I rarely walk out of a film unsure of how I’m feeling about it. Usually, I know pretty quickly whether something worked for me or didn’t. That wasn’t the case with The End of Oak Street.
I walked out last night still trying to figure out exactly where I landed with this movie.
Before I get into the film itself, though, I have to mention the theater experience because it was honestly one of the worst I’ve ever had. Most of the people in the theater seemed to think they were sitting at home watching something. There was constant talking throughout the movie, and it was so bad that it definitely affected my overall experience. I don’t know if this particular movie brought that out in people, but it was incredibly annoying.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the movie.
The End of Oak Street follows a neighborhood that gets dropped into an unknown place after a cosmic event. And this unknown place happens to be filled with dinosaurs and has this entire prehistoric feel to it. That’s the part of the movie you’re really here for.
The film also gives us a family storyline involving a husband, wife, son, and their dog. There’s clearly an attempt to build an emotional layer into the story through this family dynamic, but I never really found myself caring about it. At times, it felt forced through the writing. I cared about the dog, though. I mean, come on. It’s the dog.
For me, the real appeal was the dinosaurs, the prehistoric setting, and the moments where people get vaporized. There are some genuinely fun and thrilling moments throughout the film, including a few where I was sitting there thinking, “Oh my God, did that just happen?”
The movie stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway, and the story is set in 1982. That time period is important because The End of Oak Street feels very much like an 80s movie. The dialogue, the writing, the concept, and even some of the plot twists have that very specific 80s movie quality to them.
And I didn’t necessarily hate that.
In fact, I think some of it may have been intentional. Writer and director David Robert Mitchell seems to take those classic 80s storytelling elements and put them into a movie that is technically much more ambitious.
The cinematography is where the movie really shines for me. There were shots throughout this film where I could feel what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish. Visually, there are some really beautiful moments, and the dinosaurs and prehistoric elements were done well.
Technically, there’s a lot here to appreciate.
The problem is that I kept bouncing back and forth between enjoying what I was watching and questioning whether I actually liked the movie as a whole. There’s plenty of fun to be had. There are thrills, jump scares, unexpected moments, and some impressive visual work. Then you have the tropiness of certain elements, which brings you right back to that 1980s feel.
That also got me thinking about how much we’ve been leaning into 80s nostalgia lately.
Ever since Stranger Things, it feels like we’ve seen a huge wave of movies and shows trying to recapture that particular era. Sometimes it works beautifully. Other times, I find myself wondering if we’re overusing it. The End of Oak Street definitely made me think about that.
Ultimately, I enjoyed the film. I don’t think it’s perfect, and I wouldn’t call it great, but I also don’t think it’s trying to be some deeply serious cinematic experience.
Go into this wanting to have fun. Don’t overthink it. Enjoy the dinosaurs, the chaos, the ridiculousness, and the impressive cinematography.
If you’re looking for a dinosaur movie that delivers some thrills and gives you some genuinely beautiful technical work along the way, The End of Oak Street is worth checking out.
For me, it lands at 3 out of 5 stars.
