A One Mann’s Movies review of “The End of Oak Street”. (2026, 4*, 15).
When J.J. Abrams gave us Super 8 back in 2011 the film was a homage to the Spielberg films of 30 years before. And with The End of Oak Street there is again a whole heap of Amblin nostalgia being mined: it’s like a goofy Jurassic Park in E.T.’s suburban setting and with Elliott’s fractured family.
When I first saw the trailer for this one, I thought it looked intriguing: a spooky J.J. Abrams-driven* mystery plot. But then f***ing dinosaurs turned up and I went “oh no – another Jurassic World wannabe”. But, actually, the dinosaurs are super-scary, well-delivered and make this a memorable – if insanely bonkers – action movie containing some memorably surprising shifts of gear.
(* Although J.J. is a producer – and the film feels like it has his fingerprints all over it – the film is actually directed by David Robert Mitchell, who made the well-regarded It Follows from 2014.)
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
It’s 1982 and the Platt family are living family life under the threat of a marital split. But the cosy suburban world of the Platt’s and their neighbours changes one rainy night when there are bright flashes in the sky and everyone wakes up to a very different reality.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC website: “Moderate threat, violence, injury detail, infrequent strong language.”)
Talent:
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis, P.J. Byrne, Hudson Meek, Anne Gee Byrd, Emily Kuroda.
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell.
Written by: David Robert Mitchell.
Running Time: 1h 49m.
Review:
Positives:
- My friend and colleague the Reverend Andy Godfrey summed this up nicely in his review: “A story that really makes no sense but when you are having this much fun, who cares.” Because the story is pretty high on the bonkers scale of bonkersness. For example, the McGuffin that drives the plot provides a series of mini-McGuffin loopholes that are way too convenient; the ending – aping the end of a classic summer blockbuster of 1985 – is ludicrous in its timing; and the actions of some of the family members are jaw-droppingly dumb. But, as Andy said, in the end it didn’t really matter. I was entertained throughout.
- Camera work: brilliance or gimmick? The DP Mike Gioulakis certainly creates some memorable shots using Split Diopter Lenses: a technique that allowed family members to be in sharp focus at different depths of field during simultaneous dialogue or sudden realisations. This effect is most vivid and memorable during an in-depth discussion between the family in their house, with (for example) Anne Hathaway’s head filling the frame in close up doing the dialogue with the other family members being fully in focus in the background. In other shots an “over the shoulder” shot is replaced by a “right next to Brian’s left ear” shot. In a slightly more low-key way, the effect is also stunningly used to watch a family quietly and calmly getting into their car for a day out while behind them chaos reigns.
- Although the script has a few trite moments of dialogue, it also delivers some mighty fine rug-pulls: things that NEED to be kept secret if you – like me – see this film early. (Don’t be a dick and spoil it for others!) I also liked the fact that new, hot girl in the neighbourhood Jeannette Christiansen (Jordan Alexa Davis) is neatly set-up as the lustful love interest of young Brian (Christian Convery), but nature has other ideas!
- Most of the cast give great performances.
- Anne Hathaway, as the steely mother Denise in full “get away from her you bitch” mode, gives her second terrific performance in a month (the other being in The Odyssey of course).
- Christian Convery is carving out a nice little CV after some key roles in Cocaine Bear, The Monkey and Frankenstein. Although his character is daft as a brush, he delivers it well.
- But the star of the acting cast for me is Maisy Stella, following up her knockout performance in My Old Ass. Stella again proves she is a name to keep watching in this business.
- The one person who was a bit of a casting miss for me was Ewan McGregor as the dad Greg, primarily due to the rather odd accent he is required to sport. His character really should have emigrated there from Scotland! I understand that Oscar Isaac was originally earmarked for the role and I think he would have been much better,
- Michael Giacchino again pulls a cat out of the bag (it really should have stayed in Mrs. Huddleston’s house!) with a bouncy and intriguing score that perfectly reflects the levity of the film. It’s similar in mood to his score from the recent Fantastic Four: First Steps.
- The effects are really pretty good. The dinosaurs and other disgusting creatures stomp and (in one horribly creepy way) slither most convincingly around the neighbourhood and I enjoyed the way that the edit teased us with multiple glimpses before revealing the first money shot.
Negatives:
- Those down on this film are likely to be people who find the story just too bonkers to be believable or the actions of the family too stupid and selfish to get behind, And I do see where those people are coming from with those views.
- There’s a neat point at which this movie should have ended: spectacular scene; black screen; roll titles. Instead, we have a few minutes of unnecessarily twee scenes that disappointed.
- McGregor’s accent, as previously raised.
Summary Thoughts:
On exiting the screen, the young man behind me commented that “that was the best dino movie since the original Jurassic Park”. Strong words! But it was very engaging and although flawed, I’d agree it is up there – in terms of entertainment value – with “The Lost World”. In many ways, this is NOT a great film. But it is an immensely FUN film and for a family with older kids who don’t mind some hiding behind cushions at times, this will make a great family cinema outing.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oB9AxspVow. (By the way, the Billy Joel track in this trailer is not featured in the finished film. Shame!)
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