Shadows on the Wall | The End of Oak Street

The End of Oak Street

dir-scr David Robert Mitchell
prd JJ Abrams, Jon Cohen, Tommy Harper, Matt Jackson, Hannah Minghella, David Robert Mitchell
with Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis, PJ Byrne, Hudson Meek, Anne Gee Byrd, Emily Kuroda, Simms May, Walker Russell, Denitra Isler
release US/UK 14.Aug.26
26/US Warners 1h39

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Inventive filmmaker David Robert Mitchell dives into the early 1980s, not only with the period setting, but also the Spielbergian storytelling and terrific song score. And the characters have a proper depth that continually catches us off guard, even as the story becomes increasingly bonkers. It's the kind of movie you definitely want to see in a crowded cinema, where everyone is laughing and screaming along with you.

In a happy Michigan suburb, Denise (Hathaway) and Greg (McGregor) are keeping secrets from each other, and their teen kids Audrey (Stella) and Brian (Convery) feel the strain. Then freaky sounds and lights begin to fill the street, and suddenly they are besieged by marauding dinosaurs. It appears that their entire neighbourhood has been transported back through time. As they try to make sense of this, they rescue the recently orphaned Jeannette (Davis). But they're all fighting for their lives from feathered, furry or slimy beasts that already seem to have a taste for humans.

Impressively, the character details aren't abandoned once the mayhem starts; conflicts shift and emotions grow, and there are moments of genuine despair interwoven with a steady dose of hilariously sharp wit. And the action set-pieces are heart-stopping. So the journeys each of these people take feels equally internal and external, leading to a solid payoff at the end. Although if you try to ponder the repercussions of all of this, you might get stuck in a time loop.

Hathaway and McGregor are all-in, both with full-bodied physicality action and the earthy underlying feelings. This is a couple that has grown apart for a variety of reasons, but they also still need each other. And the complex connection with their kids is beautifully played alongside Stella and Convery. Davis injects her own energy, adding a wave of grief that continues to surprise us right to the end. And of the sparky side characters, most are having their own adventure off-screen.

The film opens with an idyllic street party that playfully sets this up as the good old days, and the film's big-hearted tone continues even when the action and seamless visual effects flood the screen. Several moments are downright terrifying, but these scares are so much fun that we never want the film to end. It's a refreshing reminder that movies don't need to be sophisticated, watertight or cynical to keep us thoroughly entertained.

themes, language, violence 12.Aug.26

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