Greetings from Spielberg! Our META movie review of The End of Oak Street

In "The End of Oak Street," Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor find themselves facing ravenous dinosaurs. But not in a Jurassic Park – right on their own doorstep. It sounds like a dinosaur adventure with a twist – but can the film from "It Follows" director David Robert Mitchell and producer J. J. Abrams deliver? Find out what we and other critics think of "The End of Oak Street" in KinoCheck's META review!

Here's what it's about

Life on Oak Street seems idyllic. The residents are as radiant as the sun itself; their happiness is palpable. For the people in the suburbs, things could probably go on like this forever. At first glance, that also seems to be the case for Denise (Anne Hathaway) and her husband Greg Platt (Ewan McGregor). Together with their two children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery) , they celebrate exuberantly in the garden and have fun playing sack races. But appearances are deceiving. The Platts' marriage is in crisis. Denise knows this can't go on. And it doesn't – even if their circumstances change more radically than they ever imagined. Suddenly, a seemingly cosmic event causes prehistoric predators to strut through the neighborhood – and turn Oak Street into their hunting ground. Just moments ago, the Platts were racing each other in a sack race; now they must run for their lives from dinosaurs. The problem: Oak Street is cut off from the outside world. There seems to be no escape.

The premise may seem strange, perhaps even a little silly – but for the most part, "The End of Oak Street" has received fairly positive reviews. This is due in no small part to the fact that the film is simply fun, as has been repeatedly emphasized. Especially when the dangerous creatures from prehistoric times appear on screen and kick the plot into high gear, as Clint Gage from IGN explains:

"By the time the dinosaurs show up, the movie turns into a fun little creature feature pretty quickly."

A tribute to Steven Spielberg

Even before the confrontation with the dinosaurs – and the inevitable comparison to the classic "Jurassic Park" – "The End of Oak Street" already feels like an unabashed homage to Steven Spielberg. Director and screenwriter David Robert Mitchell portrays life in the suburbs of the '80s in a way that has often been imitated since "E.T." and feels immediately familiar. Everyday, friendly, hopeful: It's the kind of comforting Spielberg realism that, despite all its problems, carries the inherent promise of a happy ending from the very start – and the prospect of a fantastical world that can be dangerous but also invites wonder.

References to Spielberg are also repeatedly emphasized in other reviews – sometimes more, sometimes less favorably. John Nugent of Empire welcomes the fact that "Mitchell wears his Spielberg influences on his sleeve." Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian sees it differently – for him, "The End of Oak Street" is:

"A Spielbergian mashup [...] that doesn't feel like homage so much as a pastiche produced by an AI Spielbergbot."

Comparison with Jurassic Park

So is "The End of Oak Street" nothing more than a more or less successful nod to Spielberg? Especially since the arrival of the dinosaurs inevitably brings "Jurassic Park" to mind. Not quite. Because what applies to the Platts' marriage also applies, in a certain sense, to Mitchell's film: appearances can be deceiving. Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" relies not only on magnificently executed moments of suspense but also on adventure and a sense of wonder. There's no room for that in "Oak Street." Mitchell consistently frames the escape from the dinosaurs as a survival thriller in which the promise of a happy ending eventually ceases to be a given.

Unsurprisingly, the comparison to "Jurassic Park" also springs to mind for numerous other critics. That said, "The End of Oak Street" holds up quite well given the many franchise sequels that have followed over the years. Some viewers feel that Mitchell's film is a worthy successor to the 1993 Spielberg original and is more entertaining than the "Jurassic" sequels. Molly Freeman of ScreenRant agrees:

"Not since Jurassic Park has a dinosaur movie been this wildly fun."

The dinosaur thriller derives part of its appeal from the contrast between suburban settings and prehistoric creatures. Fortunately, however, this contrast isn't staged too obtrusively and is rarely exploited for visual gags; instead, it's used rather casually as a natural backdrop. Especially since the struggle for survival is portrayed so effectively that you hardly think about the contrast while you're rooting for the Platts.

Anne Hathaway stands out

Despite all the dangers the protagonists face, Mitchell also finds time for small, quiet moments in which the members of the Platt family are explored a bit more closely. That said, don't expect elaborate character studies. Rather, these are brief moments in which you sense that there might be worse things than hungry dinosaurs. Take, for example, a flooded basement that drowns a secretly cherished dream. Or quarreling parents. In scenes like these, the film can rely entirely on its cast. This is especially true of Anne Hathaway, whose performance in "The End of Oak Street" is repeatedly highlighted by critics. At Next Best Picture, for example, Cody Dericks writes:

"Anne Hathaway is, as always, willing to totally go there when it comes to depicting a character at the end of her emotional rope."

We agree: Following her magnificent performance in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," she once again proves her caliber here, appearing equally strong and vulnerable, resolute and desperate.

All's well that ends well?

Everyone agrees on Hathaway. What's up for debate, however – fittingly given the title – is the ending of "End of Oak Street." Of course, we won't spoil it here. Suffice it to say: One could argue whether the film lacks the courage to consistently follow through on the path it has taken. Or whether it consistently returns to the path that emerged at the beginning. I wonder what Spielberg would say about that?

Bottom line: All in all, the film has been well-received by many critics. We liked it, too: "The End of Oak Street" is a thrilling dinosaur thriller!

"The End of Oak Street" opens in theaters on August 14, 2026.