Adam Driver Says 65 Avoids The Sci-Fi Trap Of Getting Lost In Production Value - Exclusive
Sci-fi was once championed by geeks and shunned by the masses, but it's since become one of the most mainstream genres in today's film landscape. As a result, filmgoers are seeing movies with dozens of headlining actors in massive worlds with epic production value. While those movies are often a fun ride, sometimes the sheer number of main characters and the incredible CGI components overshadow the heart of a film.
"65" sidesteps this setup by giving fans sci-fi components like spaceships, dinosaurs, and high-tech while also honing in on just two characters. This approach allows fans to get to know and care for the characters without losing any of the genre staples they've come to love.
The movie stars Adam Driver (Mills) and Ariana Greenblatt (Koa) as the duo attempts to escape Earth 65 million years ago. They also don't speak the same language, adding another compelling layer to their dynamic.
Looper spoke to Driver in an exclusive interview about the choice for "65" to hone in on two characters instead of getting lost in the production value and a massive ensemble.
Digging deeper than production value
It's nice when sci-fi peels back the layers and focuses on a few characters in an epic world. On how he thought that direction enhances the storytelling and fans' connections to the characters of "65," Adam Driver addressed how filmmakers shouldn't under estimate viewers.
"Audiences aren't dumb," Driver said, "and the trap with sci-fi is that it almost gets lost in the production value of it. No one cares if it's visually spectacular if you're not emotionally invested in it." Naturally, if fans don't actually care about the characters in a sci-fi landscape, it doesn't matter how epic the world is. "If you don't actually worry about them in danger, then you're probably not going to be invested in the movie or what happens to them."
The plot of "65" sets itself up to avoid this. Along with a tight, small cast, the characters are in an unfamiliar environment with creatures — dinosaurs — that could easily kill them. With a premise like this and the space to fully flesh out characters, there's no way fans can get through the movie without sitting on the edge of their seat worried about the fate of the characters.
"No one's really going to care about the spectacle of seeing a dinosaur if you don't care about this girl or this guy and their relationship and making it," Driver said. "That's where we're making a movie that was more focused on that than the spectacle, [and that] was also exciting."
"65" is now playing exclusively in theaters.