Outside of the Jurassic Park franchise, dinosaur movies are about as extinct as the dinosaurs themselves. Films like 65 have tried but failed to recapture the magic and thrills Spielberg brought to the 1993 classic, and few filmmakers have come close, which is why dinosaur content is so scarce in film. After more than three years of development, David Robert Mitchell hopes to bring dinosaur movies back to the big screen with The End of Oak Street, and luckily, he succeeds.

The film follows the Platt family who wake up one morning to discover that their 1982 suburban neighborhood has been transported back to prehistoric times. With dinosaurs running rampant and eating their neighbors one by one, the Platt family must learn how to survive this bizarre occurrence while planning how to get back to their time.

David Robert Mitchell became an instant filmmaker to watch after his second feature, It Follows, became a huge critical and box-office success. The use of long takes and tracking shots made for an extremely immersive and unnerving experience that caused countless people to fall in love with the film in 2015. These traits that made It Follows so beloved are the exact same reasons why The End of Oak Street succeeds. Unlike most big-budget action films, it has an extremely strong visual identity, with a variety of zooms, split diopters, and wide angles that add unpredictability to every frame. The cinematography captures the humans as prey to the dinosaurs, hiding them until the moment of attack. Having dinosaurs in the frame is interesting enough on its own, but cinematographer Michael Gioulakis makes sure there is more beneath the surface for audiences to chew on.

1982 was not just a coincidental setting for the movie; The End of Oak Street acts as an homage to action/adventure films of the 80s. With a nonstop pace, light-hearted tone, and a glamorous use of color, the film successfully captures the essence of a 40-year-old Amblin movie in 2026. Even the dialogue parallels past films, with the bully character feeling like they were ripped straight from Back to the Future. Normally, corny dialogue can detract from a movie, but because the film leans so heavily into nostalgia and recreating a past form of filmmaking, every moment of cringe turns into charm.

The End of Oak Street can be perceived as a popcorn flick, but Mitchell makes sure to add bits of substance within the screenplay. Denise and Greg Platt aren’t only trying to get home, but also trying to figure out their marriage. The dinosaurs act as a catalyst for the characters’ viewpoints on life, with their current trauma allowing them to look at themselves, their marriage, and what to appreciate in life. A moment when Denise takes a picture of Greg stands out as not only a perfect moment of levity in the chaos, but also a moment when the characters appreciate one another, making it easily the most heartwarming moment of the movie. Although the dinosaur action is always engaging, Mitchell finds perfect ways to add heart to the film.

It is almost impossible to watch a horror movie where the characters don’t make stupid decisions, and that is sadly the case with The End of Oak Street. People run in the opposite direction of safety, grab weapons, but never use them, and hide in the most sensitive areas. While a film like this doesn’t have to follow logic in every sense of the word, there were too many moments when characters made beyond-baffling decisions, which pulled me out of the movie.

It’s extremely rare to see a big dinosaur movie with a sub-two-hour runtime, and The End of Oak Street still doesn’t even run close to that. At 100 minutes, the film contains more than enough thrills and themes to service a theatrical runtime. However, at times, the short runtime works to its detriment. Sequences happen with almost zero time to breathe, and because of that, emotional arcs can sometimes feel rushed. A moment in the middle involving a death in particular should’ve been given time to let the characters marinate on what they’ve witnessed, but it instead rushes immediately to the next horror sequence. While the short runtime is refreshing for a big blockbuster, there were times when the movie would’ve benefitted from a longer runtime.

The End of Oak Street may not be a new dino classic, but it has enough thrills, entertainment, and substance to stand alongside other films in its genre. With masterful camera work and a whimsical, yet sometimes harsh tone, this is the perfect blockbuster to end the summer season. If you’re over all the Spider-Man and Odyssey talk, this is a more than worthy alternative. It’s an original dinosaur movie made by one of our strongest auteurs; what’s not to like!

The End of Oak Street is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 7/10

Oscar Prospects:

None.