Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor's Dinosaur Suburban Thriller 'The End of Oak Street' Divides Critics as an Amblin Throwback

David Robert Mitchell's dinosaur thriller drops Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor into a 1982 suburb under siege, out August 14.

A late-1980s American suburb overrun by dinosaurs is the premise of 'The End of Oak Street,' a new thriller from David Robert Mitchell, the director known for the 2014 horror film 'It Follows,' and produced by J.J. Abrams. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor play Greg and Denise Platt, an unhappy suburban couple navigating both marital strife and a neighborhood-scale prehistoric invasion, alongside their two children. Greg is humiliated by a pizza-delivery side job, while Denise secretly writes an autobiographical novel about a woman planning to abandon her family. The film opens in theaters on August 14 and has drawn a wide spectrum of critical opinion. Positive reviews frame it as an entertaining Amblin-style throwback: Bloody Disgusting calls it an entertaining ode to '80s Amblin films and the biggest surprise of the summer; Inverse praises it as a 'Spielbergian dinosaur adventure with bite'; Vulture marvels that the film exists at all and calls it a great time; and Collider highlights its action, performances, and mystery. Variety describes it as 'end-of-summer trash' that is 'loopier and in some ways better' than the Jurassic franchise, with a 'stupido-kitsch dynamic.' Rolling Stone calls it the best vintage-Spielberg rip-off of the past decade. Negative and mixed reviews are also prominent. The Guardian dismisses it as 'more turkey than T-rex,' calling it a 'contrived, derivative' Spielbergian pastiche that feels like it was generated by an 'AI Spielbergbot,' lacking the ambition of Mitchell's prior work. The AV Club offers backhanded praise, noting it is neither complicated nor consistent but admiring its pulpy creature-feature energy. Mashable had previously called it 'bleak and stupid' and warned it is not suited for families. Mitchell's previous work skewed toward atmospheric, slow-burn horror, making 'The End of Oak Street' a notable genre shift. The period setting and Amblin-nostalgic aesthetic are consistent reference points across coverage, though critics disagree sharply on whether the homage succeeds.

Why it matters

The film represents a major studio summer release headlined by two Oscar-winning actors and directed by an acclaimed indie filmmaker, making its critical reception a notable data point for the season. The split in reviews — from 'shamelessly fun' to 'bleak and stupid' — signals audiences will likely have strongly varied experiences.

What's next

The film releases in theaters on August 14.

Key facts

• Directed by David Robert Mitchell, known for the 2014 horror film 'It Follows'
• Stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents in the lead roles
• Set in a 1982 American suburb overrun by dinosaurs
• Theatrical release date is August 14
• Critical reception is sharply divided, ranging from 'shamelessly fun' (Variety) to 'bleak and stupid' (Mashable)

Bias & framing notes

Variety and Gizmodo frame the film positively — Variety with enthusiasm about its pulpy fun, Gizmodo with anticipatory excitement. Mashable is the clear outlier with a dismissive, negative review. All three agree on the basic facts (cast, director, premise, release date), but their tonal framing diverges sharply, reflecting genuine critical disagreement rather than factual conflict.

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