65 | Ending Explained

In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for 65, we will explain the film’s ending.

Cast

• Mills – Adam Driver
• Koa – Ariana Greenblatt
• Nevine – Chloe Coleman
• Alya – Nika King
• Written by – Scott Beck | Bryan Woods
• Directed by – Scott Beck | Bryan Woods

The end of 65 explained

Recap

Mills and Koa have made their way to an escape pod. Koa finds out her parents aren’t alive and is, for a brief time, upset at Mills. But, at any minute, a gigantic meteorite will hit this exact area, so there isn’t much time. Smaller debris striking nearby causes the escape pod to plummet down a cliff. Back on ground-level, the ship attracts the attention of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Then a second. 

Mills leaves the pod. Fights the dinosaurs. But a third appears and chases him. He leads it to a nearby geyser. The combination of the scalding water and a poison spear strike from Koa take out the last dinosaur. Mills and Koa flee Earth before the meteor strike. 

Instead of following the characters, the camera stays on Earth. Time passes and a city develops. It’s our modern civilization, or something like it. 

Meaning

What we see with the end of 65 is tragedy and recovery. The meteorite hits Earth. It annihilates the dinosaurs. But, after some time, human civilization replaces them. It’s not the same but it’s not nothing. Life goes on. 

You can apply this to Mills. The death of his daughter, Nevine, is the equivalent of a meteorite strike. It’s awful. Time passes. And wild, random circumstances bring him and Koa together. She’s not his daughter. They’re not even related. But this experience bonds them forever. You can easily imagine that when they return to Somaris that Mills adopts Koa and they form this new kind of family. 

Gravity had a similar story. Same with the video game and TV show The Last of Us. In The Tree of Life, Terence Malick used the same meteorite impact for the same symbolism: the loss of a child, how that loss changes the world as you know it, and how even though it doesn’t seem possible that some form of recovery can occur. 

Share your opinion

Is there more to the ending that you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide for 65? Leave your comments below, and we may include your suggestions in our comprehensive guide.