65

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, 65 follows an alien pilot (Adam Driver’s Mills) as he and a young girl (Ariana Greenblatt’s Koa) are forced to embark on a perilous journey after crash-landing on Earth. It’s a pared-down premise that’s employed to mostly compelling (and periodically spellbinding) effect by Beck and Woods, as the filmmakers, working from their own screenplay, deliver a briskly-paced thriller that opens with an engaging stretch focused on Driver’s sympathetic figure and his unlikely companion – with the impact of this portion of the proceedings heightened by a typically commanding turn by Driver (and Greenblatt more than holds her own, too). From there, 65 segues into a midsection crammed with exciting set-pieces that manage, for the most part, to compensate for Beck and Woods’ ongoing reliance on dodgy computer-generated effects (ie certain segments have all the credibility of a video game) – although it’s equally clear that the dimly-lit final third is perhaps not quite as enthralling (or even satisfying) as one might’ve hoped. The end result is a solid sci-fi endeavor that ultimately does fall just short of greatness, which is a shame, to be sure, given the strength of the setup and Driver’s magnetic performance.

*** out of ****