‘The End of Oak Street’ review: The Spielberg shuffle

Writer/director David Robert Mitchell pays tribute to Steven Spielberg’s heyday with sci-fi, schmaltz, and scary dinosaurs in The End of Oak Street.

Recently, Vulture ranked the 100 Most Powerful Directors in Hollywood. While that list is surely debatable, it’s hard to argue that the director with most lasting power in Hollywood is none other than Steven Spielberg. Not just for how successful he’s been over the last 50 years, but for how influential he’s been to so many other directors. From the low-budget sleaze of Piranha in the ’70s to the cultural juggernaut of Stranger Things, the air of Spielberg has flowed freely over the last 50 years. So much so that doing any kind of Spielberg-style film today might not be a surefire way to a good time.

That’s what makes The End of Oak Street a true anomaly. If you walk into this movie without knowing who’s behind the camera or the screenplay, you’d assume this was done by Spielberg as a lark after the emotionally-hefty Disclosure Day earlier this year. Or, like the movie’s plot suggests, someone used time travel to swap 2026 Spielberg with 1982 Spielberg.

The latter would certainly be the right guy to tell the story of the Platt family, who live in a Michigan suburb with smiles on the outside but struggles on the inside. Mom Denise (Anne Hathaway) is unhappy in her marriage to unassuming dad Greg (Ewan McGregor) while son Brian (Christian Convery) and daughter Audrey (Maisy Stella) try distracting themselves from watching their parents fall apart. It doesn’t help when their whole neighborhood is suddenly dropped into prehistoric times with dinosaurs stomping in and no way to get out.

Good ol’ family fright.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

A key feature of classic Spielberg flicks is family drama layered underneath whatever blockbuster adventure he puts at the forefront. The End of Oak Street follows that format: Denise and Greg’s marriage is on the fritz, Brian is trying to seem cooler than he is, and Audrey fawns over Carl Sagan’s theories of astrology more than any hunky boy. All of those character arcs develop neatly in the background while various ambiguous dinosaurs stomp through their neighborhood. It’s not the most original script in the world and doesn’t bother explaining why Oak Street is (literally) back in time, but those routine arcs still make the characters likable and the familial bond is just corny enough to be charming.

The frights in the forefront aren’t too bad either, even if this is just “Jurassic Park on Oak Street.” It’s a shame that all the creatures are CGI and nobody learned the lesson from Spielberg’s dino romp; combining practical creatures with digital dinos. There are some chaotic moments with the monsters chomping at limbs, plus a surprisingly creepy scene with a slithery snake, but the constant presence of the dinos becomes more funny than frightening as the movie goes on. It’s real telling when the sight of a pseudo-raptor marching down the street chasing people is treated as a background gag than something shocking. The tinges of horror are mostly family-friendly, Spielberg-safe dread, even if the sound mixers try to compensate by blasting Michael Giacchino’s score like they’re mixing it for IMAX theaters. Still, that action balanced with the character development makes the movie’s 99-minute runtime fly by.

Now for all the mentions of Spielberg in this review, Mr. Spielberg actually has nothing to do with The End of Oak Street. Not even as a producer, though one of his most obvious students (J.J. Abrams) is backing the movie. The strangest thing about this is that it’s written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, this being his first project in eight years after the divisive Under the Silver Lake. His calling card, It Follows, is a moody, haunting, minimalist horror thriller, and yet none of those prior descriptions apply to his new film. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; Mitchell shows real skill capturing large-scale action set pieces featuring major computer-generated effects with smooth camera movement and solid staging. He may use the split-diopter shot a few times too many, but Mitchell still does well putting his horror background on a bigger, brighter stage.

Horror chops.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

What a year for Hathaway. She goes from a writhing psychodrama (Mother Mary) to a breezy sequel in style (The Devil Wears Prada 2) to a Christoper Nolan epic (The Odyssey) to this old school summer popcorn flick. Even after all that and her already stacked resume, the Oscar winner manages to turn over a new leaf in The End of Oak Street. She still brings her wide-eyed beauty and ability to emote crushing sadness in restrained fashion. The new skill she shows off here is fear; genuine terror as monsters try breaking into her house and hopelessness while facing the most uncertain situation possible. Hathaway’s looks of despair and guttural screams do more than enough to make you feel the tension of any scene. Maybe the once-Genovian royalty has a solo horror film in her future?

McGregor is a more curious case. Not a bad performance by any means, but one that feels like it’s missing something. It’s clear what McGregor is going for: the wimpy dad trying to man up to the impending terror to save his family. Yet something about McGregor’s appearance (feathered coif and relaxed button-up) or how he never seems entirely invested in the stakes of his situation makes him feel out of place. He tries his best by showing genuine love for his family and you feel his struggle trying to keep them all safe. Perhaps someone more lanky or schlubby would’ve been better to showcase character growth or be a better everyman stuck in a wacky situation. Still, it’s rough when one of the strangest elements in a movie with stomping on old Dodge hatchbacks is your lead actor’s shaky American accent.

The bottom line.

The End of Oak Street is the biggest surprise of the summer: a throwback sci-fi adventure that rises above plagiarism by having the perfect balance of humanity and horror. Mitchell may be doing more mimicry than originality, but it doesn’t hurt to follow one of the greatest directors in film history. Whatever Mitchell wants to do next (he’s apparently filming a sequel to It Follows), he makes a strong impression as a genre filmmaker. In this era of endless Hollywood franchises, it might be good for a studio to have a guy who can make popcorn movies this solid in its back pocket.

The End of Oak Street hits theaters Friday, August 14. Watch the trailer below.

Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

Jon Winkler