‘The End of Oak Street’: a prehistoric thriller that needs more bite

Oak Street's inhabitants find themselves thrust into the prehistoric era in the movie "The End of Oak Street." The Platts, a typical 1980s nuclear family, live their lives blissfully unaware of the impending chaos. Greg (Ewan McGregor), Denise (Anne Hathaway), Brian (Christian Convery), and Audrey (Maisy Stella) each have their own personal struggles, but the sudden cosmic event changes everything.

As their neighborhood is transported back to the age of dinosaurs, the family must confront their differences and work together to survive. While the film has strong elements of family drama and thrilling dinosaur action, it falls short of becoming a masterpiece. The characters, though well-acted by McGregor and Hathaway, are overshadowed by the star of the show: the family dog, Starbuck.

Despite the film's effort to recreate the 1980s atmosphere and its genuinely frightening dinosaur attacks, the subplots of the Platts' individual struggles are underdeveloped and hastily resolved. The movie succeeds in tying up loose ends, but leaves many more questions unanswered. While it makes for an entertaining popcorn movie, "The End of Oak Street" could have benefited from more depth and focus on the human characters, rather than simply relying on the spectacle of prehistoric creatures.