Is Adam Driver’s ’65’ scary?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for 65 but only for plot details that were already in the trailers for the film.

You might have seen the trailer for Adam Driver‘s new movie 65. The film was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and it features Driver as a pilot who embarks on a two-year exploratory space mission 65 million years ago. Unfortunately, he gets knocked off course and crash-lands on Earth. 

He finds Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) and the pair try to find a way to get off the planet. The only things in their way are the many roaming dinosaurs. You might be a massive fan of all things dinosaurs, or really like Jurassic Park and are wondering whether this film is for you. After all, the trailer makes it look like an action thriller with some scary dinosaur scenes mixed in. 

So, if you want to know how scary 65 is, you needn’t worry because we’ve got you covered. Just to be clear, we won’t be spoiling the plot of the film while discussing it, but we will be referring to vague scenes and film techniques that are used in the movie. So, if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, turn back now.

How scary is 65?

There is always a scary element to dinosaurs in movies, probably stemming from Jurassic Park. They usually have sharp teeth, are always snarling, and have a reptilian exterior. These features were fine in The Land Before Time, but in 65, the dinosaurs hunt down Driver’s character Mills quite often.

The editing of the film contributes to it being a little spookier than your average action movie. There are many jump cuts when a dinosaur jumps into the frame, limbs flailing to rip apart our hero. These cuts can be quite jarring, and if you are easily startled, you might jump. Most of 65 is also quite dark, contributing to the horror elements of the movie. They use the darkness to hide the dinosaurs well, so when they appear out of nowhere, you might feel a tingle down your spine.

The film is probably not suitable for young children, either. There is a scene with some blood that might be a little too much for some children, understandably. A good barometer to measure 65 against is Jurassic Park, and we feel comfortable saying it’s a little scarier than that film. Not better, just scarier. So, it isn’t exactly as scary as a horror or slasher movie, but it is definitely scarier than your average action film.

If you are feeling brave enough to enjoy a fun, but scary, science fiction dinosaur movie, then you can go catch 65 in theaters now. But, probably don’t bring your young children or easily scared friends.