65

US, 2023, 93 minutes, Colour.

Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman.

Directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods.

Back in the day audiences enjoyed movies with titles like Thel Land that Time Forgot, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth… In the 60s, Raquel Welsh was famous in 1 million years BC. But, in the 21^st-century, we can go back 65 million years and, certainly, dinosaurs are very dominant.

What makes this action film different, and the explanation is given at the beginning, is that the focus is on sophisticated civilisations in other parts of the universe, especially with space travel, developments in technology, developments in weapons. So, when a pilot crash lands during an asteroid storm, he finds a planet in its “prehistoric” stages of evolution.

The film opens on the future planet, the pilot with his wife and daughter who is very sick, teaching her to whistle, but having to leave her on a mission, taking video footage of her as he travels. The asteroids are quite vivid, hurtling through space, myriads of them, causing the crash landing.

While the bulk of the vehicle lands at the bottom of a mountain, the rescue/survival unit is at the top of the mountain. The pilot, Mills (and congratulations to Adam Driver for a gruelling experience of survival) discovers a young girl who has survived while her parents, amongst the cryogenic passengers, have not. She does not speak the same language as the pilot and they have to learn to overcome her fears, her grief, finding ways to communicate.

In a sense, this story of survival is a walk through the woods (which look remarkably contemporary, filmed in Oregon and Ireland). But, of course, it is the creatures who live in the woods that are to be feared.

So, a range of dinosaurs, especially in gigantic dinosaur for the final confrontation, pterodactyls, spiders, scorpions… And Mills, confronting the creatures, fighting them off, but experiencing all kinds of climaxes, some literal cliffhangers, tree hanging, falls, being trapped in caves, the little girl having to climb a Cliff and let down a rope, ingenious in her steadying the rope. And flaming asteroids continually hurtling towards Earth.

So, one might say not a huge big budget spectacular, but an attempt to have a prehistoric setting and a futuristic technology clashing in just over 90 minutes. And, in view of no forthcoming addition to the Jurassic Park franchise, 65 will have to do.

1. The title, 65 million years ago, the prehistoric past, aliens, civilisation developments and space journeys, weapons?
2. The locations, the artificial beach on the initial planet, travelling through space, the asteroids, the forests, trees, waterfalls, caves? The musical score?
3. The initial information, the time concerning Earth, space travel, prehistoric creatures on Earth?
4. The special effects, spacecraft, travel, asteroid attack, the prehistoric creatures, dinosaurs, pterodactyls, scorpions, spiders, the creation of the prehistoric world contrasting with the alien civilisation, from Earth perspective, sophisticated space development?
5. Introduction to Mills, wife and daughter, their life on the planet, her illness, teaching her to whistle, his having to travel, absence, her death? The video messages, with him on the spacecraft, playing them again? Koa watching them?
6. The journey, the cryogenic passengers, the asteroids, the disaster, the crash, separation of escape pod on the mountain from the bulk of the craft? Audience interest in the technology of the spacecraft for this period?
7. Mills, surviving, alone, hearing Koa, her age, not speaking the same language, the alienating effect, her repeating some of his words, the importance of home, family? Her missing her parents?
8. The details of their trek through the woods, the terrain, trees, waterfalls, cliffs, falls? Their helping each other?
9. The creatures, the dinosaurs, pterodactyls, insects, preying on each other? The attacks, the guns, fending them off? The night, trapped in the cave? The buildup to the finale, the giant dinosaur, Koa and the knife, the berry blood? Saving them both?
10. The range of actions, seeming disaster, Mills and his fall and his shoulder, falling from the tree, hitting his shoulder into place? The cave, the narrow passage, Koa getting through? The rope and climbing the cliff? The explosives and using them against the creatures, to blast the rock?
11. Memories of the 1970s and creature films from the past? A variation on the theme, two aspects of prehistoric life in the universe?