“The End of Oak Street” is a solid entry as an adventure and science fiction film. Set in 1982, where personal informational technology is still limited, the story offers an engaging take on how humans would react to going to the time of the dinosaurs. Although the family drama is predictable and boring, it does not occupy too much of the movie’s time as survival in a hostile world becomes the new paradigm.

The picture starts out at a block party where the Platt family is participating in such things as a potato-sack race and preparing food. Tensions among the various members of the family become apparent. The father Greg (Ewan McGregor) has to leave early because of a side job he has as a pizza deliverer. This ticks off his wife Denise (Anne Hathaway) because he was supposed to barbecue at the event. She also is angry because he let their son Brian (Christian Convery) bring his dog Starbuck (uncredited) to the block party. Brian and his sister Audrey (Maisy Stella) talk about their parents’ possible divorce.

Frustrated, Denise visits a neighbor, Mrs. Huddleston (Ann Gee Byrd), a former book editor. Denise has been working on a novel about a woman who leaves her family. Mrs. Huddleston likes her work and encourages her to continue. She then invites Denise into her back yard to show her a plant that grew out of nowhere and is now quite tall in a short time. Denise takes a photo on a real camera that prints out photos instantly.

When Denise walks home, she encounters a neighbor, Mel (P.J. Byrne), who is angry because Starbuck entered his property and caused damage. He threatens to harm Starbuck and Denise threatens him back.

When Greg returns home, he asks Brian to help him take the pizza sign off his vehicle. Denise dislikes it being displayed to the whole neighborhood since the car is parked outside. He cautions Brian about smoking, although Brian initially denies it.

A mysterious light that night causes a gust of wind that startles Brian. The next morning Mel has a pile of enormous excrement in his back yard. Mel insists it is the work of neighborhood kids pulling a prank. Greg offers his and Brian’s assistance to clean It up.
Denise takes the photo of the mysterious plant to the library. She enlists the help of the librarian Mrs. Valcourt (Emily Kuroda) who thinks that the plant might be prehistoric.

One evening a huge light brightens the neighborhood. The power goes out completely. The next morning the family discovers that they have no water. Starbuck has disappeared from the backyard so Denise and Greg go in search of him.

As they go around the neighborhood they notice that the temperature is warmer than normal. They discover a spout of water that is hot like a geyser. As Greg nears a home with garbage cans overturned, he discovers a dinosaur and has to run for his life. He and Denise make it home. They start boarding up their windows.

Facing their new reality, they try to drive away. They discover that their neighborhood is surrounded by prehistoric habitat, including dinosaurs, which start to pick off the humans. Denise also discovers Mrs. Huddleston has been mauled to death. What has happened? How will they survive?

“The End of Oak Street” was written by the director, David Robert Mitchell (“It Follows”). He does well with dialogue and the plot progression throughout the film. He, however, does not do so well with the family set-up.

I was both annoyed and bored by the family dynamics. With so much going on around them, who cares that Greg has not told Denise that he lost his job and never told her? Yes, he drinks but that won’t matter if he doesn’t survive the immediate threats.

The children are so stupid that they go out on their own to find Starbuck. Then the parents have to go out to find them. Admittedly certain plot points are discovered on this journey. But I never cared much for this family at all.

The prehistoric aspects of the film though are excellently portrayed. I don’t know enough to speak to their accuracy given the current scientific analysis of this age. But it seemed hyper-realistic. The long shot of the section of the neighborhood surrounded by canyons and vegetation, not to mention creatures, is superb and adds emphasis to the plight of the human residents.

The visualization of the dinosaurs also is well-done, especially in feeding, vegetarian or otherwise, and in the chase scenes. There is one particularly graphic kill and feeding sequence that is striking both in its gore and in its finality.

The reason why the neighborhood transported to the past is believable. I won’t reveal it here to avoid spoilers. I liked an early invocation of Carl Sagan at the block party by the daughter.

I am not sure why the director chose to place this picture in 1982. It leads to a great nostalgic soundtrack. The costume and home design are very realistic if my recollections are to be believed. I think that placing this in a time before technology existed such as smartphones, computers, social media and the Internet added a je ne sais quoi to the movie. In point of fact, even if the film were set in our time, none of the devices would have worked anyway once the transfer of the neighborhood occurred.

But I did enjoy seeing Denise go to the library for information. At one point Brian consults a home encyclopedia set about dinosaurs. Denise uses a typewriter for her novel. All of these were nice touches.

The acting is nothing to write home about, but it is not awful. As far as characters go, there is not much to work with for talented actors like Hathaway and McGregor.

I felt that the ending was a little too pat. There is one arc which made a dramatic difference that is negated by the conclusion for a weaker climax. In fact, I wondered if the movie had been screened for a test audience who found the original conclusion too bleak and so went in a different direction. The device used to create the finale was such a convenient deus ex machina. It is not as if the ending ruined the film. I just wish it had been willing to accept events as they occurred.

This is a movie that will frighten young children at times. It is probably acceptable for tweens to watch this. Despite my criticisms, the movie was engaging and had some exciting, visceral moments.

Three and a half out five stars

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.

Starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery
Written and Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Website: endofoakstreet.com