The Dog Stars bites — The A.V. Club

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars follows in the footsteps of many of his movies about dark dystopian futures, but doesn’t come close to the high benchmark Scott has set for himself. The adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 dystopian novel lacks Scott’s ability to immerse his audience in unknown worlds quickly and effectively, its story now wildly uneven and its large-scale grandeur cheapened by bad special effects. While its post-pandemic survivalist premise can feel hauntingly cautionary, the film’s message is torn over the question of whether to help strangers or shoot first.

A few years after a devastating plague, Hig (Jacob Elordi), a pilot and mechanic, lives with his trusty dog Jasper and the former military man Bangley (Josh Brolin), squatting in a dilapidated regional airport hanger out in Erie, Colorado, not far from his supplies stash in what’s left of Denver. After Jasper is killed defending Hig, the pilot decides to head west and see if the news is any better in Grand Junction. On the way, he meets Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her father Pops (Guy Pearce), giving him something to live for beyond whatever hope lies over the mountains.

Mark L. Smith, who adapted Heller’s book for the screen, adds the Scott-mandated doses of action to the moody drama as well as a few interesting tangents not originally in the book. The tone of the Grand Junction sequence, for example, changes entirely, with the traveling trio—Hig, Cima, and Pops—meeting the vintage-loving Darlene (Allison Janney), who’s obsessed with creating her own utopia at the end of the world, the free will of others be damned. The sets and outfits feel reminiscent of Fallout , where a group of survivors glorify the past to make a new world order in a future that’s gone terribly awry. Control and conformity are that group’s prized possessions (next to midcentury modern kitsch), but that simply doesn’t suit The Dog Stars ’ travelers, who must be on their way if they are to survive—somehow without needing to refuel their tiny plane.

While Scott has before gravitated towards bleak futures in movies like Blade Runner and his Alien entries, The Dog Stars falls short of his usual grungy polish. Some transitions look janky, as if shooting and editing the film was a rushed job. Scott and his Raised By Wolves cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt paint a dark portrait of the American West, with flickering lights somehow still running and grimy leftover buildings and roads slowly reclaimed by nature, packs of dogs stalking the airport and deer roaming city streets. Some of these effects look unfinished or cheaply done, like a fiery explosion on a compound, while the last third of the film feels so noticeably truncated it’s as if entire scenes were excised for a later director’s cut in order to squish the theatrical version into a manageable two hours that can run into the arms of a happy ending.

This careless approach also affects the actors. Elordi’s performance is underdeveloped and flat, much of his line delivery shrugged off with a downward look and his gaze covered under a hat, cutting off the audience from getting an emotional read on his character. It’s endearing to see Hig with his canine companion, like in I Am Legend , but even the scenes establishing their camaraderie take too long—it’s like watching Elordi show off all the tricks the dog can do. Even pet owners can attest that it’s only so interesting to watch a one-sided conversation between human and animal. By the time Qualley arrives, her presence is sorely needed to inject a little life into the gloomy narrative. She gets the drill, playing an equally wounded widow to Elordi’s tortured widower, but even that connection gets brusquely interrupted by the reveal that Hig did something in his past that may have closed him off emotionally—even though it’s never fully dealt with after that mention. Brolin and Pearce at least do what they do best, respectively hamming it up as the curmudgeonly isolationist and mistrusting protective father.

Yet, there is a thought-provoking thread buried in this cross-Rockies journey. Hig pushes for connectivity and community in a world that’s fallen apart, helping his Mennonite neighbors like Aaron (Benedict Wong). Bangley is a lone wolf, hoarding supplies to ensure his comfortable survival until his end arrives. He does not want to engage other strangers on any level, an attitude shared by Pops in order to survive in the wilderness. The movie’ intense “us vs. them” set-up doesn’t allow for much nuance, especially when it comes to marauders who are in even more desperate straits, some of whom boast pseudo-Indigenous war paint and some of whom look vaguely like the tattooed, shaved-head boogeymen of MS-13. In these moments, The Dog Stars dips back into The Searchers territory, labeling anyone who isn’t white and doesn’t look the same as an enemy. While Hig tries to argue for humanity’s great good, Bangley’s viewpoint wins out for much of the movie, as friends are few but enemies are everywhere.

This messy look at the end of the world isn’t Scott’s darkest film, but it’s one of his worst misfires. Elordi can’t shoulder the emotions his character is supposed to carry, while Smith’s choppy script and Scott’s checked-out direction does little to support his hero’s journey. The Dog Stars is a strange, misbegotten beast, a post-apocalyptic drama worse for wear even before the bandits arrive.

Director: Ridley Scott

Writers: Mark L. Smith

Starring: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, Guy Pearce

Release Date: August 28, 2026

The Dog Stars bites — The A.V. Club | AIPROPX