From the opening whimsical music, The End of Oak Streetfeels like going back in time. Seeing the families play games at the neighborhood block party, and the music corresponding with their actions, feels like watching an early Richard Donner/Steven Spielberg movie. While this feels comforting, it doesn’t prepare the audience for the madness that is to come.

The End of Oak Street tells the story of the Platt family. Denise and Greg, played by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, are on the brink of separation. Their children are aware of the situation and are trying to enjoy their summer before leaving their school. The daughter, Audrey (Maisy Stella), hopes to attend Cornell, but knows the family cannot afford it. Their son, Brian (Christian Convery), is just trying to survive the summer. It seems he has hurt one of his friends and is trying not to run into their older brother.

The family dynamics are important in the beginning because Robert David Mitchellmakes us feel for them by giving us these little tidbits of information; we care for them and expect them all to survive whatever happens next. During the night, the neighborhood is struck with flashing lights in the sky. This occurrence leads to strange results: a strange object in the neighbor’s yard and the growth of a prehistoric plant. Little do we know that this is just the beginning of something major.

What director Robert David Mitchell does great in The End of Oak Street is build tense moments. We get a lot of those in this movie. One moment you are laughing at something silly that is said or seen; the next you are panicking in your seat. The trailers also do a great job of not giving you the entire story, and that is what pulls you into this adventure. There is no scientific explanation of why this is happening, and the audience needs to go with it to have a good time.

Yes, this is a movie that requires the audience to have fun and not dig too much into the story. Each member of the Platt family is put into dire situations, and they have to use their wits to survive. What is great about the family is that this is an average family. No one in this family is an expert at anything. This makes this unbelievable situation more relatable because any member of the audience can put themselves in the shoes of the characters on screen. This is why the audience wants to see them survive this situation.

In a dinosaur movie, it is smart to not show them all the time. Just like in Jaws, the shark was not fully shown until it needed to be seen. This happens a lot here. We see segments of the dinosaurs walking behind houses, but we never see the full dinosaur until the moment calls for it. This leads to humorous moments that have you nervously laughing. The look of the dinosaurs is great to see since they look like nothing you have seen on the screen before.

The End of Oak Street is a great summer surprise. The movie is filled with a lot of great nostalgia, which makes it a fun way to end the summer movie season. This will be the one movie that will catch people by surprise and have them reminiscing about their favorite Amblin Entertainment movie.

Final Thoughts: The End of Oak Street is a fantastic surprise that is a great way to end the summer. All of the performances from the cast are phenomenal and make you care about them. Director Robert David Mitchell does an amazing job of balancing the humor with the suspense. Teasing the dinosaurs in the movie is a great way to avoid overplaying them and make them scary when they do appear. Prepare to have a blast with this movie.

Violence: There are dinosaurs in this movie, and they do what dinos do: Eat people! There are some grotesque moments in this movie, so be prepared for that.

Kid Friendly: I would say the movie is good for kids 10 and up. There is a moment when two dinos share an intimate moment that might draw some questions from kids. Some dismemberments are gross and detailed, which might scare younger kids.

After a mysterious cosmic event 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.