Another dinosaur feature that involves the experimentation of existing alongside humans always goes awry in a heartbeat. (Also a subtle reminder that humans and dinosaurs did not exist simultaneously on planet Earth.) Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods needed some way to get that interaction again in a fluky manner, so instead of some theme park a la Jurassic World, we get an astronaut that crash lands on Earth 65 million years ago due to an asteroid storm.

The central question at hand is, are these guys time travelers? Did producer Sam Raimi want to pull strings to recreate something that not only involved horror (his distinct playground) but something over-the-top like the recent Doctor Strange 2?

Anyway, our astronaut Mills (Adam Driver) lands on our prehistoric home, believing his cargo (human pods) are all destroyed. He continues to maintain his will to survive due to his daughter’s suffering medical condition. Turns out there was a survivor, a little girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), who does not speak English and is visibly shaken up from the crash. Together, the two work to find another vessel to get them off the planet and return home while avoiding the scary creatures.

Driver maintains his pride as a formidable, determined action hero, while Greenblatt embodies a quiet, emotionally vivid character. Their trek ensures audiences want to see the unlikely duo survive against the unpredictable nature, filled with raptors, T-rex, and disgusting little creatures. However, we have been in this scenario before; maybe some (overtly) heavy inspiration from the Jurassic Park series or When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. The tension-building and all cannot come close to the endeavors the two directors had experienced with John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, and it becomes dreary at several critical moments in its compact 93-minute runtime. Some funny moments are splintered in its grim atmosphere, but they’re a more “play-by-the-hits” button than a resounding product.

Conceivably, we could be abruptly harsh about this feature’s direction, but if it unintentionally echoes the fantastic HBO Max’s The Last of Us series, then we know it will fail to stand out once it rolls out on VOD. 65 isn’t standing out for the numerical title; it’ll be another number to overlook when we’re filing it next to Zack Snyder’s 300 or Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2.

A sincere apology to the guy involved that killed Han Solo (in another sci-fi universe).