As the movie becomes a success on streaming, Screen Rant‘s Pitch Meeting series has set a path for 65. Led by Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt, the sci-fi action movie centered on a pilot from an alien planet as his job to transport a colony of his race is upended by an asteroid crashing into his ship, leaving him stranded on Earth with only one other survivor as they race to find a way to return home. Co-written and directed by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, co-creators of the Quiet Place franchise, the movie debuted to mixed-to-negative reviews and was a box office disappointment, grossing just $60 million against its $45 million production budget.
With half a year gone since the movie hit theaters, Screen Rant‘s very own Pitch Meeting is looking back at 65. The video, as seen at the top of this article, pokes fun at many of the faults of the Adam Driver-led sci-fi actioner, namely it borrowing the same story setup of Logan‘s broken-down older man partnered with a young girl who doesn’t speak his language. The episode further pokes fun at the movie’s marketing largely relying on its big twist that it all takes place 65 million years in the past, with Driver and Greenblatt actually playing aliens, despite looking like humans.
What Went Wrong With 65
Leading up to its release, there was some anticipation for 65 with its central twist of futuristic humans landing on Earth 65 million years in the past and Driver having to contend with various dinosaurs. Additionally, Woods and Beck’s past helping co-write the original A Quiet Place movie and garnering solid reviews with their prior directorial effort, the slasher horror movie Haunt, led to some good faith from audiences that they could capitalize on the idea to deliver something entertaining.
Ultimately, critics and audiences alike found themselves very underwhelmed with what the duo delivered, feeling the story proved too predictable and familiar and the explanation that Driver and Greenblatt were aliens rather than some bizarre time travel situation disappointing. Many of the reviews also expressed feeling a lack of actual thrills and lamenting its slow pacing, despite its relatively short 93-minute runtime. The poor reviews combined with competition from Scream VI ultimately worked against 65 at the box office, where it did over-perform in its opening weekend projections, but quickly fell off in the weeks that followed.
Despite the movie’s initial failings, it appears 65 may become something of a cult following in the coming years. Upon its Netflix debut, it quickly took the No. 1 spot on the streamer, and with a 65% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems the movie’s strives for survival thrills have resonated with some viewers.
