‘The Dog Stars’ Review – Another Messy and Uneven Attempt from Ridley Scott’s Late Career

The Dog Stars (2026) can’t decide how it feels about the apocalypse. Audiences are taken through a meditative exploration of the small moments of human hope and resilience in the face of disaster as well as a brutal, bloody depiction of a world completely succumbing to madness. Rather than blending these two aspects coherently, The Dog Stars feels entirely split in half; almost no attempt is made to balance its themes. However, when the film hits its stride in the second half, it delivers some of the best work of director Ridley Scott’s late career. 

Adapted from Peter Heller‘s 2012 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars arrives in a completely different context than the book. Set in a world ravaged by a flu virus, it’s impossible not to draw parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Scott doesn’t try to obfuscate them either. The presentation of social distancing and use of forehead thermometers makes the movie feel as if it’s set in an alternate timeline where the already dangerous COVID was far less forgiving, wiping out a sizable portion of mankind and completely disintegrating social structures. 

A Sad, Dreary Apocalypse

For the civilian pilot Hig (Jacob Elordi), little is left to do but survive. The majority of the first half of The Dog Stars is a slow, tender look into Hig’s psyche, delving into the tragic loss of his wife and unborn child due to the virus. He is now doing the absolute minimum to survive alongside his dog Jasper and companion Bangley (Josh Brolin), a former Marine. 

Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein, “Wuthering Heights”) carries so much emotional baggage in this section of the story. The heavy, sad tone rests entirely on his shoulders, or more so his eyes, as he gazes mournfully at a world he once knew. His performance is dreary and understated, which suits a character caught between searching for greener pastures and committing suicide. Yet, it dampens Elordi’s charisma and ability to hold the frame. When viewers are spending time with Hig, it’s difficult, slow, and unengaging. 

Thankfully, Josh Brolin (Weapons, Dune) is around to give life to the first half of the film, effortlessly bringing some electricity and chemistry to proceedings. Bangley is far less conflicted about the state of the world, relishing the aesthetic of survival. Perched atop his watchtower with a sniper rifle and a cigar, Bangley is always ready to exterminate anyone who encroaches on his slice of land. His adoptive father relationship with Hig is also immediately apparent from the first frame they share, with Bangley’s tough-guy persona taking a hit when Hig decides to leave. 

Ridley Scott’s Functional Visuals

A big complaint about Ridley Scott’s recent directorial output has been the bland look of visuals. The Dog Stars isn’t exactly a departure from that; Scott’s obsession with shooting for coverage is still present and limits his ability to pull off more ambitious shots. However, that kind of presentation works for the bleak tone here. With a lot of the story set in the wilderness, there’s always some natural beauty to behold, even if a greyness can take hold of the movie sometimes. 

The film’s more tender tone continues when Hig encounters father and daughter Pops and Cima, played by Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) and Margaret Qualley (The Substance), respectively. Again, having other great actors to bounce off gives life to Elordi’s leading performance that is simply not present when he’s tasked with holding the movie on his shoulders alone. The dynamic between this trio is deeply watchable, playing on the narrative tropes of a girl dad not liking the new boyfriend, with the apocalyptic setting heightening Pops’ paranoia.

Cima also brings out more emotional depth in Hig. Both of these characters lost partners when the world ended and have to reckon with moving on and being open to falling in love again. The first half of The Dog Stars is so deeply human and tender, before it goes completely off the rails. 

An Utterly Insane and Gory Finale

Early in the plot, audiences are told about the Reapers, a doomsday cult killing off survivors. The first glimpse of them comes when they try to raid Bangley’s home, and their look alone completely rips apart the softness established in the movie up to this point. The Reapers look like a bunch of extras from Mad Max who swam through a pool of drugs to arrive on set, maniacally tearing things apart. This prompts Brolin to go full Metal Gear Solid and try to stealthily pick them off with his arsenal of weapons. His strategy fails, and the sequence ends with pools of blood and the detonation of a rocket launcher.

This manic energy completely takes over The Dog Stars, but it’s the best thing that could have happened to it. For all the attempted character work in the first half, it is not executed nearly as well as the blood-soaked action of the second. The script, written by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, Twisters), limps through its first hour of buildup, though its ending is a heart-racing romp. Truly, the second half saves the film from being a half-baked attempt to say things about humanity that have already been said. 

The Dog Stars is a very confused movie, but within that confusion it at least finds something thrilling to put on screen. It would ring true for a post-apocalyptic world to consist of both harrowing emotions and unspeakable brutality. The film’s depiction of the former doesn’t live up to the latter, and when it switches between them, it feels untrue to what came before. Following Gladiator II, The Dog Stars is another interesting Ridley Scott project that doesn’t reach its full potential.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

‘The Dog Stars’ hits theaters on August 28!

Release Date: August 28, 2026.
Directed by Ridley Scott.
Screenplay by Mark L. Smith.
Based on The Dog Stars by Peter Heller.
Produced by Ridley Scott, Mark L. Smith, Michael Pruss, & Cliff Roberts.
Executive Producers: Peter Heller, Lily Brooks-Dalton, Aidan Elliott, Raymond Kirk, Marco Valerio Pugini, & Brandon Scott Smith.
Main Cast: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, Ewen Bremner, James Craze, Sam Spruell, Sai Bennett, Sebastian Rokison-Woodall, Alara-Star Khan, & Daisy Kakkar.
Cinematographer: Erik Messerschmidt.
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams.
Editors: Sam Restivo & Claire Simpson.
Production Companies: 20th Century Studios & Scott Free Productions.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
Runtime: 118 minutes.
Rated R.