The End of Oak Street is a dino delight – according to glowing first reactions from critics.
Revolving around the Platt family as their slice of suburban bliss is upended and transported into a dinosaur-filled disaster zone, The End of Oak Street stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway as parents who have to navigate their way through treacherous prehistoric territory – very carefully. As barmy as the premise sounds, it appears to have worked with critics.
"THE END OF OAK STREET is a delight," New Rockstars' Erik Voss said on Twitter. "It’s the perfect blend of sci-fi awe and family survival horror from the Amblin age. It tortures its heroes while remaining endearingly sweet."
Another critic, describing the movie as "an absolute home run" remarked, "Once the dino stuff gets going it’s pure fucking adrenaline, pushes the PG-13 rating to the absolute limit, tight as a knot while still leaving room for legit pathos and humor. My favorite blockbuster of the year."
Critic Zach Pope had high praise indeed for the David Robert Mitchell-directed adventure, saying, "#TheEndOfOakStreet isn’t just the best DINOSAUR movie since Jurassic park it’s a a near perfect love letter to the 80s blockbusters! It’s Jaws meets The Goonies meets Jurassic Park but with a deeply personal story at its center that I didn’t expect to resonate with me as much as it did."
David Ehrlich joined the chorus of those knocked sideways by The End of Oak Street. He wrote, "The End of Oak Street absolutely rocks. hilarious, perfectly paced, Ambliny but mean as hell, Anne Hathaway blasts a T-Rex with a shotgun… it delivers more fun in any 5-minute stretch than the entire Jurassic franchise has in total since the 90s. biggest surprise of the summer."
The Jurassic Park comparisons keep on coming as critic Jesse Hassenger wrote, "It pretty much plays like a feature-length version of the JURASSIC PARK kitchen sequence."
Not everyone was caught in the Amblin-infused trap, however. Courtney Howard was one of the dissenting voices. They said, "The Amblin play for nostalgia curdles quickly. With exception of 2 moments, it’s completely derivative of JURASSIC PARK dinosaur-driven tension & spectacle."
The (mostly) positive first reactions arrive after a wave of controversy surrounding The End of Oak Street's AI use in international marketing. There, a bizarre video clip of AI-generated dogs discussing the movie did the rounds.
The End of Oak Street is released in cinemas on August 14.
For more, check out 2026's other big movie release dates, plus a look ahead to the new horror movies just over the horizon.
