The End of Oak Street

A family (Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor and kids) gets a nasty shock as their entire neighbourhood gets transported millions of years back in time. They have to fend off dinosaurs as they try to find a way to reverse whatever happened.

Kind of old school Hollywood in that it is trash, and a bit one note, but somehow does get you interested. And you hate the kids. It’s a surprisingly (and delightfully) mean spirited film that takes glee in watching its characters get mauled by dinosaurs.

I wasn’t sure about McGregor’s performance but I really liked Anne Hathaway here, she makes some odd-ball decisions and always pulls them off.

As you’d expect the plot writes itself into a corner, and sure enough they don’t really find a meaningful way out of it. It’s a disappointing resolution but I can’t come up with a better one given the premise.

Also, the effects work seems to swing from incredible to ‘totally naff’. Bit of a shame when a lot of the tension rests on how good the dinosaurs are.

I can’t say I’d go back to this in a hurry, but it’s a decent enough nostalgia-fuelled thriller that will probably entertain the family over the summer.