Directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), The End of Oak Street brings cinema’s favorite prehistoric beasts into an idyllic neighborhood setting. Starring Anne Hathaway (Interstellar) as Denise and Ewan McGregor (Star Wars) as Greg, the story sees a mysterious cosmic event rip Oak Street straight from suburbia to someplace unknown, leaving the Platt parents and their two children in a fight for survival against a dangerous enemy – dinosaurs. Thrilling and entertaining with a pleasing balance of heart and humor, The End of Oak Street uses its prehistoric predators to great effect to create a solid creature feature.
At the center of The End of Oak Street is a family genuinely worth rooting for. The script takes its time establishing the Platt’s before throwing them into danger, introducing marital problems between the parents and an increasingly rebellious son to ensure they are more than mere dinosaur fodder. Their dynamic inevitably shifts as their situation becomes increasingly perilous, but the fierce protection of their children and the convincing sibling bond give the family a strong foundation. Each character has their flaws, but this only makes them more likeable and believable. The performances bolster this further, with Hathaway particularly impressing in the film’s more emotional moments. Maisy Stella (My Old Ass) and Christian Convery (Frankenstein) both hold their own as the younger members of the family, while McGregor remains reliably charming despite a somewhat questionable American accent.
Despite the cosmic mystery unfolding in the background, The End of Oak Street wisely avoids overcomplicating its story. At heart, this is a straightforward survival movie and creature feature that just so happens to have a sci-fi twist, with any explanations or jargon surrounding the cosmic event kept simple and accessible. Even the film’s time-travel elements are surprisingly easy to follow, adding another layer of intrigue without distracting from the Platts’ fight for survival. There’s plenty of mystery surrounding exactly what has happened to Oak Street, but director and writer Mitchell knows when to provide answers and when to simply let the dinosaurs do the talking. And boy, do they do a lot of talking.
When it comes to the dinosaurs themselves, The End of Oak Street certainly doesn’t disappoint. The beasts are given plenty of screen time, and Mitchell doesn’t hold back when it comes to the havoc they cause, delivering some grisly deaths alongside genuinely frightening threats to the central family. Their sheer size, scope and thunderous sound design provide plenty of thrills, with the largest creatures proving suitably intimidating. Simply seeing these beasts in such a normal, everyday setting is exciting and downright cool in itself, something fans of the sub-genre have longed for since those final moments of 1997’s The Lost Word: Jurassic Park. There’s impressive variety too; alongside familiar favourites such as the T-Rex and Spinosaurus are bird-like predators and beasts resembling giant snakes. Dinosaur enthusiasts will undoubtedly enjoy spotting some recognisable species, while those well-versed in the genre should appreciate the more unusual additions. It’s a reminder of just how exciting these prehistoric creatures can be when properly unleashed, resulting in some of the best use of dinosaurs cinema has offered in quite some time.
Balancing out the thrills is an Amblin-esque accessibility that gives The End of Oak Street the spirit of a genuine family adventure, despite it also being one of the grisliest in recent memory. This influence is particularly evident in the sight of the kids cycling through the neighbourhood streets, the sci-fi blended with the burbs and most importantly, the family at the core. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments provide welcome relief from the carnage, while Starbuck the dog proves an adorable addition and, rather unexpectedly, quite the hero. Mitchell occasionally struggles to reconcile the film’s sweetness with its nastier creature-feature instincts, but for the most part, the two sit comfortably alongside one another. The result is an adventure capable of raising a smile one minute and having you fear for everyone’s lives the next.
Further heightening the film’s Spielbergian sensibilities is Michael Giacchino‘s (The Batman) score, which exudes a sense of adventure with every beat and brings a tangible energy to the action. The cinematography is similarly impressive, particularly in the framing of the dinosaurs as they stalk past windows or emerge through the trees, making clever use of the suburban surroundings. The frequent split-diopter shots prove more divisive; one or two are exceedingly effective and demonstrate how well the technique can enhance a scene, but an over-reliance on them elsewhere quickly becomes gimmicky and distracting. These occasional visual missteps aside, the technical elements combine to give The End of Oak Street an impressive sense of scale, elevating its suburban survival story into something worthy of the big-screen blockbuster treatment.
Beyond the occasional visual and tonal missteps, a handful of narrative snags prevent The End of Oak Street from reaching its full potential. Certain plot points appear to return simply because they were introduced earlier, rather than because they have any meaningful place in the story. This is most noticeable with Brian (Convery) and a young boy he has an ongoing feud with, whose later exchange arrives at such a strangely timed moment that it proves more baffling than effective. It’s a rare instance where tying up a loose end actually creates another, and serves as a reminder that not every idea introduced in an early draft needs to survive into the final one. These awkward inclusions don’t derail the adventure, but a tighter screenplay could have ironed out some of its more noticeable shortcomings.
Despite a few narrative and stylistic bumps along the way, The End of Oak Street is a hugely enjoyable creature feature that combines blockbuster spectacle with old-school family adventure. Mitchell makes terrific use of his prehistoric stars, while a likeable ensemble and impressive filmmaking ensure there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. It may not reinvent the creature-feature formula, but with dinosaurs that are this much fun to watch, it hardly needs to.
