The End of Oak Street (2026) is written & directed by David Robert Mitchell. It stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Christian Convery, Maisy Stella, Jordan Alexa Davis, P.J. Byrne, Hudson Meek, Anne Gee Byrd, Emily Kuroda, Simms May, Walker Russell, Michael-Christian Moore, David Alexander Kaplan, and Denitra Isler. The film follows the Platt family, who one day discover that their local neighborhood, Oak Street, has been transported back to prehistoric times. Now forced to fight for their lives against hungry dinosaurs, the family desperately searches for a way to return home.
As the estranged suburban couple trying to keep their family together (and alive), Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor provide star power that elevates this otherwise schlocky sci-fi creature feature. These characters aren’t exactly original or complex, but they’re charming enough that we don’t mind following their journey.
As their two children, Christian Convery and Maisy Stella aren’t necessarily memorable, but they’re worth following. I appreciated that the script avoids making the brother-sister relationship overly hostile. Sure, siblings bicker all the time, but most don’t hate each other enough to keep arguing when they’re in a life-or-death scenario.
The characters are serviceable, but most will agree the true stars are the prehistoric creatures trying to eat the Platt family for lunch. Thankfully, the dino scenes rival, and occasionally top, anything in the Jurassic Park franchise. I would have preferred less CGI to bring the dinos to life, but they still look pretty damn cool. The film showcases a great variety of creatures, and each is extremely intimidating in its own way.
The Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment-esque tone is a tad obvious/on the nose, but it’s mostly a welcome creative choice. That said, I think this uplifting tone undermines the stakes, especially during the climax. After some great surprises establish some palpable life-or-death stakes, it wraps things up with a ridiculously rosy turn of events where everything is just A-ok. This feels extremely forced, as if the studio demanded a happy ending no matter what.
Overall, The End of Oak Street is a fun little sci-fi dinosaur movie that feels like a mix of Jurassic Park and The Outer Limits. Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, and David Robert Mitchell’s direction elevate this above a typical dinosaur movie, but it’s ultimately still a pretty simple film. If you’re looking for awesome dinosaur mayhem, this is definitely the one for you. If you’re looking for something deeper, look elsewhere. B-
