It's rarely a good sign when a movie is only screened for critics a couple of days before it's set to hit theaters, which is reflected in the first wave of reviews for this weekend's 65.
Though the prehistoric sci-fi adventure is not getting completely savaged by critics (some have been very vocal in their defence of the movie), the reviews have been mostly negative, and the film currently sits at 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
On the positive side, the performances from Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt have received high praise, as have a couple of the action sequences. Yeah... that's about it!
"It’s not quite the toxic disaster it’s being treated as but 65 is nowhere near the giddy lark it should have been, crash-landing somewhere in the middle instead," said the Guardian.
NYC Movie Guru was a lot harsher: "A lazy, vapid and tedious sci-fi thriller that's low on excitement, suspense, intrigue and, above all, entertainment. Adam Driver is wasted."
"Anchored by another in a series of committed performances from Adam Driver and an ensemble of suitably menacing prehistoric beasts, Beck and Woods’ adventure delivers requisite thrills even if its creativity seems stuck in the distant cinematic past," writes Variety.
Vital Thrills thinks audiences should give it a chance: "If audiences give 65 a chance, and not overload it with expectations, I think they may find themselves pleasantly surprised. I know I did."
Are these reviews too negative for you to give 65 a shot this weekend? Drop us a comment down below. If you're planning on seeing Scream VI instead, might want to rethink!
According to the updated synopsis: "Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills (Driver) and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.”
65 was written and directed by A Quiet Place scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who also produced under their recently-formed Beck/Woods banner along with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi.