The End of Oak Street
review by Bobby Blakey
Anne Hathaway is already having a big year with the success of The Devil Wears Prada 2 and the upcoming The Odyssey already breaking the internet. She is also teaming up with co-stars Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery for the film The End of Oak Street from It Follows director David Robert Mitchell and producer J.J. Abrams. Could this film bring the fun and terror it promises, or will it fall into extinction?
The End OF Oak Street follows a mysterious cosmic event that rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
The trailers to this film built the mystery while letting everyone know of the prehistoric dangers we would be facing. It goes all in as a full-on dinosaur invasion but instead of the Jurassic Park style setting it throws it right in 1980s suburbia to perfection. The initial set up drags a bit, but I think is by design to showcase the mundane, but full of life neighborhood. You meet all the characters, get some teases to the bigger story and discover their internal issues before diving right into the dino chaos.
The cast are all great with Hathaway stealing show. She is dealing with so much emotional and mentally prior to the dino invasion and is further pushed as it moves on. The relationship between her and McGregor is fantastic despite it having its own dysfunction. The rest of the cast do a good job with everything and not too many stupid decisions, that is usually the case in films like this. There is one major decision that separates the family that could be looked at as a dumb decision, but it’s
the kind of thing that I think anyone would risk their life for.
While the film brings way more depth than I had expected and keeps the story simple despite its complex mystery, it’s the dinosaurs that are the true stars. Not only is the CGI extremely well done throughout the designs lean into the true nature complete with feathers and hair on them as science has stated they likely appeared. They keep a great variety coming in not just the thrilling action sequences, but also some humor and background eye candy to really expand the experience.
It limps a bit getting going, but once they hit the ground running it is so much fun. The film even leans into its science in the final act to keep from trying to come up with just stupid reasoning and instead let it just exist and the aftermath make it all the more fun. I love dinosaurs and any chance to watch them wreak havoc in any way I am all in. This film does all that while delivering a great film around them as well that should be seen on the biggest loudest screen possible.
Decide for yourself and check out The End of Oak Street in theaters now from Warner Bros.
