65

Science fiction have always turned out to be a difficult genre if you don´t belong in the Star Wars franchise or the Star Trek franchise. I personally appreciate interesting sci fi films if the story is fascinating or if the special effects are alright. Needless to say this is not always the case and a perfect example of that is the 2013 film After Earth from director M. Night Shyamalan. This film is not only incredible dull but you don´t care about the characters or the story. It didn´t matter that the film had Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith in big roles when this film struggled with so many other issues. I did rewatch this film after many years just to see if my opinion have changed since the film came out in cinema, and i still feel the same way. There is one sci fi action film i feel should be talked about more often, and that is a film that seems to be forgotten called Outlander from director Howard McCain. Released in certain countries in 2008 ( while in the rest of the world the film went to cinema in 2009 ), Outlander tells the story of  Kainan ( Jim Caviezel ), an alien warrior whos spacecraft crashes in a lake in Vendel-era Scandinavia (550-790). Kainan is captured by viking warrior Wulfric ( Jack Huston ) and taken to his village. Not knowing who this unknown visitor is the vikings keep him prisoner, until they are forced to fight against a creature that caused Kainan´s ship to crash on Earth, known as "Moorwen". Outlander combines vikings and a survival story that reminds us of the 1987 action classic Predator. I think this is actually a fun combination that helps Outlander become a fun sci fi action film that is not supposed to be taken seriously at all. The film was a massive box office failure back in 2009 but i actually appreciate this film for what it was trying to do. If you get a chance to pick this film up on DVD or Blu Ray you should, it is definetely worth checking out of you are a sci fi fan. How many of you love actor Adam Driver? Everyone? I am not suprised at all considering how many great acting performances he have given us over the years. I really enjoyed his performance in Spike Lee´s powerful film BlacKkKlansman ( a film you have to see ) and i can easily recommend him in several aother films as well. I have been curious about his latest science fiction film 65 for a while and finally got a chance to see it. Is this a film that deserves to be seen by a larger audience or is 65 the most boring sci fi film in the last century?

A long time ago before mankind´s history, pilot Mills ( Adam Driver ) convinces his wife Alya ( Nika King ) that he should take a two-year space expedition to earn money needed to threat their daughter Nevine´s ( Chloe Coleman ) illness. However, on the way back to Somaris his spaceship, the Zioc, is hit by a mass of asteroids and he is forced to land on an unknown planet.

Outlander may have been the Predator version with vikings and you could say that 65 is another version of Outlander that includes dinosaurs instead. There is of course a big difference between these films when it comes to the plot, but both films does includes crashlandings on Earth and historical time differences. If you happen to be a fan of the Outlander film ( as i clearly have proved that i am ) then i have a feeling you will apppreciate what 65 is trying to do. What if humans with technology landed on Earth while dinosaurs lived, how would that have been 65 million years ago? A very interesting idea for a science fiction film and i have to say i think this film manage to pull this off without feeling too predictable or boring. Is it original in any way? I suppose not and that is completely fine, since i would rather have a story that feels interesting than make me fall asleep. From a technical perspective i do feel that 65 manage to combine a cool look, both of the space technology and the space suit that Adam Driver´s character Mills is wearing. If you are a dinosaur fan then i have some good news for you. The dinosaur effects are actually not that bad and you get a sense that they tried to capture a few of the classic looks of dinosaur species. We are of course not talking about the same level of CGI dinosaur effects as the Jurassis Park / Jurassic World films, and i have no problem with that. Adam Driver proves that he can take on any genre and i actually appreciate his performance as the lead character Mills. He is not your typical hero type and seems to be a loving man, and i do think it was a good choice not to go for the stereotypical hero character. Actress Ariana Greenblatt gives a solid performance as the character Koa, and i especially enjoy her chemistry wth Adam Driver on the big screen. You can feel a daughter / father relationship here even though they are not related. 65 is a sci fi film that will definetely be appreciated if you love this genre and love dinosaurs as well. Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods deliver a film that might not bring anything fresh to the table but is definetely worth a watch. 65 is exactly how i would want a Runaway Bride remake to look like if they ever decided to do one since the original film with Julia Roberts in 1999. What are you waiting for? Go get your Blu Ray copy of 65 today and i swear you will thank me later.

Rating: DDD