Movie Review on The End of Oak Street

I was so excited to head along to the premiere of The End of Oak Street. If there’s a dinosaur movie coming out, I’m there!

The movie follows an ordinary community whose lives are turned upside down when dinosaurs suddenly become a very real threat. As the residents try to figure out what’s happening and survive the chaos, they’re forced to come together in some pretty unexpected ways.

I went into this knowing I was going to enjoy it simply because it had dinosaurs, but I was actually really surprised by how much I enjoyed the story too. It’s not easy bringing a new dinosaur movie to audiences, especially with so many big movies already in the genre, but I thought this one felt fresh and original rather than just being another version of something we’ve already seen.

I liked that the characters felt like real people too with believable motivations. This isn’t something you always get in these types of movies. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor were both fantastic, and I thought the whole cast did a great job. They brought so much personality to the story and made it easy to get invested in what was happening.

There was a really nice mix of action and humour, and I absolutely loved the nostalgic ’80s setting. It gave the whole movie a great throwback feel.

For me, this movie has officially kicked off dinosaur and monster movie season! My kids are already looking forward to Paw Patrol: Dino next month, followed by Godzilla Minus Zero in November.

Bring on all the dinosaurs and monsters!

I went along on a Sunday afternoon with my husband to watch The End of Oak Street knowing next to nothing about what it was about (my favourite way to see a film!). It starts as a quiet suburban portrait of a seemingly perfect family, but with some cracks under the surface waiting to come out. I absolutely loved the casting of the family - Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor are mum and dad, and very convincing transported to the 80s with a stunningly decorated home and excellent wardrobe choices. There's elderly neighbours, local bullies, and a new girl in town - the set up for what feels like a very normal family drama. 

Instead, strange lights in the night change everything - transporting the entire neighbourhood to a prehistoric time and introducing a whole raft of dangers that they were not prepared for (and neither was I!). It feels convincingly disruptive and the move itself feels like it suddenly changes genre as the family is thrust into chaos and their whole life reorients around keeping safe and sticking together. There are some weirdly hilarious moments in amongst the survival and the violence, and some of the gore was quite intense too. 

The movie is quick, an unheard of 100 minutes in our current world of 3 hour long movie marathons with 7 acts. It feels quick and paced in a way that doesn't let up - before you know it things are resolved in a weirdly satisfying way. Perfect for a parent date night when you know your child is waiting for your return! This feels like a return to something nostalgic, something entertaining and not laden with extra meaning or detail. 

Overall, it's not my usual watch but it was fun to be transported so effectively into something that felt fresh and different. If I am ever thrust unwillingly into a natural disaster or a time anomaly, I would like it to be with Anne Hathaway holding a big gun - she's rather capable.

If you're looking for a read that feels similar to the movie - either because it's about dinos or about families navigating weird disasters, I've got a few suggestions below for you!