TL;DR – A fascinating exploration of what it means to be human.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

The Dog Stars Review Introduction

In recent years we have seen a large rise in post-apocalyptic stories, especially around viruses, making their way onto the screen. Some of these are incredibly thought-provoking works of art, such as Earth Abides, Station Eleven, PLUR1BUS, and season 1 of The Last of Us. But others still have not hit the mark, such as Greenland 2, Silent Zone, In the Lost Lands, and season 2 of The Last of Us. At their core, these stories work best when they are interrogating humanity once all the niceness has been stripped away, and I hope this is what we get today.        

So, to set the scene, the world ended. A flu pandemic ripped through the world before we knew what was happening; most of humanity was dead. Hig (Jacob Elordi) was a commercial pilot in the old world, a world where his wife and child once lived. Now, he is mostly alone, using his plane to go out and hunt for supplies for himself and Bangley (Josh Brolin). They are surviving, but they are not living. Can you move on after such a tragedy, when there are human raiders or worse waiting out there? Can you find hope in a humanity that has been brought to the precipice of extinction? Now, before we jump into the review proper, I want to make clear that I have not read the book this is based on, so my review will not be covering the adaptation, but I have added the book to my reading list after watching the film.  

Society & Survival

One of the main themes of The Dog Stars is exploring a core aspect of human nature. Is it fine for you to just survive, or does there need to be more to life than that? That is the main tension between the worldviews of Hig & Bangley, and both sides have points to make. Security has kept them safe, but isolated, and when you are only two people, that leaves little margin for error. You may survive, but can you thrive? As the movie moves through all its phases, these theses get tested and interrogated, sometimes in quite absurd ways, but it is always interesting.

Worldbuilding

This is a film that builds its bones on its production design. While there is no ‘giant moth eats president’ newspaper article to lay it all out for you. You learn everything you need to know from context clues around the fallen city of Denver. I am not sure how well the Italian countryside does at representing middle America; however, it is a stunningly beautiful film, and the focus on location work helps in spades. All of this is brought to life with delightful cinematography that makes each moment pop. Indeed, I don’t know if it was Ridley Scott or Erik Messerschmidt, but clearly someone in production loves Cessna planes because they shot it like it is a hero. One of my favourite shots of the film is when they just stick a camera behind a plane taking off and let the shake bring you into that moment.

A Journey

From a thematic and narrative perspective, The Dog Stars is a journey. Revealing the world that had fallen, one km of fog of war after another. This journey allows the film to explore different vibes in each of the locations they visit, while still feeling part of the same whole. Each of these is peppered with a number of action scenes which keeps the pace from dragging. I do have to give the stunt team full props because they fully commit. I am reasonably sure that some of them took hard falls from moving vehicles and it looked like it hurt.          

One Note

One thing I do feel compelled to let you know is that most of the performances in this film are playing on one note. Now, they are not all playing the same note, but there is some emotional consistency here. This wasn’t a major issue for me because, firstly, it made thematic sense given the world they have built here. But also, actors such as Josh Brolin might be playing only one note, but they are playing the heck out of it. Jacob Elordi grounds the film, Margaret Qualley brings the humanity, and all credit to Allison Janney for committing to whatever she was doing. Also, Rak Jasper and their acting companions were all good dogos.     

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend The Dog Stars? Yes, yes, we do. I was captivated from start to end by the story, locations, action, and the unfolding journey. It was a wild ride from start to finish, even a surprisingly funny one at times.   

Have you watched The Dog Stars? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked The Dog Stars, we would recommend The Wild Robot to you because it also explores the emotional resonance of what it means to be human in a fallen world.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of The Dog Stars
Directed by – Ridley Scott
Screenplay by – Mark L. Smith
Based on – The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Music by – Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by – Erik Messerschmidt
Edited by – Sam Restivo & Claire Simpson
Production/Distribution Companies – Scott Free Productions & 20th Century Studios
Starring – Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce, & Benedict Wong
With – James Craze, Sam Spruell, Sai Bennett, Sebastian Rokison-Woodall, & Alara-Star Khan
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R