It’s about time in this modern era that we get a mainstream dinosaur ride outside of the Jurassic Park/World franchise, and this succeeds at dishing out those thrills. Let me say right up front that I actually hadn’t clicked with David Robert Mitchell’s work in the past. I’ve got both It Follows and Under the Silver Lake at 2.5 stars. I have appreciation for their positive traits and I can understand why others would enjoy them, but they don’t satisfy me all that much. But even then, I dived into The End of Oak Street with an open mind. I’d already been hooked from the very first trailer, and now I get to emerge from this film as a satisfied viewer. Sure, I do think the first act goes on a bit too long for my taste. I know what we’re building up to, so I can get a little impatient while I’m waiting for the characters to realize just how much trouble they’re in. It reminds me a bit of Companion, although I think that movie does a significantly better job at pacing itself and sprinkling pieces of setup throughout its first act that keep me compelled all the way until it reveals what’s truly happening. But still, for The End of Oak Street, even when I’m thinking this beginning portion could have been tightened up, it still gets me invested in the Platt family and the tension that’s brewing between the parents. It’s classic family drama that we’ve seen onscreen a million times before, but that doesn’t prevent me from diving into the unrest and rooting for the family to find a way to properly strengthen their bond. I click with what this does to involve the two kids, too, with Brian especially landing effectively as someone who I’m hoping will survive in spite of the fact that he’s capable of being a foolish prick. My god, that crap with the broken arm really does show off how this adolescent hasn’t matured enough to realize that actions have consequences, and hey, that’s all right. I don’t need the members of this central family to be perfect. Let them have their flaws, including when it comes to Brian and his behavior, which, to be honest, gets me sympathizing with the guy who’s vengefully chasing him down. I appreciate how the hostility between them reaches its conclusion in a fashion that’s smarter than one might expect from this sort of formula.
With Anne Hathaway (this is now the third movie of hers that I’ve seen in theaters this year), Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, and Maisy Stella (she stars alongside Aubrey Plaza in My Old Ass, which I still need to check out) all blending together with a likable chemistry as the Platts, I’m left to watch them get thrown into the dino terror with weapons like a gun, a sledgehammer, and a bow and arrow by their side. Those shenanigans appropriately amp up the suspense, with the Allosaurus, the Titanoboa (what an unnerving creature that earns a suitable payoff once it confronts the main characters, with the blocking doing a ton to visually enhance that sequence as it’s quietly slithering around the environment), and the erythrosuchids comprising a few of my favorite parts. They look great, as well, and it most certainly makes sense for Industrial Light & Magic to have been the lead VFX vendor here, considering the legendary work they did on Jurassic Park. The choice to depict these creatures in The End of Oak Street as feathered beings gets my love as a way to portray them in a more historically accurate manner, spice up their appearances, and steer them down a path that differentiates from the beasts in the Jurassic Park/World flicks.
Another difference is the framing of The End of Oak Street’s dinos as the hulking and hungry menace that they really are—a framing that contrasts against the Jurassic franchise’s tendency to shower them with awe. Yes, the fear factor is important there, too, but it’s still weaving in the wonder. Hell, the series even gets to a point during its Jurassic World era where it asks the audience, “Hey, don’t you want to befriend these Velociraptors, like Blue?” Yes, Velociraptors! Those vicious and cunning little demons. But The End of Oak Street doesn’t encourage us to warm up to these creatures and treat them with a bunch of sentimentality. It doesn’t push us to widen our eyes and drop our jaws at these animals like they’re the most amazing sights we’ll ever see. There’s maybe one moment where it could have gone down such a tonal road, but instead, it lets out a blast of vulgarity that leaves me laughing and that comes off like an intentional jab at the iconic Brachiosaurus reveal in Jurassic Park. The End of Oak Street really is a film that drives home the message, “If you see these scary and huge creatures, you need to run for your life.” It’s all the better for putting a dark bite on that Amblin-esque foundation, with the nasty violence being a crucial facet of what it’s doing. Holy shit, I’d already heard about how this makes the most of its PG-13 rating, but it remains startling to see just how ruthless this can get. I’m thinking back to the human corpse that we encounter early on amongst the dino frights, and it’s fascinating to watch the movie get as grisly as it does with this beat, including in regard to the bloody dino footprints that trail away from the body. The pterosaurs get their own chance to be particularly cruel for a specific kill, and it feels evocative of other movies that depict those creatures as horrifying enemies, like Jurassic World and Kong: Skull Island.
Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, who had previously collaborated with Mitchell on It Follows and Under the Silver Lake, deserves his own admiration for giving us plenty of shots that infuse the movie with a dynamic flow and keep me locked into the dino struggle, with the prominent usage of the split diopter being an element that I consistently gobble up. There are times these days where it feels like cinema has forgotten how to utilize that lovely little trick of the camera, but then I watch something like this and I go, “Oh yes, all is right in the world.” As for the 99-minute runtime, I know I offered up my criticism against the first act before, but for the most part, this progresses forward at a smooth pace and avoids overstaying its welcome. I’ll admit that I’m arch an eyebrow at the conclusion due to the plot holes it might be wrestling with, but it’s still a solid ending. I’m also willing to be lenient towards this type of material, since you can take any story from this territory and poke, poke, poke away at its logic no matter how tautly constructed it may be. All in all, I’m glad that I can prop up The End of Oak Street as a recommendation if you’re in a prehistoric mood. And hey, shout-out to P.J. Byrne, who’s usually shouting and panicking about something when he shows up. It was hilarious to see him pull all of that in Final Destination 5, The Gift, and Babylon, and that isn’t stopping here. Oh, and then another shout-out goes to the soundtrack, which includes “Valerie” by Steve Winwood. Now this makes two 2026 movies that drop this 80s tune while involving time travel in the plot, The End of Oak Street and Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.
My final score: 4 out of 5 stars
2 Cents Critic 