'The End of Oak Street' Review: Prehistoric Horror Delivers Plenty of Dinosaur-Fuelled Terror
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By Elliot Lines - August 17, 2026
Throwing sci-fi and dinosaurs into a film's premise will almost always pique my interest. The dinosaur genre has been dominated by the Jurassic Park universe since 1993, and there's no question that it remains the gold standard when it comes to prehistoric creatures on screen. Plenty have attempted to move away from that formula and embrace the horror potential of dinosaurs, with varying degrees of success. Most recently, 65 combined science fiction and prehistoric survival in a fairly entertaining outing. The End of Oak Street is the latest attempt to dive into the dinosaur world, this time combining time-travel elements with prehistoric horror.
What is 'The End of Oak Street' about?
When a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports a neighbourhood to someplace unknown. The Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
From the first trailers, The End of Oak Street intrigued me with a premise that seemed to have plenty of potential. The idea of an entire town suddenly finding itself within a prehistoric world, surrounded by dinosaurs that are free to roam and hunt without the humans initially understanding what has happened to them, provides an interesting foundation for a survival horror film. Thankfully, the film makes the most of that premise. The End of Oak Street doesn't hold back when it comes to its horror elements, delivering multiple gruesome deaths, a range of frantic chase sequences and even an intimate scene on dinosaur reproduction. The sci-fi elements are perhaps slightly undercooked, but the film manages to incorporate them fairly seamlessly without getting bogged down in unnecessary exposition.
Anne Hathaway is the clear standout as Denise, the mother at the centre of the story. Through her expressions and reactions, she helps elevate the horror of the situation her family finds itself in, while still maintaining Denise's role as a caring mother. There's also a believable tension within her marriage, which adds another layer to the character as the family attempts to navigate an increasingly terrifying situation.
Ewan McGregor similarly plays his part as the father and husband, with his character largely used to create further tension within the family dynamic as they attempt to make sense of the unknown. Family is ultimately at the centre of The End of Oak Street, and while they may appear dysfunctional on the surface, there's a clear effort to show how difficult circumstances can bring people together. In this case, that means putting their differences aside and working together to survive an experience none of them can explain.
When the dinosaurs become involved, the real terror begins. The film showcases a host of different threats, from pterodactyl attacks and velociraptor chases to the snapping jaws of some of the larger dinosaurs. This creates a consistent sense of tension throughout much of the film and, surprisingly, it doesn't take too long before the story begins throwing the characters into these dangerous situations.
That's perhaps one of the film's greatest strengths. It understands that the appeal of a dinosaur horror film is seeing these creatures actually become a threat, rather than simply using them as background spectacle. The decision to get the family directly involved in these encounters keeps the danger feeling present and gives the film some genuinely entertaining moments.
In a genre that is a personal favourite, there are certainly elements of The End of Oak Street that caught my attention. However, I found myself not fully gripped by the entirety of the film. While the ending provides a satisfying conclusion to the family's journey, it doesn't quite land the emotional beats that I think the film is aiming for.
The dinosaurs may grab the headlines, as they should, with The End of Oak Street delivering when it comes to its prehistoric horror. Unfortunately, the human element doesn't quite reach the same heights, preventing the film from becoming the consistently gripping survival thriller that its premise suggests it could be.
'The End of Oak Street' released in cinemas August 14, 2026.
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