The End of Oak Street Evaluate: Enjoyable Premise, Flat Characters

David Robert Mitchell has put in his time watching Steven Spielberg films, and it reveals in his newest film, The End of Oak Street. This film captures most of the beats one would possibly anticipate from a 1980’s Spielberg blockbuster, but it surely falls brief by giving us well-performed but finally flat characters.

Greg (Ewan McGregor) and Denise Platt (Anne Hathaway) reside in a pleasant suburban neighborhood with their two children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery). On the floor, every thing appears advantageous, however digging a bit of bit reveals a widening hole between Greg and Denise. Just as they look like nearing the top of their marriage, a portal opens up, transporting their whole neighborhood into the center of a prehistoric jungle. Now the Platts must not solely survive their emotional difficulties, but in addition literal dinosaurs.

You’re not going to need to assume too laborious in regards to the plot gadgets utilized in The End of Oak Street. This film calls for that you simply droop disbelief after which possibly droop it just a bit bit extra. And actually, should you’re ready to try this, this can be a comparatively enjoyable dinosaur film, definitely higher than each “Jurassic” film that has come out for the reason that authentic Jurassic Park movie in 1993. Nevertheless, I felt like I barely knew any of the characters. Why does Brian carry a bow and arrow? Why does Audrey danger her life to take heed to Steve Winwood’s “Valerie”? Where does the discontent between Greg and Denise come from? We don’t know, and that makes it laborious to care when they’re dealing with peril.

Even although the characters are very thinly drawn, the performances are stable, significantly from McGregor and Hathaway. There is nothing fairly like watching Anne Hathaway shoot a T-Rex within the face with a shotgun, after which seeing Ewan McGregor smash it within the face with a sledgehammer. They play every thing fairly critically, however it’s clear that they’re having time with each the 1982 aesthetic and the absurdity of the state of affairs they’re in.

But we’re right here for the dinosaurs, and that facet of The End of Oak Street doesn’t disappoint. The movie is rated PG-13, and it leans into the 13 facet in each the violence and one other scene that can amuse some and horrify others. Mitchell creates nice pressure in among the early scenes, which helps the 99-minute runtime preserve a fairly respectable tempo till issues begin to get a bit of repetitive by the third act. Nevertheless, the dinos are diversified, brutal, and quick. Also, should you take pleasure in break up diopter photographs, prepare for a feast, as a result of DP Mike Gioulakis delivers loads of them.

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Spielberg has a mode that folks attempt to seize time and again. Mitchell undoubtedly has the stylistic pastiche down in The End of Oak Street. But there’s at all times extra to Spielberg’s work than simply the look. He can be in a position to write characters who we care about, so when they’re in peril, it issues. Half of the equation nonetheless makes for an entertaining expertise, however it’s going to preserve this movie from having any lasting affect.

Rating: 3/5

This evaluation initially appeared in The Dominion Post on August 15, 2026.