The End of Oak Street review: A blast of nostalgic dino mayhem
Jurassic Park has been my favourite film for many years and my love of it basically extends to the dino genre as a whole, so to get The End of Oak Street, a new dinosaur movie that isn’t a Jurassic Park/World is incredibly exciting.
Set in an idyllic suburban neighbourhood in 1982, the film follows a family of four as they experience some extraordinary circumstances. Mother and father Denise and Greg (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor) and their kids Brian (Christian Convery) and Audrey (Maisy Stella) must fight for survival when prehistoric creatures appear on Oak Street.
The marketing for The End of Oak Street has kept the plot almost under wraps and I certainly don’t want to ruin any surprises, but suffice it to say, this is a nostalgic, exciting and fun survival adventure that feels like something Steven Spielberg may have made in the 1980s. The introduction of the prehistoric creatures is perfect; there are thrilling setpieces that made me giddy like a child, and I was thoroughly entertained and locked in, laughing, jumping and cheering at various points. It pushes the boundaries of a 12A and may scare some young kids.
Writer/director David Robert Mitchell, who is best known for directing It Follows, really leans into the nostalgia and fully commits to bringing us a throwback old-fashioned film. At one point, I thought perhaps he was making a satire rather than an earnest feature, because he went so overboard with split-diopter shots in one sequence that I felt like he was taking the mick.
The film is simple, lean and not concerned with emotional depth or explaining its logic. But on this occasion, I was having so much fun that I just didn’t care. However, the chaotic roller coaster ride is undermined by its weak, underwhelming ending. I was satisfied by the speedy 99-minute runtime, but everything is tied up so neatly and swiftly that it weakens what came before.
Hathaway, who is on an absolute run this year, really understood the assignment. She is tearing around the neighbourhood, running full speed, screaming, wielding a shotgun, and just being a generally badass. In comparison, McGregor basically gives us nothing. His performance is oddly underpowered but it fits his passive character. Convery and Stella have plenty to do and really go through it as well.
The End of Oak Street is a ridiculously fun crowdpleaser that brought me a lot of joy. I had a blast!
In cinemas from Friday 14th August