We Saw 14 Minutes of The End of Oak Street, and Dinosaurs Are So Back

The End of Oak Street is the latest film from director David Robert Mitchell, who is best known for helming It Follows and Under the Silver Lake. The new movie follows a suburban family who wake up to a shock when they’re oridinary street is transported to a time (or place?) filled with dinosaurs. Starring Ewan McGregor (Star Wars), Anne Hathaway (The Odyssey), Maisy Stella (My Old Ass), and Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), The End of Oak Street was produced by J.J. Abrams (Lost) and is heading to the big screen on August 14th.

This week, The Mary Sue had the chance to attend an event featuring Mitchell and Abrams, and watch 14 minutes of The End of Oak Street. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll be happy to know that a huge portion of the footage is from the beginning of the film. That means there’s a whole lot of movie left to see, and we can’t wait to see it.

A Great Start

Without giving too much away, the 14 minutes shown to a small crowd of journalists and influencers in Los Angeles this weekend sets up the movie perfectly. The Platt family wakes up to a power outage and slowly realizes something odd is going on in their neighborhood. As the parents go to investigate, it becomes clear that prehistoric creatures have infiltrated their home. The foursome hops into their car in the hopes of escaping, only to realize it’s not the dinosaurs that have come to them… they’ve come to the dinosaurs.

In a Q&A moderated by Naz Perez, Mitchell and Abrams spoke about bringing the story to life. Mitchell helmed the script, which came to him one day while he was walking in his own neighborhood. He looked down an alley, and wondered what it would be like if a dinosaur was sitting there. Mitchell said that he “always wanted to make a dinosaur film” after growing up watching classics with his father.

The Importance of Family

The appeal of The End of Oak Street is its core family, whom you instantly root for. Abrams likened the new film to Poltergeist, which is a scary movie that’s also tender thanks to the lovable family at its center. Abrams explained that the upcoming film has “wonderful characters and great sense of humor,” much like Tobe Hooper’s 1982 horror classic. However, moviegoers can also expect some scares. “But then the most insane sh*t of all time happens,” Abrams added. “This is a ‘people’ movie with monsters in it.” 

“They are us … the idea of being able to view ourselves through them,” Mitchell added of film’s main characters.

“It’s not a sadistic movie… it’s got a big heart at its core,” Abrams explained.

“The movie is about family,” Mitchell clarified.

If you didn’t clock it during the trailers, The End of Oak Street is not following a modern-day family. While an exact year has not been established, the costumes and sets indicate the film is set in the early 1980s. As for where or when they end up? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Dinosaurs Are So Back

There have been many dinosaur movies over the years, but most film fans attribute the creatures to the Jurassic Park franchise. Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film changed the game and launched a franchise that is still releasing movies today. However, the Jurassic franchise doesn’t own the concept of dinosaurs, and it’s time we expanded beyond Spielberg’s original vision.

The Mary Sue got the chance to chat with Mitchell alongside Daily Dead, who asked if it was stressful to enter a genre that no one else has successfully captured since Jurassic Park.

“No … I grew up loving so many different kinds of dinosaur movies, like, of course, Jurassic Park. But I watched all the [Ray] Harryhausen movies with my dad … The original King Kong, The Lost World from the ’20s, the stop-motion animation dinosaurs … So I wanted to make something with dinosaurs. It’s not an intimidating thing; it’s just fun.”

During the Q&A, Abrams also likened the film to The Twilight Zone, which had an iconic dino episode titled “The Odyssey of Flight 33” in 1961.

The Theatrical Experience

While we believe that most movies are better on the big screen, dinosaur flicks are especially meant to be seen in a theatre. The footage we saw was a blast with a crowd, especially in 4DX. While the ride-like format isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, we definitely recommend it for the theatre-goers who like a little extra thrill-seeking in their movie-watching.

“Sound and music … there’s nothing more important … the sound is so powerful … that’s why seeing movies in theatres is profoundly better,” Abrams said during the Q&A while praising the film’s composer, Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino (Spider-Man: Brand New Day).

Check out The End of Oak Street when it hits theatres on August 14th.

(featured image: Warner Bros.)

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