65
Working with a respectable budget of $45.0M, the film achieved a modest success with $60.7M in global revenue (+35% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
65 (2023) showcases strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Scott Beck's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 33 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Mills
Koa
Main Cast & Characters
Mills
Played by Adam Driver
A pilot from an advanced civilization who crash-lands on prehistoric Earth while transporting passengers, desperate to return home to his dying daughter.
Koa
Played by Ariana Greenblatt
A young girl and sole survivor from the passenger section who doesn't speak Mills' language but forms a bond with him during their survival journey.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mills, a pilot from the planet Somaris, says goodbye to his ill daughter Nevine before embarking on a two-year space mission to earn money for her medical treatment. He is a loving father torn between duty and family.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when The ship is struck by a catastrophic asteroid field, causing massive damage. Mills is thrown from his seat as alarms blare and the ship loses control, hurtling toward an unknown planet.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
At 45 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Mills and Koa are separated when attacked by a large theropod. Mills falls into a cave system while Koa is stranded above. This false defeat raises the stakes—they must survive alone in the most dangerous moment yet, and Mills realizes he may fail to protect her., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 67 minutes (72% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Mills escapes the caves but Koa discovers the truth—her parents are dead, Mills lied to her. She rejects him in grief and anger. Mills has lost her trust, his only companion, and his will to continue. He collapses emotionally, having failed the one person he promised to protect., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 73 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 78% of the runtime. Mills fights through waves of dinosaurs to reach Koa. They reconcile and make a final desperate push to the escape shuttle. A massive T-Rex-like creature pursues them. Mills uses grenades, the environment, and his last resources. They reach the shuttle as the extinction asteroid enters the atmosphere., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
65's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping 65 against these established plot points, we can identify how Scott Beck utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish 65 within its genre.
Scott Beck's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Scott Beck films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. 65 takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Scott Beck filmography.
Comparative Analysis
For more Scott Beck analyses, see Heretic.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mills, a pilot from the planet Somaris, says goodbye to his ill daughter Nevine before embarking on a two-year space mission to earn money for her medical treatment. He is a loving father torn between duty and family.
Theme
Mills promises his daughter via hologram message that he will come back to her, establishing the theme of perseverance, survival, and keeping promises against impossible odds.
Worldbuilding
Establishing the futuristic world of Somaris. Mills pilots a transport ship with cryogenically frozen passengers. The ship is advanced, peaceful, routine. Mills watches messages from his wife about Nevine's condition, showing his emotional isolation and the cost of his choice.
Disruption
The ship is struck by a catastrophic asteroid field, causing massive damage. Mills is thrown from his seat as alarms blare and the ship loses control, hurtling toward an unknown planet.
Resistance
Mills awakens on the crashed ship and discovers he's on Earth—65 million years ago. He finds all passengers dead except one: a young girl named Koa. He debates telling her the truth, considers giving up, but discovers an escape shuttle on a mountaintop 15 kilometers away.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
Mills and Koa journey through the prehistoric Earth, facing dinosaurs and environmental hazards. The premise delivers: man vs. dinosaurs survival thriller. They learn to communicate, fight creatures together, and Mills uses his futuristic weapons against prehistoric predators.
Midpoint
Mills and Koa are separated when attacked by a large theropod. Mills falls into a cave system while Koa is stranded above. This false defeat raises the stakes—they must survive alone in the most dangerous moment yet, and Mills realizes he may fail to protect her.
Opposition
Mills battles creatures in the dark caves while trying to reach Koa. Above, Koa faces her own terrors. The obstacles intensify: water, limited oxygen, aggressive dinosaurs. Mills' equipment fails, his injuries worsen. The asteroid that will kill the dinosaurs looms closer—they're running out of time.
Collapse
Mills escapes the caves but Koa discovers the truth—her parents are dead, Mills lied to her. She rejects him in grief and anger. Mills has lost her trust, his only companion, and his will to continue. He collapses emotionally, having failed the one person he promised to protect.
Crisis
Mills sits alone in despair, watching a final message from his daughter Nevine. He contemplates giving up entirely. The dark night of his soul—he abandoned his dying daughter for this mission and now has failed another child who needed him.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Mills fights through waves of dinosaurs to reach Koa. They reconcile and make a final desperate push to the escape shuttle. A massive T-Rex-like creature pursues them. Mills uses grenades, the environment, and his last resources. They reach the shuttle as the extinction asteroid enters the atmosphere.