One takeaway dominates first reactions to The End of Oak Street

If you were wondering whether The End of Oak Street is going to be one of those forgettable summer flicks that promises dinosaurs but gives you cardboard CGI and clunky dialogue, well, early reviews paint a very different picture. With the first wave of reactions out after Warner Bros. let the press have a go at it, the consensus is pretty clear: this is not just your standard dino romp, and fans of the genre have reason to get their hopes up.

Early press screenings for The End of Oak Street have critics calling it the most entertaining dinosaur film in decades.

Dinosaurs, Family Drama, and a Dash of Amblin Nostalgia

The whole thing officially opens in cinemas on 14 August, but critics who've seen it early are clamouring to praise director David Robert Mitchell's approach. The words 'Amblin-esque' and 'family survival horror' have popped up a lot—which is fancy critic shorthand for saying it feels a bit like classic Spielberg with teeth, nasty creatures, and actual emotional stakes. This isn't the sort of film where the prehistoric menace is just background noise; apparently, the dinosaurs mean business and the humans get properly put through their paces.

Performance-wise, both Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor are singling themselves out for applause. Critics are saying their work here is genuinely compelling—no one's phoning it in, which honestly is a relief when most summer blockbusters coast on just two facial expressions and a lot of shouting.

What the Critics Reckon

• Erik Voss is out here raving about the film being a 'delight,' saying it's got exactly the sci-fi wonder and gnarly tension you'd hope for—plus, he goes on about director Mitchell's camera tricks and the 'mean-ass dinos.'
• Brandon Davis sums the energy up well: 'Does it have a ton of logic? Maybe not... but is it pure fun thrills? Abso-f***in’-lutely.' He reckons it's the best dinosaur movie in literal decades, and not just because it remembers to let loose and be fun.
• Sean Fennessey found it 'well-made, brisk, a lot of fun,' which is about the best you can wish for with this type of film.
• Matt Neglia throws in that Mitchell's direction, production design, and the cast all hit the mark. He calls it silly in places and questions some of the choices at the end, but he doesn't mince words: it's a 'nostalgic, well-paced thrill ride.'
• David Ehrlich calls it the 'biggest surprise of the summer' and makes the bold claim that any five-minute chunk is more enjoyable than anything the Jurassic sequels have managed since the 90s.

It's not all just empty nostalgia, either. Critics say Mitchell manages to add a dose of genuine melancholy and pain between all the thrills and spectacle, which, let’s be honest, is rarer than a fully functional theme park in a dinosaur film. Several reactions mention it's energetically paced, intensely silly in spots, and unafraid to embrace the ridiculousness—while still going for the heart.

Pure, simple fun with actual peril and some moral ambiguity at the end apparently, and not just another cynical franchise extension. If those early reactions are anything to go by, The End of Oak Street might actually have some bite.