The Dog Stars movie: Ridley Scott's lethargic dystopia flop
Critics largely call The Dog Stars movie a lethargic postapocalyptic misfire. Ridley Scott's $110m adaptation of Peter Heller's novel, led by Jacob Elordi, opens in the US and UK on 28 August after a late-summer dump-slot release. Reviews cite familiar survival beats, thin characters, and low energy.
Key Takeaways
- The Dog Stars adapts Peter Heller's 2012 novel; Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott and 20th Century Studios.
- Jacob Elordi stars as Hig beside Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Allison Janney in a flu-ravaged 2030s Colorado setting.
- The Guardian and Variety both flag a low-energy, overly familiar survival tale; The Film Verdict calls it handsome but not groundbreaking.
- Runtime is 118 minutes, rated R; Australian release is 27 August, with US and UK dates on 28 August.
What is The Dog Stars movie about?
After a flu pandemic wipes out most of humanity, mechanic Hig (Jacob Elordi) shares a remote Colorado compound with dog Jasper and former marine Bangley (Josh Brolin). Hig scavenges by plane while Bangley favors shoot-on-sight defense, a clash Variety and The Guardian say the script spells out too loudly.
Hig's search for other survivors leads him to rancher Jack (Guy Pearce) and daughter Cima (Margaret Qualley), plus late action against marauding "reapers." Screenwriter Mark L. Smith, known for Twisters and other survival dramas, drops the novel's first-person voice; Variety argues Elordi's charm cannot fill that gap.
Why are critics calling this Ridley Scott movie a misfire?
The Guardian says the film never finds its footing amid overcrowded postapocalyptic beats and a glum lack of energy. Elordi's Hig is faulted as stoic and absent, while a late Allison Janney stretch lands as derivative rather than shocking.
Variety calls it a surprisingly low-energy, low-incident blockbuster that mimics a frontier Western without enough character depth. A late tonal swerve into macabre horror-comedy, then back again, is said to undercut the story world's credibility. For more BlasterPost coverage in this desk's feed, see our Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub.
Does anyone find redeeming qualities in the movie?
The Film Verdict praises Erik Messerschmidt's aerial cinematography—Italian Alps standing in for the Rockies—and says veterans like Brolin and Pearce breathe life into underwritten roles. Scott's command of scale and landscape still shows, even when investment feels intermittent.
That said, the consensus across these reviews is that star charisma and handsome packaging cannot lift a routine, eat-your-greens dystopian adventure. If you go, expect mood and scenery over fresh ideas or sustained thrills.