The End of Oak Street

The End of Oak Street is J.J. Abrams' next stab at Steven Spielberg homage after Super 8.

Producing rather than directing this time around this film almost tries to present itself as the true, original sequel to Jurassic Park and, were it to be bestowed with the Jurassic moniker, it’d probably sit pretty high in the rankings

It immediately feels like a lost eighties classic.

This suburban America of 1982 feels real, from the film stock to the shot choices, the soundtrack and the mise en scène .

We care about our slightly dysfunctional family at the heart of the film and that makes the sci-fi incursion of dinosaurs all the more tense.

Oh yes, after an opening half hour with all the usual family blockbuster opening tropes, an unexplained wormhole takes this quiet suburb back to prehistoric times.

For the next hour, it’s a tense trip of dino' attacks and survival.

Well, it is and it isn’t.

Whilst some of the set pieces are excellent and the quality of the filmmaking doesn’t dip, there is a smidge of underwhelm just lurking under the surface and, despite its ostensibly short runtime, it actually drags a little at points

It feels harsh to say as it’s such a likeable film, but the act of homage is so strong that it just slightly falters.

Those eighties classics were able to luxuriate a little more with slower scenes and immersion and this just feels a little trapped between two poles.

However, it is mostly a thrill and that feeling of nostalgia is fresh and gripping.

A really solid dinosaur thriller just a little out of time in every way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️