‘The End of Oak Street’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Is In — See What Critics Are Saying About the New Sci-Fi Adventure

The reviews are in for The End of Oak Street, and David Robert Mitchell’s strange mix of suburban family drama, science fiction and dinosaur survival is off to a strong start with critics.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has an 84% Tomatometer score from 70 reviews. There is no audience score yet, so the critical reception is currently the clearest indication of how the movie is landing ahead of its August 14 theatrical release.

The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella and Christian Convery as the Platt family, whose ordinary suburban life is turned upside down after a mysterious cosmic event rips their neighborhood away from suburbia and drops it somewhere filled with prehistoric creatures.

That unusual premise has clearly divided critics on some of the movie’s ideas, but most seem to agree that Mitchell has created an entertaining genre adventure with plenty of personality.

Jon Winkler of InBetweenDrafts gave the film a 7/10 and called it “the biggest surprise of the summer.” He praised the movie’s mix of humanity and horror, suggesting that it manages to rise above its familiar influences.

Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell was also positive, giving the film 3/5. His review highlights one of the movie’s most entertaining images: Hathaway’s character fighting dinosaurs with a shotgun. Sandwell wrote that “It’ll never be boring seeing Anne Hathaway wielding a shotgun to take on some dinosaurs,” although he added that viewers may not be eager to return to Oak Street once the credits roll.

Other critics have focused on the movie’s obvious connection to classic Hollywood adventure films. MovieWeb’s Fred Topel gave it 3.5/5 and argued that Mitchell understands the style he is working with so well that the film becomes “one of the best Amblin films that Amblin never made.”

That comparison to the classic Amblin era has come up repeatedly, with the film’s suburban setting, young characters and dinosaur threats naturally bringing movies from the 1980s and 1990s to mind.

Not every critic has been convinced, however. The Film Verdict’s Alonso Duralde gave the movie a Fresh rating but suggested that it struggles to fully come together as one film. His review says it “contains the making of three or four potentially interesting ones of wildly varying genres.”

There were also some harsher reactions. Mike Massie of Gone With The Twins still gave the movie a Fresh score and described it as “one of the better Jurassic Park films that isn’t actually a Jurassic Park film.” But Jason Adams of My New Plaid Pants went the other direction, giving the film a Rotten rating and criticizing its nostalgia and political undertones.

United Press International’s review was similarly negative, arguing that the movie is too heavily influenced by Steven Spielberg’s work. The review said it “could have been a fun Jurassic alternative” but ultimately felt that its similarities to Spielberg’s films hurt its originality.

So far, the overall response suggests that The End of Oak Street is landing somewhere between nostalgic adventure and familiar genre remix. Critics seem to appreciate the unusual premise, the cast and Mitchell’s ability to blend family drama with dinosaur chaos, even if some feel the movie leans too heavily on films that came before it.

With an 84% score after 70 reviews, the early critical verdict is clearly more positive than negative. Now audiences will get their chance to decide whether this suburban dinosaur adventure lives up to the hype when The End of Oak Street arrives in theaters on August 14.

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