As soon as someone mentions dinosaurs, interest tends to be piqued. That may have been what David Robert Mitchell, director of the 2014 psychological horror film It Follows, was counting on when he included them in his new sci-fi adventure, The End of Oak Street. For dinosaur enthusiasts, however, this bloodthirsty survival film may leave much to be desired.
The film follows the Platt family as they confront the reality that an unexplained cosmic event has transported their suburb back to the prehistoric age. Clever.
Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor) are a not-so-happily married couple. Their children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), are already aware of their parents’ financial problems, despite the adults’ attempts to conceal them.
What better way to intensify a family’s financial conflict than by introducing a few dinosaurs?
Perhaps anything else.
Denise quickly assumes the role of bad cop, taking a pragmatic approach to the family’s survival, while Greg’s persistent naivety becomes increasingly irritating.
The vintage costumes and cars indicate that the film is set in the early ’80s, producing moments that feel a little too reminiscent of Stranger Things. The period setting conveniently removes modern technology from the equation, limiting the characters’ options while keeping the plot firmly on its predictable course.
Fortunately, the visual effects deliver. Mitchell’s dinosaurs look convincing, genuinely frightening and entirely captivating, resulting in several of the film’s strongest sequences.
The score occasionally recalls the sweeping spectacle of Star Wars, while producer J.J. Abrams’ blockbuster sensibility can be felt throughout. Visually, The End of Oak Street rarely falters. Its brightness is especially welcome amid the murky color grading that continues to plague contemporary filmmaking.
The film’s larger problems begin with an ensemble of underdeveloped characters whom audiences are given little time—or reason—to care about. Worse, it never appears certain what genre it wants to inhabit.
Whenever the story ventures into more frightening territory, the tension is immediately undercut by gimmicky jokes. Similarly, its tender moments, intended to lend the characters emotional depth, seldom feel earned.
The film repeatedly passes up opportunities to subvert audience expectations. Instead of producing compelling or surprising turns, it follows paths that feel almost inevitable.
Unsurprisingly, Hathaway steals the film with a performance that McGregor never quite matches—and one far more substantial than the unstable material supporting it.
The End of Oak Street has the foundations of an intriguing survival story. If only its characters had escaped the overused stereotypes pursuing them as effectively as they flee its dinosaurs.
Pass.
By Ainsley Mura