The End of Oak Street Review
This summer was filled with big blockbusters and that season is ending soon, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be one last seasonal hit. That hit comes in the form of David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street, which feels like a completely different ball game. Personally, I was hooked on Mitchell’s work because of It Follows, which made my skin crawl on so many levels. Given how Mitchell was now directing the last summer tentpole film, which felt tonally different, it made me wonder if he could pull it off. Fortunately, not only does Mitchell, his team, and the cast make The End of Oak Street a compelling story, but it also adds some fun and spice back into the late summer theater days.
The End of Oak Street follows a suburban family, consisting of the engrossed Denise (Anne Hathaway), the optimistic Greg (Ewan McGregor), the realist Audrey (Maisy Stella), and the adventurous Brian (Christian Convery). They once lived perfectly quiet lives in this peaceful neighborhood before their whole town was mysteriously transported to prehistoric times. Now trapped and surrounded by towering and deadly dinosaurs, the Platt family is forced to fend for themselves in hopes they can escape the chaos. Of course, their attempts at escaping and surviving don’t always go to plan.
From the opening that sees the Platts trying to enjoy that small town gathering, you get a feeling that this movie is packing in so much with each family member. Denise, who’s wrapped up in trying to be an author, maybe feels too stuck in her own ways to move on. Her relationship with Greg, who’s taken up multiple part time jobs, is further strained by his own soft, slightly blissful, optimism that everything will be alright. The way that it negatively affects Brian, who’s essentially the kid around the block who’s bullied, and Audrey, who wants to find love before she’s off to college, makes the emotional stakes layer on top of each other quickly. It can be slightly much to take in, but Mitchell does take some time to stretch out those lingering character traits to make you feel sympathetic for them.
The two characters you’ll likely feel sympathy for the most are Denise and Brian, who seem to be slightly more prioritized. Anne Hathaway, no matter which film she’s in, continues to bring such a dedicated performance to give Denise the tough love she needs to support the rest of the family. Christian Convery has his own charm, with a hint of youthful rebelliousness, to Brian as he’s constantly determined to go looking for the family’s missing dog.
McGregor and Stella also have their respective moments to shine and Mitchell spins both of their characters in slightly messier ways. This feels especially so with Audrey when she tries to search for Brian after the neighborhood’s transported, finding him as well as the new girl on the block Brian’s interested in. Despite what one may initially think about these interactions, Mitchell’s specific choices to tease an unexpected relationship and infuse that into Audrey and Brian’s dynamic was actually a happy surprise. It’s quite a rarity to actually see a relationship like that being featured, but once a specific scene between this trio plays out, it ends up being quite sweet.
The more heartfelt moments of The End of Oak Street make this film feel much more emotionally compelling. From the family getting in a circle to try and make due to the parents and kids being separated from each other, most of these moments work to make you love each one. They’re spaced out, with some serving as highlight moments like when Denise and Greg are trapped under a dino stampede to the kids being chased by a huge T-rex.
The action of this film is pretty great as each danger the Pratts come across is developed with the right amount of teasing to make their actual appearances menacing. There’s multiple lingering shots of these dinosaurs hiding and moving behind trees, flying ones gathering together like the crows from The Birds on rooftops, and long takes of the family’s escapades that really keep you on edge. If there’s one thing that Mitchell succeeds at doing, it’s making audiences feel tense whenever it seems like the family’s about to get killed by these creatures. When the film does get to those moments, they’re perfectly shocking and just a little bit brutal, but it fits the tone The End of Oak Street wants.
The End of Oak Street accomplishes its goals of being an exciting, scary, and thrilling dedication to Amblin’s older days and Steven Spielberg’s classic films. Its story and characters have so much to keep audiences hooked until the very end. Mitchell has proven himself as a director who can take on a summer blockbuster and make it his own.
Rating: ★★★★
The End of Oak Street releases in theaters on August 14.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic with a Bachelor’s of Science with minors in Digital Media & Journalism. When not running The Reel Roller, Chris writes reviews and breakdowns on all things film and TV for outlets including Nerdtropolis, Tell-Tale TV, Eulalie Magazine, and more. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.