On paper, a high concept sci-fi action thriller produced by Sam Raimi that was written and directed by the creators of A Quiet Place and starred Adam Driver in the lead role was an unmissable opportunity for a genre-bending romp destined to find cult classic status, or at the very least become a midnight madness favorite. Sadly, 65 was nothing but a chore to sit through.
“Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs” is all anyone needed to be sold on the project, and even though it does live up to those expectations, it’s an interminable slog from start to finish in spite of a brief 93-minute running time. It’s also the worst-reviewed entry in the acclaimed actor’s entire filmography, which pretty much says it all.
As one of the finest talents of his generation, the leading man does emerge from the wreckage of 65 with his reputation intact thanks to a typically committed performance, but the end product isn’t even worthy of “so bad it’s good” consideration; it’s just a lifeless waste of a weapons-grade premise that should have turned out infinitely better than it did.
However, thanks to a rapid-fire arrival on streaming only four weeks after cratering at the box office, 65 has finally taken a bite out a sizeable audience after being anointed as the second most-watched flick on both iTunes and Amazon among users in the United States, per FlixPatrol. There was an entertaining adventure staring everyone straight in the face, but everyone involved ended up missing the mark by roughly 65 million miles.
