Anne Hathaway‘s The End of Oak Street is getting mixed reviews ahead of its theatrical release on August 14, 2026. Directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, the sci-fi film is set in 1982 and follows the Platt family, whose life takes a drastic turn when their neighborhood is transported to an unknown location following a mysterious cosmic event.
While many critics have praised its dinosaur action and Hathaway’s performance, others criticized its storytelling, character development, and emotional depth. Variety described it as “a last-gasp-of-summer movie,” which is “trashy and obvious, it’s usually ripped off from other movies, and it wears a shameless grin on its face about all of that.”
Many had high expectations for the film because of director-writer David Robert Mitchell, since he is known for his work on It Follows (2014). Slant magazine review states, “Mitchell struggles to take full advantage of his script’s main hook. The characters spend a lot of time running, screaming, shooting, and swinging, but Mitchell doesn’t cook up any truly showstopping or novel sequences.”
The Wrap was also critical of the film and called it a “toothless monster flick.” Their review stated, “It sets up a story about finding strength and independence outside of traditional social roles but then it abandons that idea and backtracks into safe, boring territory. AwardsWatch has graded the film ‘C-‘ and stated, “It’s a good-looking movie but not a compellingly staged one.”
The film, at the time of writing, has an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 94 reviews.
What else do we know about The End of Oak Street?
The End of Oak Street stars Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as Denise and Greg Platt. Maisy Stella and Christian Convery play the roles of their children, Audrey and Brian Platt, respectively. Set in the 1980s, the film begins with the normal middle-class Platt family dealing with tensions. Everything changes when a cosmic event moves their neighborhood to somewhere completely unknown.
Soon, they realize they are in danger when they witness prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs in front of them. In order to survive, they have to stay together and find a way out. While trying to survive, Denise and Greg also struggle with tensions in their marriage.
