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4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: 65

Home » 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: 65

Jun 06, 2023 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Prior to the advent of mankind of Earth, there were other civilizations living in the vastness of space, exploring the heavens. 65 million years ago, on Planet Somaris, astronaut Mills (Adam Driver) is saying goodbye to his wife (Nika King) and daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) before heading out on a 2-year long range exploratory mission, piloting the Zoic. Nevine has grown ill, and Mills and his wife need the money from this mission to pay for her treatment. Mills is going to miss his family, but looks forward to returning to find his daughter once again happy and healthy.

Deep into the mission, the Zoic is struck by an undocumented asteroid belt, forcing Mills to crash land on a nearby, uncharted planet. In the process, the ship is torn in two, killing all of the other passengers, who were in cryostasis for the flight. Mills is about to give up and end it all when he discovers that a 9-year-old girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt, Love and Monsters) managed to survive the crash. She doesn’t speak his language, but she reminds him of his own daughter. So he makes it his mission to get her off the planet and send her home. The problem is that the only undamaged escape pods reside on the other half of the ship, which sits 15km away, atop a mountain. In-between is rough, dangerous terrain, and huge deadly dinosaurs, the likes of which Mills has never seen before. And to make matters worse, there also appears to be a massive asteroid headed for the planet, so time is quickly running out. As they battle for survival and try to make their way to the ship, Mills and Koa bond with one another, despite their language barrier.

65 is a tense and exciting tale of survival, with a very minimal cast. It is primarily just Driver and Greenblatt on the screen at any given time, with some flashbacks to Mills’ family. Mills misses his family, and sees saving this girl as a way to make things right for abandoning his daughter when she needed him there the most. He lies to Koa, telling her that her parents are waiting for her on top of the mountain, rather than the truth that they died in the crash, as he needs her focused on the mission. Will this come back to bite him, probably, but he’s doing what he thinks is best for this young girl.

At just 92 minutes, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome—far too many movies these days unnecessarily pad things out for 2+ hour runtimes. This tells the story it wants to tell in just 90 minutes. The film does a nice job of blending the more action-packed scenes of the two survivors being chased by and fighting back against the attacking creatures, with the more sweet and sometimes comical moments as Mills and Koa bond with one another. It’s not just Mills helping Koa to survive—she’s a fast learner and picks up some survival skills and courage along the journey, sometimes saving the day herself.

When I first saw this film in the theater, it felt like something was missing—that I wanted a bit more to the story/adventure. However, while re-watching on this 4K release, I never really felt that. I think the film does a nice job of blending exciting sci-fi/action with a more heartwarming story of family, bonding, and overcoming grief. With such a small cast, a lot is put on the shoulders of these two actors, and I think they do an excellent job of making you care about these characters and their survival.

65 comes from the writers of A Quiet Place, and utilizes a similar less-is-more approach to building the tension. While at times we do see the deadly dinosaurs in all their glory, the filmmakers like to tease the audience, making extensive use of the soundscape to hint at the dangers that lie in the forest, letting the audience’s imagination run wild. When we do see the dinosaurs, the effects look realistic and blend in nicely with the environment. You really do feel like you’ve been transported back 65 million years. The film also has some really creative shots, whether it’s a dinosaur suddenly appearing thanks to a flash of lightning, or one scene where Mills is wrestling with a smaller dinosaur—instead of seeing the fight head-on, we witness it via the digital screen of Mills’ 3D mapping device.

Sony has released the film on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD. I was sent the 4K release for review. The video quality looks fantastic, with a clean, clear picture that captures all of the action in excellent detail. A lot of the film takes place at night, with rain and lightning, but the level of detail remains strong throughout. The Dolby Vision provides a beautiful color palette, especially in the film’s opening shot of the celestial skies, but also in the beautiful primordial landscapes of the planet where Mills crash lands. The audio track provides clear dialogue (though with only two characters who don’t speak the same language, there isn’t a whole lot), but also the terrifying growls of the dinosaurs, and provides an extremely immersive ambiance. The viewer feels the rumbling as the ship is pelted by the asteroids. As the characters make their way through the forest, you can hear all kinds of deadly creatures in every direction. And when there’s rain and thunder, it really feels like you’re right there in the thick of it.

The 4K release comes with both a 4K UHD and a Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, placed inside a glossy cardboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K digital copy of the film. The bonus material, which can be found on the Blu-ray disc only, consists of about 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew and some deleted scenes.


What’s Included:

Film: (1:32:42)

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