Every year, there are a few films that are difficult to categorize. The End of Oak Street is one of this year’s early contenders. It feels like an 80’s family drama/comedy, and at other times feels like Jurassic Park meets Jumanji.  

Set in 1982, The End of Oak Street follows the Platt family – the parents Greg (Ewan McGregor) and Denise (Anne Hathaway), alongside their teenage kids Audrey (Maisy Stella), Brian (Christian Convery) and their dog Starbuck. Director/writer David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) must be a graduate of Amblin Entertainment School of Arts because this film, like the Amblin films of the 80’s, centers on a family unit and its various dynamics. Audiences have seen this before: A family faces numerous conflicts. Through a wacky/dangerous adventure, they will resolve their issues and lessons along the way.  

The Platt family is living a quiet suburban life, until one night there’s a bright light followed by a small earthquake. The next day they wake up to find prehistoric animals all throughout the neighborhood. When the Platt family attempts to leave, they learn their entire community has been transported 200 million years in the past to the Jurassic Period when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. The family is forced to work through their issues to survive and find a way back home.  

The plot leaves the door open for a lot of questions. How did they travel back in time? If you’re watching this movie hoping they explain how, you’re going to be disappointed. The film does its best to lightly explain, but it is a better story because they don’t try to explain any of the sciences. 

The film leans into how ridiculous the premise is and that’s precisely why it works. They lean on all the 80’s tropes of bullies, annoying neighbors, annoying teenagers, and marriage troubles. They also lean into how cool it would be to see a dinosaur in person, but also how extremely terrifying it is to be chased by one. The film has one of my favorite tropes – a 6-ton T-Rex sneaking up on people like a ninja. It’s hilarious every time a film does it.  

To be clear, this movie is ridiculous and absurd at times, but in the best way possible. Mitchell’s screenplay is equal parts campy, comedy, and cringe. Yet, his screenplay is very effective in a run, fight, or hide from dinosaurs movie. It gives you just enough to care about the characters but not too much. Mithcell knows people are here for dinosaur destruction.  

Most of The End of Oak Street is PG-13 and very family friendly. The parts that are pretty intense. Mitchell stages the dinosaur attacks very well. He knew when to make the dinosaurs scary. Even in scenes when the humans weren’t prey, he made the size and speed of a dinosaur terrifying.  If you’ve seen It Follows, you know Mithcell can set up a good scare – especially the jump scares.  

At the heart of the film is the Platt family, and that’s really what keeps this film together. Their family dynamic feels realistic, especially for the time, and the story gives the characters space to evolve as the movie progresses.  

The End of Oak Street may be the surprise hit of the Summer. It’s a fun 90 minute roller-coaster of a sci-fi that has a surprising amount of heart and delivers some great dinosaur action. It does feel like the kind of movie Amblin would’ve released the Summer of 1986. It feels nostalgic without feeling like a cheap knock-off. In an era of deep dives and breakdowns of our favorite things, this film is a reminder that films can just be fun. Sometimes, that’s all they need to be.  

Grade: B+