'The End Of Oak Street' review: David Robert Mitchell's sci-fi thriller turns the suburbs into a bloody Mesozoic
- S.J.
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Sing it with me. ♪ We're 'sauring, we're flying, we're running, we're climbing. ♪ Good job, guys. Get ready for a new contender in the dinosaur movie space because we've reached The End Of Oak Street. Said street exists in Flowervale, Michigan and the year is 1982. Meet the Platt family—mom Denise (Anne Hathaway), dad Greg (Ewan McGregor), daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella), son Brian (Christian Convery) and family dog Starbuck. Denise and Greg's marriage is experiencing rough waters as she is looking for some sort of fulfilment while he has recently lost his job and is secretly working as a pizza delivery driver in order to provide some income. Meanwhile, the environment starts acting in strange ways. The Platts' summer plans get derailed when their neighbourhood becomes surrounded by prehistoric wildlife and nature. Dinosaurs and other creatures take over. Survival skills are the only thing that matters now.
We should start by acknowledging the fact that the movie is coming out at a very opportune time. There's a vacuum for sci-fi stories featuring dinosaurs, especially for good ones and ones that can appeal to families with older kids. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell and co. embrace this fact and they're deadly aware of their influences as well. In that regard, "Oak Street" succeeds on its mission. This is an enjoyable, fast-paced and handsomely produced popcorn flick, which towers over its current competition. Sure, there's some shortcuts taken initially when it comes to the themes, family dynamic and characterisations. Aspects like aspirations, perseverance, marriage troubles, bullying and male ego get the bare minimum treatment, and so you get very little to chew on afterwards. That said, there is really not enough time to be properly annoyed by any of it because the filmmakers are eager to get to the fun stuff.
When you make a big-budget creature feature, you want the creatures to be at least just as impactful as the humans. The work of the VFX artists here is stellar, not only because it's refreshing to see more "realistic" dinosaurs and reptiles, but also because the contrast of the modern and the wild is pretty seamless. All these elements are also used to create lively set pieces throughout. You can't really find flaws on the technical side, whether we're talking about Michael Gioulakis' cinematography, composer Michael Giacchino's score or Maya Shimoguchi's production design, whilst editor John Axelra makes sure that the film moves and grooves. A tight 95-minute rollercoaster ride—how beautiful does that sound? Overall, Mitchell's entrance as a director to the blockbuster realm is really solid, even though his set does admittedly include lots of covers. They're performed pretty well, though.
Most of the missed potential can be found in Mitchell's writing, notably when some lazy deus ex machinas are used to eliminate danger, and during the nonsensical final act, which feels like it was conducted by spiceless test screening audiences rather than by a filmmaker. (Although the writer here turns a hero into a writer, of course.) The ending was the chance to introduce real personality and moxie, but the opportunity was completely wasted. Thankfully, you have strong performances from McGregor and especially Hathaway to distract you for the most part. You actually care about that particular dynamic. The child actors are more hit-or-miss from scene to scene, but it mostly balances out in the end. Therefore, what we're left with is a good movie that satisfies your appetite for fun, prehistoric mayhem. Hurrah!
Smileys: VFX, Anne Hathaway
Frowneys: Ending
You need Oak Street smarts to survive out there.
3.5/5
Where to watch:
This article may contain affiliate links, which means that we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for the support!
