Everyone Hates Adam Driver’s New Jurassic Park Rip-Off
Adam Driver's latest, 65, is getting ripped apart on Rotten Tomatoes by both audiences and critics.
Steven Spielberg set the standard for dinosaur films in 1993, and while many have tried to cash in on the prehistoric beasts, none have captured the magic of Jurassic Park. 65 is the latest attempt, but not even Adam Driver could stop fans and critics from eating the movie alive. This fresh meat has been deemed anything but, earning a 30% critics score and 59% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
65 follows Adam Driver as a starship pilot who, while on an exploratory mission through the cosmos, crash lands on prehistoric Earth. The only other survivor is a young girl, played by Ariana Greenblatt. Driver must protect the girl and himself as the pair traverse the primordial planet and the prehistoric beasts that inhabit it.
Critics’ reviews of the film point to it being an ironically outdated Hollywood studio concept. Others criticized the film’s tone, saying it takes itself too seriously to be fun, but can’t be taken seriously enough to be great. Some criticized Adam Driver for a failed attempt to elevate the material with his performance, while others maintained that the actor is a bright spot, as usual.
The film is the latest from Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the writing duo behind 2018’s A Quiet Place. This sci-fi thriller combines Beck and Woods’ horror sensibilities with plenty of flash-bang action, but is still leaving viewers deflated. For 65, reviews may be the least of its concerns.
The new Adam Driver is up against Creed III, a holdover from last weekend that is proving to be a box office knockout. It is also opening against Scream VI, a film out for blood and a new franchise record. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the slasher sequel is in the running to break the $35 million mark, which would put it over 2000’s Scream 3 debut record of $34.7 million.
Tracking for 65 has the movie debuting in the $7-9 million range, a soft start on its journey to recoup its approximately $45 million production budget. Time will tell if the star power of Adam Driver and the appeal of dinosaurs on the big screen will be enough to pull the film out of the swamp.
Best known for his role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Adam Driver has become one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood. He has a reputation for jumping between blockbusters like Star Wars and indies like Annette. His next film will be Ferrari, a biopic about Italian racer and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari.
Adam Driver is at work on Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, a star-studded epic that many have reported to be a behind the scenes nightmare. The star has also been rumored to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, either as the Fantastic Four’s lead, Mr. Fantastic, or its greatest nemesis, Dr. Doom.
A stacked spring season will make 65’s road a difficult one, especially as it battles poor reviews. There are no guarantees in the movie business, even with Adam Driver and dinosaurs on the roster. 65 may be behind the times in more ways than one, and stiff competition could quickly turn this dinosaur entry into a fossil.
