The End Of Oak Street Review: Jurassic Park Finally Has A Worthy Spiritual Successor

The new dinosaur thriller from writer-director David Robert Mitchell is a wildly entertaining, if somewhat flawed sci-fi blockbuster.

Ever since Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park introduced audiences to the thrills of a well-executed dinosaur thriller, Hollywood has been chasing that success, often through less and less well-received sequels. The End of Oak Street has no ties to Jurassic Park, but this dinosaur-heavy sci-fi thriller from writer-director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) excels as a spiritual successor to Spielberg's classic.

The End of Oak Street follows the Platt family, who are caught up in their own little dramas when strange occurrences start to happen around their suburban neighborhood. Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) are struggling to keep their marriage together. Teenage Audrey (Maisy Stella) spends her time studying the cosmos and wanting to go to Cornell, while younger brother Brian (Christian Convery) is trying to escape getting beaten up by the older brother of a boy whose arm he broke, and crushing on new neighbor Jeannette (Jordan Alexa Davis).

It takes a little bit for the movie to really get going, but once the Platt family realizes they're contending with dinosaurs rampaging down Oak Street and ravaging their neighbors, the movie truly locks in and keeps audiences hooked with nearly non-stop thrills. While Mitchell's script attempts to give the human characters' storylines adequate development, they largely fall by the wayside or become melodramatic moments that draw the wrong kind of laughs.

Still, not since Jurassic Park has a dinosaur movie been this wildly fun. There are genuine jump-scares and moments of shocking violence, with Mitchell's movie pushing the boundaries of PG-13 horror – and humor. The dinosaurs of The End of Oak Street are largely mindless predators with viciously sharp teeth, and the film never shies away from what that means for the humans of the neighborhood. It's a fun, if flawed, film that certainly stands out in the summer movie season.

The End Of Oak Street Shines Brightest As A Dinosaur Thriller

With each new installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, there's always a discussion about what new movies in the series get right and wrong, especially when it comes to the dinosaurs. What works especially well about Spielberg's original movie is that it balances the awe and sympathy for dinosaurs with the fear and horror of the violence they're naturally prone to as predators. The End of Oak Street leans much more into the horror and violence, and that's exactly why it's so entertaining.

Dinosaurs are awesome. It's understandable that we, as humans, are fascinated by these gigantic creatures that are so unlike the animals we live with now on Earth. But there's a reason we don't – and can't – coexist with dinosaurs. They're much bigger, and in some cases nearly as smart or smarter, which makes them the perfect predators, and the perfect villains in a survival thriller like The End of Oak Street.

Mitchell's film leans hard into the horror of being suddenly thrust into a world of dinosaurs with only '80s technology to fight them. It strains the suspension of disbelief a bit, largely because there are so many predators suddenly stalking the neighborhood and only one or two non-violent species. Also, it's more silly than scary to see furred and feathered dinosaurs, even if they're more historically accurate. However, all can be forgiven in exchange for entertainment. The End of Oak Street uses its dinosaurs to amp up the adrenaline and offer a really enjoyable film that's sure to elicit plenty of screams and gasps.

The End Of Oak Street Isn't The Most Well-Rounded Movie

Where The End of Oak Street flounders is with pretty much everything else. Its human storylines are, at best, trite and half-baked. At worst, they make no sense and exist entirely to facilitate more dinosaur mayhem. While there's plenty of human drama amidst the carnage, there's very little in the way of character development, and the resolution of Denise and Greg's storyline especially doesn't hold up to even a little bit of scrutiny.

That said, the cast is great. Hathaway is an absolute star as Denise, carrying the film almost entirely on her shoulders, from the quiet dramatic scenes to the action-heavy dinosaur fights. Greg's character wouldn't work nearly as well if not for the inherent charm of McGregor, though even he struggles to make Greg likable at times. Stella and Convery are excellent as the Platt kids, turning in performances to rival their elder castmates. Collectively, they're good enough to bring the human pathos the movie needs to balance the dinosaur violence. But, with an underdeveloped script, there's only so much they can do.

Ultimately, The End of Oak Street is a fun and entertaining dinosaur thriller, offering a fantastic summer movie experience for anyone looking to get out of the heat and enjoy a high-octane, nostalgic kind of action movie. Mitchell's melodramatic and sometimes silly approach to a dinosaur thriller may not be for everyone, but if you're willing to turn off your brain for a bit, you're in for a helluva adventure and a good time at the theater.

Though it never quite reaches the heights of Jurassic Park, The End of Oak Street's Amblin-style, family-focused premise works well with its survival horror story and thrilling action sequences. If you can forgive its flaws, it's one of the most delightful movies of the summer.

The End of Oak Street releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 14.