ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

I have been alive since 1991 and in that time, the only legitimately good dinosaur-centric movie I’ve seen – i.e., the only one where I’ve seen even a modicum of effort expended in the story and acting, etc. – is “Jurassic Park” all the way from 1993. Since then, almost every other dinosaur-themed movie I’ve seen has been just too utterly ridiculous to take seriously.

However, with the recent release of “The House at the End of Oak Street,” I feel like the trend might be moving more positively and there might be some filmmakers wanting to put some effort forth for such projects. “The House at the End of Oak Street” follows the Platt family, whose suburban neighborhood gets transported from 1982 into the age of dinosaurs by a weird cosmic event.

To start off, the design for the many dinosaurs featured in the movie is really well done, and the crews in charge of that definitely dove into the “monster movie” aspect of everything. The bigger and meaner dinosaurs featured were especially the stuff of nightmares, particularly this giant eel-like one (forgive me for not knowing the exact species) that’s all gross and slimy and almost reminded me of the Alaskan Bull Worm from “Spongebob Squarepants,” but with worse teeth. If I ever came across one of those dinosaurs in real life, I would probably either faint, be eaten, or a gross combination of both. The winged dinosaurs featured are also super scary and I would also definitely want to avoid them. The sound effects were also really well done and the dinosaurs’ roars were extremely scary and fierce, so my hat goes off to them as well for all the work they did. Overall, a lot of effort was put toward making the dinos look and sound really cool, and those effects crews definitely earned their paychecks.

I thought the overall design of the movie was also pretty well done, and I would definitely like to know how much time and effort was spent into tracking down the various pieces of furniture and knickknacks, etc., to fully make the movie feel like 1982. And you can definitely tell this movie is set multiple decades ago because there are opportunities for neighborhoods to gather together and opportunities for children to be outside playing with friends.

In terms of casting, I thought Anne Hathaway (who has been one of the busiest women in Hollywood this year) and Ewan McGregor did a great job as the Platt parents navigating not only the weird situation they’ve found themselves in but also a low point in their marriage. They’re doing their best to keep their family together and alive, but there’s also definitely an underscore of tension, and they both act that out very, very well. I also thought Masiy Stella and Christian Convery did a great job as the Platt children, they’re both able to capture the confusion and fear that would probably be felt in such a situation as well as the typical foolishness and some less-than-smart decisions that would probably be made by children that age. The overall cast of the movie is actually kind of small, which ends up being pretty beneficial because there’s not an entire cohort of other characters to keep track of. Overall, the casting ended up being pretty solid for the movie.

While I found the final product to be pretty solid overall, I will admit I felt like the movie moved a little too quickly and didn’t really allow for a whole lot of character development. I ended the movie with multiple questions, including what actually caused the cosmic event that set everything in motion, why weren’t there any ripple effects seen in other cities, and what ultimately would happen to all the dinosaurs stuck in this era, among many others. I enjoyed the overall premise, but I felt like there were definitely some missed opportunities in terms of story development and character development, and the writing definitely could have been stronger. There were a few minor plot points that get brought up and then NEVER get addressed again, and it always bugs me when that happens because if something gets brought up in a movie, I feel like something should actually come of it. The ending especially felt kind of rushed and I wish there would have been some loose ends wrapped up. The ending seems pretty final, so to speak, but there is a very slight opening for a potential sequel, so we’ll see if that ultimately ends up being the plan.

Overall, I would give “The End of Oak Street” a C grade after my viewing. The design of the dinosaurs, especially the bigger and meaner ones featured in the movie, was definitely nightmare fuel, and the crews in charge of their look and sound design definitely earned their paycheck. I also thought the cast was pretty solid overall, especially Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor in the lead roles. However, I felt the writing and story could have been stronger and allowed for more development, because I didn’t feel like there were very many opportunities for that in the movie, which is slightly longer than 90 minutes. If you’re a fan of dinosaur movies or similar horror movies, “The End of Oak Street” is one to cue up.