One of my favorite genres growing up was dinosaur films. As a child, I would obsessively rewatch Jurassic Park, Dinosaur, and several documentaries led by Dr. Paul Sereno. I loved dinosaurs so much that, as a child, I originally wanted to be a paleontologist when I grew up. High school biology ruined that career path. However, despite my love for dinosaurs, it has been some time since we have had a good dinosaur film. By “some time,” I mean it has almost been 30 years since we have gotten a truly great dinosaur film, until now.
The thought that ran through my head while watching David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street was how much of the film felt like it was from the 80s/90s era of Amblin. The film takes the classic premise of an ordinary family, who may have some marital troubles, and throws them into extraordinary circumstances. In this case, the Platt family and their entire neighborhood are transported over 200 million years into the past, during the age of dinosaurs. With predatory dinosaurs such as Allosaurus, Coelophysis, Garjainia, and Tropeognathus hunting everyone down, the family must work together to find a way back home.
It’s a very simple premise, but it’s one that makes for a classic summer blockbuster. Needless to say, Mitchell practically nails those summer blockbuster vibes with The End of Oak Street. The film understands exactly what audiences want from this kind of movie: dinosaurs, chaos, people running for their lives, and just enough spectacle to make the whole thing an absolute blast. Whenever the Platts are being chased by dinosaurs through the suburban streets or are trapped inside the confines of their own home, The End of Oak Street is at its best. There is something inherently thrilling about watching an ordinary family trying to survive an extraordinary situation, and the film makes great use of that premise.
The dinosaur sequences are easily the highlights of the film. Whether they are stalking the Platts through the neighborhood or suddenly appearing inside their home, there is a genuine sense of danger to these scenes. They are as thrilling as they are wildly entertaining, and Mitchell clearly understands that sometimes the best thing a summer blockbuster can do is simply let the dinosaurs be dinosaurs. If you are looking for a film where people are constantly being eaten by dinosaurs, running for their lives, and desperately fighting to stay alive, this is absolutely the movie for you. There is a certain gleeful ridiculousness to watching these characters try to survive one dinosaur encounter after another, and the film embraces that without taking itself too seriously.
With that said, the film is far from perfect. The marital troubles between Denise (Anne Hathaway, The Odyssey) and Greg (Ewan McGregor, Star Wars) are about as cliched as you can get. Denise is the ignored wife while Greg is the useless husband. Unfortunately, the film never really evolves their relationship beyond those two tired tropes. Anne Hathaway does bring a lot of motherly fury to the role and is easily one of the more engaging parts of the film. However, McGregor seems entirely checked out from the role, although it is hard to blame him when his character was given little substance to work with. Greg is essentially just the incompetent husband, and there is very little beyond that for McGregor to sink his teeth into. Furthermore, the characters make some obviously stupid decisions throughout the film, to the point where you can’t help but hope that they get eaten by the dinosaurs because of their stupidity. Obviously, characters in a creature feature are going to make questionable decisions, but there are moments where the stupidity becomes so frustrating that you almost find yourself rooting for the dinosaurs.
Despite its flaws, The End of Oak Street is a wildly entertaining summer blockbuster that knows exactly what it wants to be. It takes a simple premise and turns it into a 100-minute thrill ride filled with screams of fear, excitement, and joy. Delivering the kind of big, dumb, crowd-pleasing entertainment that has become increasingly rare. Sure, it is not a perfect film, as some of its characters and story choices leave plenty to be desired. But there is something refreshing about a movie that simply wants to put dinosaurs on screen and let audiences have a good time. At the end of the day, The End of Oak Street is the type of film that reminds you why summer blockbusters can be so much fun in the first place, and honestly, it is the kind of movie I would love to see make a resurgence.
My Rating: B
The End of Oak Street is in theaters August 14th.
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