THE END OF OAK STREET

Director
David Robert Mitchell

Starring
Anne Hathaway
Ewan McGregor
Maisy Stella
Christian Convery

In the early 1980s, a small US neighbourhood is struck by an inexplicable phenomenon that sees a whole square mile transported back to the Jurassic period. Initially convinced a storm wiped out power and water, the Platt family quickly realise that they’re actually in mortal danger as dinosaurs start hunting the various residents of Oak Street.

On paper this could have easily been a very trashy embarrassment of a movie for everyone involved. After all, it’s a silly b-movie premise, any ‘science’ present is laughable, and the amount of suspension of disbelief required is gargantuan. That said, by tapping into a concentrated horrific reality and not shying away from implied violence, we get a genuinely thrilling survival horror. Not only a throwback to big bombastic, camp big-screen entertainment, but tapping into wry-smile moviemaking that knows exactly what it is and what it’s trying to achieve.

But in order to fully break this movie down, we cannot truly look to its director. Of course, Mitchell wrote this feature and harnesses his horror genre skillset, but it’s actually the hands of the producer that feel more pronounced. See, it’s my opinion that a producer’s fingerprints shouldn’t be felt in thematic or directorial choices. Their presence should speak to the quality, efficiency, and organisation of a production. But JJ Abrams doesn’t feel like that kind of producer. And from the outset, with the extremely Spielbergian opening detailing a nice but potentially collapsing young family, interconnected with the melodramas of and feeling trapped by quiet 80s suburbia, you’d be forgiven for thinking Abrams did more than simply run numbers in the background.

This sense of Abrams in the driving seat is oddly heightened by the technical aspects too. Most notably with the wonderfully period appropriate score work, adding a nostalgic sense of tension and adventure. And without checking, I somehow knew it was either long-time Abrams collaborator Michael Giacchino or someone meticulously imitating his style. The visuals are also very impressive for what is now considered a mid-tier budget of $80 million. Audiences genuinely love dinosaurs but outside of Jurassic Park movies they’re underutilised – mostly due to the cost. But throughout this lean 99 minute runtime, the majority of the dinosaur encounters are carefully shot to maintain tension and avoid the budget being decimated.

None of which would mean anything if we didn’t care about the central characters, or if they were portrayed in a way that we simply didn’t believe any of the stakes. Cue the Platt family. We have McGregor as Greg the a sort of bumbling but loveable father figure, who may not be the most reliable but he seems to be making an effort. The two children, Audrey [Stella] and Brian [Convery], have all the relatable tropes of midwest teen: preoccupied with school, friendships, bullies, etc. And most notably, Anne Hathaway as Denise, the classic suburban mum who feels trapped in her humdrum life, but is trying to hold it all together. There’s nothing particularly new or adventurous to these archetypes but the sense of familiarity, combined with very capable acting, is what makes them compelling enough for the audience to root for them.

While The End Of Oak Street is a perfectly functional, engaging, and entertaining feature, it has a lot of baggage. I mentioned both Spielberg and Abrams earlier, and almost all of the negative aspects and tropes that come with those names are front and centre. The father issues, the unnecessarily neat and safe endings, the over sentimentality, painfully egregious ex machinas; they’re all here. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s a new quibble in the form of what isn’t present: scale. As stated, this movie deals with budget extremely well and delivers a film that’s punching well above its elevator pitch, but for all its set-pieces, it’s still a story about a suburban block. And because it refuses to venture far from a handful of samey-looking streets, the visual sweep lacks gravitas and distinction.

Walking out of the cinema, it’s hard to deny that this summer blockbuster is dumb, blast-from-the-past fun. And granted, it’s clearly bisected between unserious romp and emotionally charged family drama, the influences are a little too intrusive, and the more you stop to think about it and probe the ideas behind the horror, the less it has to say – but it understands the assignment, wears its heart on its sleeve, and delivers a surprisingly good time.

Release Date:
14 August 2026

The Scene To Look Out For:
**spoilers**
There’s nothing worse than outlining a threat, only for said threat to be hampered by bad writing. If you tell me a robot has the ability to punch through walls but is struggling in a fist fight with a human, or an alien can fly at 30mph but gets hampered by convenient obstacles, this doesn’t generate tension, it’s plot armour. So, to my surprise, when the Allosaurus is about kill Denise, I was taken on a bit of a rollercoaster. First with the tired ‘biting inches from our heroine’ nonsense, before going into audible “Oh fuck off” territory with Greg knocking out the dinosaur with a sledgehammer. However, the fact these two incredibly flagrant examples are undercut immediately with Greg’s death, in the most oddly satisfying “plot armour can’t help you now” way, was quite the jolt. Even if it doesn’t necessarily pay off further down the line, it was a shocking moment that left the cinema flabbergasted. And that’s to be commended.

Notable Characters:
There are so many oddball inclusions. From the kindly old lady across the street who offers Denise a bit of respite, to the abrasive neighbour who feels like a belligerent thorn in the Platt’s side, or even the new girl on the block who the boys are all fascinated by. No matter how much personality or presence they bring, none of it is enough to truly flesh out the wider neighbourhood. They feel like snapshots and amalgam placeholders. We don’t have the budget to see several hundred people getting eaten, so we’ll just run the gamut of nice neighbour, mean neighbour, new neighbour.

Highlighted Quote:
“Is that a fucking dinosaur!?”

In A Few Words:
“A safe, familiar release that’s equal parts reliable and comfortable – to both its benefit and detriment.”

Total Score: 3/5

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