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Writers: David Robert Mitchell
It’d been a while since we’d had a really good dinosaur movie. Jurassic World was solid but retrograde; thankfully, The End of Oak Street goes for something a little different, even if it is ultimately just a thrill ride with little else for us to gnaw on.
It’s 1982, and the Platts live a pretty normal suburban life. There are some material woes between Denise (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor), with their children, Audrey (Maisy Stella) and Brian (Christian Convery), all too aware of them. Denise is writing a novel that seems to play out a fairy-tale escape from her life, while Brian is hiding his own secrets and working when he should be spending more time with his family. Thankfully, these very trite character triangles are nearly thrown to the wayside when dinosaurs show up.
In a snap, with a burst of blue lightning one night, the Platts and their neighbour are transported back in time to the age of dinosaurs. Without a way home, the family, of course, has to work together to survive in a new life in the age of dinosaurs. Or find a way back home.
The logic of how everything unfolds in the last act of The End of Oak Street requires you not to think too hard about how it all plays out. A downside to time travel movies. But the action and dinosaurs all make up for what the film lacks in other areas.
The dinosaurs here aren’t the scaly, more lizard-inspired designs seen in Jurassic Park. They have feathers and are obviously more inspired by how dinosaurs were supposedly depicted. Which means they’re both unique, odd-looking creatures, even if one is supposedly more historically accurate.
Whereas the Jurassic Park film series has always done a good job of balancing the intense, dangerous nature of dinosaurs with the sheer wonder of their species, The End of Oak Street instead opts for pure thrills. Two characters in the film spend a single brief moment in awe of the dinosaurs and their predicament; otherwise, the rest of the characters are running scared. This means it’s a leaner, meaner film, though it’s sitting on its rating board decisions regarding violence, as there’s no blood to be found.
Although stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor do their utmost to elevate their characters, there’s little to no interesting character development or moments in the film. The Platts’ relationship woes are wrapped up in a rather disappointing way, and their kids, getting their own elevating work from Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, each with their own little sub-plot, are just left thrown to the side. Well done to the casting director Mark Bennett, because the cast, although unabl ot bring anything interesting to these rather one-note, somewhat unlikable in the case of boring and 80s cliché Greg Platt, have all words on the script elevated thanks to the cast.
Paired up with a score from Michael Giacchino, however, it’s easy to forgive the character stuff, as a 90-minute dinosaur adventure on the big screen is exactly the type of thing I didn’t know I had been missing. And director David Robert Mitchell brings the tease of their appearances, the slow buildup of background tension, and thrilling street chases- memorable new dinosaur moments. Including one with what isn’t a dinosaur but a snake, to me, and I hated that slimy-looking thing. Be warned.
MVP of the movie goes to the Platt’s dog, a Bluey. Don’t see them often, and I had one as a kid, so I love to see a strong Bluey on screen.
