Critics’ reviews

65 (2023)

18 reviews from 18 publications. Critics’ score 48: 3 positive, 6 mixed, 7 negative.

Back to our review of 65

48
Positive
3
Mixed
6
Negative
7
Empire
10 March 2023 · John Nugent
70*

The film is a straightforward, efficient survival thriller that delivers a lean, original studio premise without breaking new ground or relying on franchises. It stands out for its compelling Adam Driver performance, which grounds the B-movie silliness, and its fun, frightening dinosaurs in a handsomely presented package.

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Screen Daily
10 March 2023
70*

Adam Driver gives a committed performance in this efficient, sprightly popcorn thriller mixing dinosaurs, space travel and a father-daughter story. Terrific CGI monsters and swampy scares make it an entertaining multiplex movie.

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Little White Lies
13 March 2023 · 2/3/2 · Hannah Strong
60

The critic finds the film a dire and derivative sci-fi action flop with shoddy execution and lazy world-building. Adam Driver's committed lead performance is singled out as better than the material deserves.

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Variety
9 March 2023 · Todd Gilchrist
60*

Though derivative and cobbled from better films, the adventure delivers requisite thrills thanks to Driver's committed performance and menacing dinosaurs, feeling pleasantly diverting in its brevity despite lacking originality.

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The AV Club
9 March 2023 · C · Manuel Betancourt
57

The critic finds the film self-serious and exhausting despite its premise. He singles out the predictable action set pieces and lack of surprises as the main complaint.

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The Guardian
9 March 2023
55*

The critic finds the film a ho-hum, unremarkable survival movie that is not as bad as its troubled release history suggested but ultimately misses the mark. It is efficiently made in places thanks to Adam Driver’s commitment and some decent jeopardy, but relies too heavily on ineffective jump scares and fails to deliver the silly B-movie fun promised by its premise.

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The New York Times
9 March 2023 · A.O. Scott
40*

The film is neither truly terrible nor halfway interesting, offering familiar dangers without awe, suspense or surprise as Driver's character runs a gauntlet of dinosaurs and other perils on ancient Earth.

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The Telegraph
10 March 2023 · ★★
40

Adam Driver does his best in this late-Cretaceous romp, but the whole thing feels fatally underpowered and the dinosaurs cruelly underfed. The cheerfully silly concept is not the problem, but nervous recuts, a damp-squib ending and dinosaurs rarely shown to their best advantage leave it disappointing.

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Radio Times
· Kevin Harley
30*

The promising mix of dinosaurs and Adam Driver fails to ignite in this underwhelming and derivative sci-fi survival thriller. The action sequences are half-baked and the film has precious few ideas of its own.

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RogerEbert.com
10 March 2023 · Christy Lemire
30*

The critic finds the film boring despite its wild premise of Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs on prehistoric Earth. It fails to embrace B-movie silliness, with repetitive action, underdeveloped characters and a blandly heroic lead performance.

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Vulture
10 March 2023
30*

The critic deems the film not good and unengaging despite nonstop dino action. He singles out its mangled badness as oddly compelling while criticizing the confusing premise and lack of engagement.

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Los Angeles Times
9 March 2023 · Robert Abele
20*

The movie is a pedestrian, dumb and dull hack job that is imitative and complacent rather than weird or wondrous about its extinction-level premise. It lacks visual breadth and compositional tension.

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The Hollywood Reporter
9 March 2023 · Frank Scheck

The critic calls it a middling throwback creature feature. He singles out the novelty of Driver using high-tech weaponry against the dinosaurs for praise while noting the overall low-rent feel compared to recent sci-fi blockbusters.

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The Playlist
9 March 2023 · B- · Simon Thompson
70

The critic calls it a decent but formulaic sci-fi action thriller that lacks sustained tension yet excels in its exhilarating third act and finale. Special effects and creature design are singled out for praise.

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/Film
10 March 2023 · 6/10 · Sarah Milner
60

The critic finds the film delivers on dinosaur scares and action sequences but suffers from weak writing, a stale story, and thin characters. Driver's performance is praised for adding depth through body language.

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Consequence
10 March 2023 · C- · Clint Worthington
50

The film is a shoddy, somber sci-fi thriller where Adam Driver spends more time sulking than shooting dinosaurs. Some handsome staging and spectacle are noted, but the action is clunky and the CG unconvincing.

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Digital Spy
10 March 2023 · Ian Sandwell
30*

The film fails to deliver on its high-concept premise of a stranded pilot battling dinosaurs 65 million years ago, resulting in a tonal misfire that mixes grief themes with blockbuster action unsuccessfully. The standout cave set piece with dinosaur tension shows potential, but overall it is a jurassic dud.

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Paste
10 March 2023 · 3.5 · Brianna Zigler

The movie fails to embrace its goofy B-movie premise and instead awkwardly grounds it with emotion, resulting in tedium. Driver's yelling and the final dinosaur sequence are singled out positively amid the flaws.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate