lovable asshole type. Harley in Iron Man 3 is a great example of how a kid can bring out a better side of a character while also being engaging on their own. In just a few scenes, we see a different side of Tony Stark — he’s faced with a younger version of himself. The dynamic allows Tony to parent in the way he wishes he’d been parented, while Harley’s blunt, childlike innocence forces him to see his problems from a new perspective.

Jurassic Park is another great example of how kids elevate the stakes. They add vulnerability and force characters to rise to the occasion, creating tension that feels natural and emotionally gripping.

Which is why we were robbed of a dynamic duo between Mills and Koa, the lone survivor of the cryotube disaster. Instead, Koa can’t speak Mills’ language, so most of their interactions devolve into endless gesturing and charades. It. Never. Ends.

For the first two minutes, this is fine. I understand why they included the language barrier—it’s meant to raise the stakes. But after a while, it becomes tedious. Making every single interaction a struggle doesn’t dynamically heighten the suspense; it just drags the story down.

You know what would heighten the stakes more than a father-pseudo-daughter duo?

Another character.

So…Let’s Add Another Survivor

Alright, the solution might seem like a non sequitur at first. The core issue is the dialogue (or lack thereof) and a less-than-engaging kid character. You could simply give her the ability to speak the same language or toss in a plot device like a universal translator in Mills' gear.

But that’s too easy—and honestly, boring. Let me explain why adding another character to 65 could improve this film in every possible way.

Let’s rewind for a moment.

Nevine is Mills’ daughter. She’s suffering from a chronic illness, and he takes the piloting job because the payout is three times his usual rate—enough to start treatment back on their home planet. Taking this job means he’ll be away from her, but space travel Nevine sends him vlogs expressing how much she misses him, which he watches with a delay.

After the crash, Mills learns the heartbreaking news: Nevine didn’t survive her illness. Stricken with grief, he contemplates suicide—alone and stranded—until Koa enters the scene and gives him a reason to keep going. At this point, we get a typical father-daughter redemption arc: he failed his own daughter, but he won’t fail Koa.

It’s an interesting angle, but it doesn’t go far enough. Now, let’s imagine the addition of another adult survivor. This new character could play any number of roles:

• A sick or injured liability: They’re slowing Mills and Koa down and testing Mills’ patience and resourcefulness.

• An ally-turned-antagonist: They speak Koa’s language, shifting the power dynamic in a way that challenges Mills' authority and decisions.

• A morally ambiguous survivor: Are they worth saving, or are their actions too selfish or harmful?

The presence of this character creates instant tension and unpredictability. Maybe they’re manipulative, pushing Mills to his limits. Or perhaps they’re noble but flawed, forcing Mills to reevaluate what it means to protect someone. Either way, this character’s dynamic with Mills and Koa would deepen the emotional stakes, while adding layers of man-vs-man conflict to the survival plot.

And then, at the end of Act 2, they die.

Whether their death is a redemptive sacrifice or a tragic failure, it becomes a key turning point. This loss would reinforce the urgency of the story and push Mills and Koa to grow closer. It also raises the stakes: the audience now knows that survival isn’t guaranteed, even for major characters.

Suddenly, the straightforward A-to-B survival plot becomes richer, with more layers of manipulation, power struggles, and even the possibility of a blaster standoff—against the backdrop of DINOSAURS.

Doesn’t that sound more engaging already?

The movie misses opportunities to truly develop Mills and Koa's dynamic.

Mills lies to Koa and it finally erupts in this emotional scene where the whole “Sorry-I’ve-been-lying-about-your-parents-being-alive-and-on-the-hill-with-the-spaceship-we-need-to-leave-this-planet-with” discussion finally comes to a head. But I have a few problems with this whole set up.

Why did Mills lie about this? Why didn’t the screenwriters make it so false hope existed and some tubes “survived” but they then discover they didn’t at all? Why does a child have to be lied to in the first place? Wouldn’t anyone attach themselves to the sole adult survivor on a planet with dinosaurs??

Ugh, she’s falling into the category of asshole-asshole. I’m yelling at the screen.

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You are gonna need a bigger boat.

Ah, the power of a one-liner. Just to name a few…

• “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.”

• “I’ll be your huckleberry.”

• “Game Over man, Game Over!”

• “How ‘bout them apples?”

• “There's no crying in baseball!”

• “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

• “I’m walking here!”

Blockbusters = memorable moments. Memorable moments are quotable moments — too quotable to fail.

These moments stick because they crystallize a character’s personality, the stakes, or the humor in one perfect line. But 65 sacrifices this potential because of the language barrier.

And don’t tell me it can’t be done—Avatar (blue people) proved that you can make a language barrier work while still delivering emotionally resonant dialogue.

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Miranda’s Final Thoughts on 65

Even with its issues, 65 was entertaining. Adam Driver delivered as always, and I’ll support him in whatever he does.

I liked how consequences matter in the film; I appreciated how his injuries stayed consistent throughout—no magical healing here! The high-tech-versus-dinosaur sequences? Chef’s kiss. The concept of advanced technology colliding with prehistoric Earth? So cool.

That said, the execution felt rushed, like a second draft hurried into production to fill Netflix’s streaming catalog. Tighten it up, add memorable moments, and lean into its blockbuster potential, and this could’ve been the blockbuster we all needed 2 years ago.

Still, I’d watch 65 again with a group. It’s fun that way.