Another Viewpoint

65
Stars: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman and Nika King
Directors/Scriptwriters: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Composer: Chris Bacon
Cinematography: Salvatore Totino
Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures
Rating: PG 13
Running Length 95 Minutes

As a title, “65” could refer to just about anything, from a “Fast and Furious” car movie to a sports film to a year or an age---but here, the complete phrase is 65,000,000 years ago. Yes, science fiction has a new viewpoint on life back then and an interesting one, it is.  Adam Driver stars as a lost pilot and Ariana Greenblatt is his youthful passenger. What they discover is literally earth-shattering.

As the story goes, there is a planet called Somaris, with people like us, who are able to go into space. Adam Driver is Mills, a pilot of an expedition that is coming back to Somaris. Mills is earning money for his seriously ill daughter. However, the ship is damaged and forced to crash land on a planet with breathable air. Only two survivors, Mills and a young girl, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) who does not speak his language. Soon, they discover they aren’t alone and guess what----this is the Cretaceous Period on this planet and T-Rex are lumbering all around.  What to do?   They are going to try only to find the escape pod they need. Koa doesn’t want to go with Mills and he has to deceive her to get moving. The trek begins and the clock is ticking…. the sky….why? There is a secret.

With two actors in a film, they share adventures.  When one is wounded, the other must think of a way to help. If one is trying to escape an animal, the other must think of a way to help. In this film, there is a language barrier, so gestures and expressions count as language trying to be understood. Driver has just the right attitude in trying to save and connect in a dangerous situation, while Greenblatt wants to do things on her own, but can’t get any idea across to Driver. It takes swamp creatures and various other large creatures to make communication go faster.

Special effects are very good, though not as large in scope as the “Jurassic Park” series, yet enough to give you a thrill as to what it would be like to live in this time period. The script by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods is unique not only with location and situation, but a will to move ahead. If you have ever been on a wilderness camping trip, you know what I mean.

The unexpected is always just around the corner and the numbers “65” will have new meaning.

Copyright 2023 Marie Asner