The End of Oak Street, David Robert Mitchell’s new dinosaur film

moviesAug 12, 202651698

David Robert Mitchell’s dinosaur adventure The End of Oak Street, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot for Warner Bros., opens August 14. Mitchell sets the film in 1982 and layers an Amblin-style suburban nostalgia over a plot in which Oak Street is overtaken by dinosaurs after mysterious plant growth and flashing lights signal a rupture into prehistoric territory. Hathaway plays Denise Platt, a disgruntled wife writing a tell-all, and McGregor plays her husband Greg; their children Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) anchor much of the family drama as the neighborhood falls apart. Early reviews tilt positive overall, the film sits at 86 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 35 reviews, with many critics praising its creature effects, crowd-pleasing thrills, and comedic-grim tone. The Boston Globe criticized the film as a derivative rip-off of Spielberg-era Amblin movies and faulted its thin character treatment and nostalgia reliance. Other reviewers call it a thrilling, often funny summer monster movie and one of the better recent dinosaur pictures, while some note it borrows heavily from E.T., Poltergeist, and Jurassic Park. The immediate consequence is a lively critics’ debate about Mitchell’s homage-versus-ripoff approach as the movie reaches wide audiences this mid-August weekend.

Linda Holmes

@lindaholmes.bsky.social

Embargo is up, and I can tell you that I liked THE END OF OAK STREET a lot. It's exciting/scary, also raucous/funny, also a tight hour and 39 minutes. Buy a ticket and go to the movies. Make a crowd with other people and react. It's a summer dinosaur movie, WOOOOOOO!

12617h ago

Linda Holmes77

It's not grim, it's not existing IP, it's not a sequel, it's not a kids' animated movie. It is a summer dinosaur movie, and as PCHH producer Mike Katzif said after the screening, you could think of it as the best Jurassic Park movie they've made in ages, even though it isn't one.

Not great, Bob!1

I saw the trailer first on TV and thought ugh, this looks stupid as hell and wasn’t there already a failed network series with this premise? Then I watched the full trailer on YouTube and did a complete 180°

Bloody Disgusting

@bloody-disgusting.com

David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) delivers an entertaining Amblin-inspired dinosaur adventure in THE END OF OAK STREET. Read the full Bloody Disgusting review: bloody-disgusting.com/reviews/3963...

4117h ago

Matt Zoller Seitz

@mattzollerseitz.bsky.social

"\Nary a scene will you see of characters clamoring at the majesty of these creatures, backed by a type of uplifting John Williams-esque score; these dinosaurs are vicious, prowling, looking for someone to devour." -- @zacharylee.bsky.social strolls down Oak Street www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...

4315h ago

Matt Zoller Seitz66

^ LOL at the observation that Ann Hathaway "stars in yet another movie this year about ravenous and unwanted guests who take up residence in her home"

Jack Feerick3

They can smell their dead brethren in the tank of that big-ass car! You'd be hostile, too!

vv1

i saw the trailer for this on saturday. thought it already looked good, but then i realized that this is also david robert mitchell FINALLY getting out of director jail. v v v happy about that.

Quoting this

Evelyn Waughluigi24

In the same month we get Looney Tunes *and* a well received dinosaur thriller. The movies are back, baby

Donna Mugavero aka Mugsy9

Very satisfying review. Recommend! I haven’t seen the movie yet and it didn’t give anything away that I didn’t already know.

Vulture

@vulture.com

‘The End of Oak Street’ is a perfect example of what studios should be making right now — original spectacles, ideally ones in which Anne Hathaway fires a rifle at a velociraptor.

2617h ago

Quoting this

Rob Secundus4

this does seem cool but unfortunately the AI marketing campaign is enough for me to catch this when it's streaming, and, further, when it's been uploaded to [redacted]

Alissa Wilkinson

@alissawilkinson.bsky.social

I had been trying to figure out why Warner Bros made it so hard to see THE END OF OAK STREET, which critics seem to love (I could not see it the night of the screening, was told there were no other options, so had to drop my assignment). Then I saw COYOTE VS ACME, and all my questions were answered

3016h ago

Chris Hewitt

@chrishewitt.bsky.social

Well, knock me down with a feathered dinosaur — The End Of Oak Street is the real deal. Better than a whole box set of Jurassic Park sequels. Funny, scary, moving, and beautifully directed by David Robert Mitchell.

3412h ago

A.A. Dowd

@aadowd.bsky.social

Somehow didn't occur to me that Spielberg might be a key influence on David Robert Mitchell, a filmmaker attuned to the power of framing and the dreamy mirage of suburban life. But THE END OF OAK STREET is one of the better Steve tributes I've seen in a long time.

2617h ago

William Bibbiani

@williambibbiani.bsky.social

I'm not sure why David Robert Mitchell thought it was necessary to reject his own themes, make his characters annoyingly shallow, and ignore everything that could have made THE END OF OAK STREET actually horrifying, but its his movie. He can screw it up if he wants to. My review is at @thewrap.com!

1917h ago

William Bibbiani10

Julia Hart's DON'T SAY GOOD LUCK stars Sophie Sandler as a teenager starring in her high school production of WAITRESS while her mother, played by Melanie Lynskey, is dying. It's a decent little drama, but Lynskey is absolutely, heartbreakingly wonderful. My review is at @thewrap.com!

Els🖤🤍💜🩶1

ok this review earns a follow. what a great bit about why reviews exist.

Melissa Tamminga1

I’ve been feeling like a crazy person, reading all the positive reviews. Thank you for this and for making me feel more sane! (Minor sidenote: I have NO idea what to do with that extended split diopter dialogue scene. Was it just a visual stunt? Why do that? The bizarre choice haunts me.)

Kate Sánchez ➡️ Gamescom

@ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

I really love The End of Oak Street! It has its issues and I pointed them out as a critic, BUT I just really love this movie and think that it is easily one of the first times that felt like Amblin nostalgia done right. A good theater movie and something I hope everyone watches. My review:

1416h ago

Shane Firth2

Going early next week, I've been jonesing for a dino movie and I cannot wait!

NohVah2

You had me at "Amblin nostalgia"

Swara A.S. ☀️🍉🌊🧿2

So happy you loved it as well!!!

David Chen

@davechen.bsky.social

Today at Decoding Everything: @mattgoldberg.bsky.social reviews THE END OF OAK STREET and finds it’s a throwback to an earlier era (in a great way!) www.decodingeverything.com/the-end-of-o...

1816h ago

Chase 'Hutch' Hutchinson 📽️

@eclectichutch.bsky.social

THE END OF OAK STREET 🦖: Steven Spielberg for sickos, David Robert Mitchell’s madcap, mean-spirited (complimentary) monster movie is a genuine surprise. Plays like one, increasingly grim, cosmic joke on a family facing death and dinosaurs 📽️ My review: seattlemoviesdaily.beehiiv.com/p/the-end-of...

Greg (Ewan McGregor), Brian (Christian Convery), Audrey (Maisy Stella), and Denise (Anne Hathaway) sit in a car together while looking terrified at something just out of frame in a still from THE END OF OAK STREET.

1617h ago

Quoting this

Loose Pony17

You had me at "Spielberg for sickos."

branon8

oh we are so back

Rotten Tomatoes

@handle.invalid

The first reviews are in for #TheEndOfOakStreet - currently it’s Fresh at 86% on the Tomatometer, with 35 reviews. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_end_of_oak_street?cmp=TWRT_Movie_TheEndOfOakStreet_TMReveal

1217h ago

Quoting this

Yonkou dos mares da lascívia contra as baratinhas de fogão4

Hmm Pra tirar o gosto ruim dos últimos prensados de Jurassic World

SJWJamesBond

@mvbrat10.bsky.social

Fuck it, went ahead and wrote opening narration as to what if The End of Oak Street were an episode of The Twilight Zone.

"Welcome to Oak Street. A normal suburban neighborhood, notable residents include the Platt family. Atypical normal suburban family living out their lives. And yet, they will find themselves in the fight of their lives as they will soon learn to survive when their luxuries no longer function and face off against creatures of the past. An occurrence that can only happen in the Twilight Zone. "

1412h ago

Gonza Gonzáles (52/200)2

Knowing how Sterling was a huge critic of capitalism the medium to high class detachment of the common folk, i can totally see him writing something like this... It will mostly be an alien or more a ghostly figure, but if he had Jurassic Park effect, definetly

Gloria Preston1

Outer Limits did something similar back in the day.

Nat Writes On Good Days🇵🇷🏳‍⚧

@doctorclocktapus.bsky.social

So Warner Bros. straight up only lifted the review embargo for The End of Oak Street TODAY (a tactic used by studios when they know the movie is gonna suck shit). Only for the reviews to end up positive anyway. 😭

1217h ago

Corey Atad

@coreyatad.com

back half of August is looking great for movie buffs: Camp Miasma, Amziah King, Coyote vs Acme, End of Oak Street, Tony, It Ends, Mutiny, Dog Stars, Finding Emily, plus all the great stuff that’s still playing, like Samurai and the Prisoner

1617h ago

3 sources

independent.co.ukThe End of Oak Street is better than every Jurassic World movie – review bostonglobe.comDinosaurs and ’80s nostalgia live at ‘The End of Oak Street’ - The Boston Globe tldrmoviereviews.comThe End of Oak Street – Movie Review

The End of Oak Street, David Robert Mitchell’s new dinosaur filmmovies

The End of Oak Street, David Robert Mitchell’s new dinosaur film

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