It’s been a very long time since we had an actual good dinosaur movie… from original ones like 65 to sequels like the Jurassic World franchise, that barely has an “okay” movie during its 10 year run. It’s not been easy to make an actually good dino movie but here we are…. Because we might’ve gotten the best one since the original Jurassic Park.
The Platt family bands together to navigate their new surroundings after a cosmic event transports their suburban neighborhood to someplace unknown.
It’s not very hard to make a great dinosaur movie, you just need a good director and a good cinematographer, and then for the rest, you just need to work it out. And let me tell you, David Robert Mitchell delivers one of my favorite directions of the entire year. This movie feels and looks like a Steven Spielberg film from the 1980s. It genuinely does not look like it was meant to release in 2026! It’s crazy how they were able to pull this off. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I don’t think they could’ve done all the Dino madness any better than this, to be honest.
Another major highlight from this film is the absurd score composed by Michael Giacchino. He made me feel even more like I was in the ’80s. Such an amazing score, paired with the perfect direction and cinematography. This was heavily inspired by Spielberg classics, and you can tell and appreciate that. Because you never feel like it’s a copy, but instead a love letter. Perfomances by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor are a highlight, Anne definitely being the MVP. The sense of urgency and the determination to protect their family is what makes this movie so compelling to watch. I could watch this for 3 hours if I could, sadly, the film is only 90 minutes long.
But as you may expect, the film has its flaws, mostly due to its very short runtime. I understand that they want to leave it as a mystery, but I genuinely wanted more explanation as to why their neighborhood traveled back in time. I feel like they left it all so vague that it kind of made me like the movie less than I should’ve. It’s an amazing film with some of the best Dino action I’ve ever seen, but I wish it was slightly longer.
One of the biggest surprises of the summer, The End Of Oak Street is heavily inspired by Spielberg’s classics, and you can tell and appreciate it. An insane, tense, and unpredictable film that you must watch in a theater.
The End Of Oak Street releases in theaters on August 14.
