The End of Oak Street – Movie Reviews by Ry!

The End of Oak Street – Monsters meet Suburbia: A Bite-filled Adventure

Adventure and risk, a tandem that can feel wonderful and awkward … in the same collective thought.  This thought pushes forward into a journey where we stand at a crossroads of awe and vigor.  For film, pushing forward with these types of emotions can propel into a worthy experience … even if the story can feel obvious in its details.  In this review, I look at the latest adventure film to hit the big screen.  From a tale where sci-fi meets mystery, we head on a path of true survival.  Even when things feel a bit open ended, The End of Oak Street is a fun journey into the idea of what it means to take a bite out of family time. 

When their world is flipped upside down, the Platt family must band together if they are to survive their new life with dinosaurs.  To look at a film is to see a place where escape meets value.  From a love story to an intense tale of war, there are many ways to feel that ‘grip’ of appeal.  For adventure, the sake of drawing you in becomes a vast array of creative choices.  From the simple life of growing up to the aspect of finding your way in life, this genre is driven by character and premise.  With this film, it is a simple conjecture of suburbia … leading into the surreal nature of sci-fi and survival.  When the story begins, we come into a suburban neighborhood set in the 80’s, were we are introduced to a plethora of characters … including our main four in the Platt family (you can view the actor/actress list on the film’s IMdb page – link).  Once we get some whimsical and cheesy moments, we come to see elements of odd things happening around their area.  After a big flash of light (plot device) is witnessed by the family,  their lives are uprooted when they discover their whole neighborhood has been transported to a place where dinosaurs exist.  From here, the film moves from setup to a survival adventure tale.  As things continue to spiral out of control, we follow the Platt family as they try to put the pieces together and survive their new situation.  Along the way, they discover some oddities among this world of dinosaurs, where certain mysterious elements hint at a way back to their own world.  As we move into the second act, the tale bounces between each member of the Platt family.  These singular scenes help build up each character where they are trying to figure out their purpose in this new world.  As characterization continues to unfold, it is met with the terror that waits outside, as scenes are built up through the subtle touch of atmosphere.  This raw like tension compounds the situation,  revealing fractures in the Platt family that goes beyond being transported back in time.  This layering of character and suspense helps provide a thread of gravitas, creating a place where things are relatable, even in a surreal environment.  The escape of the moment stands strong, even as the film slowly devolves into convenience. 

As the Platt family slowly pieces everything together, this creates unwanted threads of laughable dialogue and forced explanation.  For all the great elements of sincerity and suspense, these slow moments of exposition start to weigh down the fun levels of this creative sandbox.  Even when these scenes drag into predictability, the director is able to drive home the suspense and the unexpected nature of animalistic terror.  With the dire nature coming to a crossroads, we head into a third act of convenient timing, edge of your seat like moments and an ambiguous ending.  The End of Oak Street is a fun popcorn thriller.  If you are a fan of sci-fi or suspense films, this is one for you.  I say this can be a fun time for everyone to see on the big screen.

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)