Dinosaurs run wild in David Robert Mitchell’s new sci-fi survival movie “The End of Oak Street” starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
Anne and Ewan play Denise and Greg Platt, a suburban ’80s couple living along the titular street with their kids Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery).
What the children don’t know is that Denise and Greg are having some marital woes which have been boiling now for the last few months.
But relationship troubles take a backseat when the Platts find their neighborhood somehow transported to the prehistoric age, and creatures of those era make their presence known to put everyone’s survival skills to the test.
“The End of Oak Street” serves as a return to the director’s chair after almost a decade for Mitchell, best known for his previous two features “It Follows” and “Under the Silver Lake.”
What the filmmaker does best in this comeback is scratching the itch many viewers have looking for an enjoyable dinosaur flick outside of the “Jurassic” franchise. The dinosaurs are the major pull of the movie, outside of its big-name lead stars, but Mitchell times their presence well to the point that their appearances are thrilling but never distracting.
The creative team has done an impressive job of giving these giant lizards unique looks that people have never seen before, even for species many will be familiar with.
Mitchell again manages to make the worldbuilding of his movie feel lived in, with neighbors who actually interact with each other and a sense of belonging within family units.
There is always a mystery to how Mitchell sets up his stories and that continues in “The End of Oak Street.” The filmmaker again shifts the focus away from the “how” and highlights the “what then,” giving the survival aspect much more weight.
It’s a credit to the talent of McGregor and Hathaway – the latter already into her fourth film of 2026 due to this movie’s numerous delays – as well as young actors Stella and Convery to deliver on Mitchell’s vision.
The film is a welcome sight following a string of blockbusters dominating the box office, even if it comes off as a cousin to not just a “Jurassic” spin-off but the “A Quiet Place” films or a lengthy “Twilight Zone” episode.
Dinosaurs rarely disappoint even if they have to be pulled from time, but families will always stick it out through the most trying times.