JJ Abrams Explains Why THE END OF OAK STREET Is a Completely Different Dinosaur Movie Than JURRASIC PARK
When I think of dinosaurs on the big screen, the one franchise that automatically pops in mind is Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking adventure changed blockbuster filmmaking forever, and the Jurassic series continues to dominate theaters decades later.
Plenty of other filmmakers have tried putting their own spin on prehistoric creatures, from King Kong to 65, but audiences almost always associate dinosaurs with remote islands, dense jungles, and science gone wrong.
That's exactly why The End Of Oak Street looks so interesting. Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the filmmaker behind It Follows, and produced by J.J. Abrams, the upcoming film takes an idea that feels wonderfully strange.
Instead of dropping people into dinosaur territory, it brings dinosaur territory to them. A quiet suburban neighborhood, complete with families, school buses, swing sets, and backyard pools, suddenly finds itself transported back to the age of dinosaurs.
That unexpected setting is what immediately grabbed Abrams. Speaking with Empire, he explained why The End Of Oak Street stands apart from the familiar formula established by the Jurassic films:
“I think people are hungry for new stories, original stories, and to me, the undeniable appeal of this is the fact that it takes place in suburbia. I love the Jurassic movies as much as anyone, but those films, for the most part, take place in these beautiful jungles, these distant islands.
“David’s whole approach here was the juxtaposition of the absolute mundane suburban family life — swing sets and ice-cream trucks, and above-ground pools and school buses — and dinosaurs. If there’s any part of you that is excited by what you saw in the trailers, I can promise that the movie will deliver on everything.”
It's a fun concept because it flips audience expectations. Instead of watching trained experts or tourists trying to survive in an exotic location, this story throws everyday families into an impossible situation where the ordinary and the prehistoric collide.
Mitchell drew inspiration from a wide range of genre favorites while developing the film. Influences include The Lost World, King Kong, The Valley Of Gwangi, The Twilight Zone, Signs, and classic Amblin adventures. But despite all the giant reptiles roaming around, the filmmaker says the emotional core always comes back to the people trying to survive it.
Leading that story are Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway, who play parents Greg and Denise Platt. According to Mitchell, the family dynamics were just as important as the dinosaur spectacle.
“The family is not my family, but there are elements of some of the characters that resemble things that I experienced. And some of it is like with my wife and our friends and family [now]. Everyone in the [Platt] family is dealing with normal, different little problems, and there are the ways in which they are communicating or not communicating.”
That combination of relatable family drama and prehistoric chaos could make The End Of Oak Street one of the more original dinosaur movies we've seen in years. Rather than trying to outdo Jurassic Park at its own game, it looks like Mitchell has found an entirely different playground for these ancient predators.
We'll find out how that wild concept comes together when The End Of Oak Street stomps into theaters on August 14.