What could be more thrilling than watching a dinosaur try to eat you alive on the big screen?
You can watch a dinosaur try to eat a human alive on the big screen in 4DX, as shown at a special preview of End of Oak Street in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
In the sci-fi film from It Follows director David Robert Mitchell and producer J.J. Abrams (produced under the Bad Robot banner), a couple, Dennis (Anne Hathaway) and Greg (Ewan McGregor), must fight to save their family when a cosmic event hits Oak Street and relocates their home from their familiar neighborhood.
A number of journalists and influencers previewed the new 14-minute video, which was shown in 4DK. Dennis and Greg leave home in a desperate search for their dog Starbuck (an affectionate nod to “Battlestar Galactica”), leaving behind their two children, played by “My Old Us” star Maisie Stella and “Sweet Tooth” star Christian Convery. But the weapons of a baseball bat and a shotgun only last until Dennis and Greg part ways, travel through a vast suburban neighborhood, narrowly escape from a speeding dinosaur (as shown in the original trailer), and attempt a getaway in the family car. Only to discover that Oak Street has not only been mysteriously relocated, but has also been thrown into a world of prowling dinosaurs of all sizes and terrifying varieties.
It’s safe to say there’s no easy escape from Oak Street.
During the tense chase scene, the audience laughed nervously as the seats shook and rolled, and water erupted from the back of each audience member’s seat each time the dinosaur attacked. Mitchell entered the theater immediately after the clip ended and was delighted by the immersive effects. “You can especially see the seat move as you drive!” he said with a laugh.
Stopping by during a production break for his long-awaited They Follow, Mitchell told the assembled journalists and influencers how he envisioned introducing dinosaurs into suburban life. “The idea of a normal neighborhood was so fantastical, and I thought it would be interesting to combine those two things, and it would ground the spectacle.”
In addition to being touted as a late-summer blockbuster, Mitchell and Abrams emphasized that End of Oak Street is anchored by a central family dynamic. “What’s great about what you’ve written is that basically each character has a secret. They’re all struggling with something, but they’re a very connected, supportive, believing family,” Abrams said. “This is not a sadistic movie. It has a big heart at its core.”
Mitchell explained that he needed a cast that would “bring a level of performance and naturalness to the family so that we were really drawn in.” “They are us. The idea is that we can look at ourselves. They are a traditional family,” he said.
Hathaway’s Denise, for example, is written as a loving mother with ambitions of her own. “There’s a struggle of, ‘Where am I in my life and how do I connect with the people I care about?'” he said, adding, “Each child has their own issues. They’re all in conflict, and when you put yourself in this incredibly dangerous situation, those issues are heightened.”
Mitchell went on to explain how Hathaway and McGregor’s characters switch perspectives as they discover the horror unfolding in their neighborhood. That included the moment an elderly neighbor was found dead on the floor with blood stains nearby. “It’s really a matter of subjectivity and objectivity, and finding a way to represent a moment visually and in an interesting way,” he said.
Michael Giacchino, who composed the music for all three Jurassic World movies and the Lost World video game, provides a tense and eerie atmosphere through the music heard in the footage. “Like any great composer, he identifies the pulse of a scene, and you may have noticed that,” Abrams said. “He unearths something, emphasizes something, and suddenly everything is elevated.”
Abrams likened “The End of Oak Street” to a great episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
“On the one hand, you kind of know what you’re going to get, but you don’t really know what you’re going to get,” he explained. “This story is very specific and unique to the characters, and it’s very emotional. When I go to the movies, my dream is just to be transported, to experience a wealth of emotions and things, and to have a really full meal. It’s rare to be able to do that in a movie that’s a genre movie.”
“The End of Oak Street” will be released in theaters on August 14th from Warner Bros. Pictures. In addition to playing in select 4DX theaters nationwide, Warner Bros. movies will be shown in Imax.
