Ever since Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing movie of all time (at the time), filmmakers have tried and failed to replicate the formula of Nice Humans + Scary Dinosaurs. Even Steven Spielberg himself couldn't quite recapture his own magic. But after two decent Jurassic Park sequels, four less successful Jurassic World movies, and Adam Driver's ill-fated attempt at being an action star, no one has made it work. Until now.
The End of Oak Street is sincere yet unsparing, intense yet sometimes corny. It's this combination that seems to be the missing piece those other, more expensive movies lacked.
Anne Hathaway continues her phenomenal year as Denise, the mother attempting to keep her family together amid her crushed dreams, the alcoholism of her husband Greg (Ewan McGregor), the uncertainty of their daughter Audrey (Maisey Stella), and the growing pains of their son Brian (Christian Convery). Throw in an asshole neighbor (a perfectly cast P.J. Byrne), a poorly behaved dog, and the sweltering heat, and you have all the makings of family drama. That is, of course, until they find their entire subdivision has been transported millions of years in the past, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
Writer-director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) knows you've seen Jurassic Park – and includes several explicit references to it – but he doesn't waste a lot of time getting bogged down with the how or why these people ended up on a prehistoric dinner menu. There's some rather silly exposition about radio waves and earthquakes, but it's shot and staged incredibly well. The film is just over 90 minutes, with absolutely no bloat. Yet it still finds time for a character to have a good cry while listening to Steve Winwood's "Valerie."
The dinosaur action also looks good, with the VFX impressing far more than recent comic book or Star Wars movies. It's also unforgiving to characters you may grow to love. Be careful, as they may get chomped mid-sentence. But it doesn't do this for mere shock value. Some other non-violent scenes might, but those have a tongue-in-cheek tone that worked for me.
This is exactly kind of modestly budgeted, highly entertaining summer movie we need more of. It's not the apex of a director's career, or starting a new chapter that claims to upend the series as we know it. It's just well-made sci-fi that's not pretentious, starring real movie stars, with genuine scares, laughs, and pathos. In a summer dominated by more of the same, it's nice to have a throwback like this.
