by Charles Kirkland Jr.
The Dog Stars Review finds Ridley Scott delivering a visually stunning postapocalyptic drama that explores grief, survival, and the fragile hope of reconnecting with humanity after catastrophe.
Searching for Humanity After the End
The film tells the story of Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young mechanic and pilot who, alongside military survivalist Bangley (Josh Brolin), has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal postapocalyptic world.
One day, while flying, Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission. Believing it could provide evidence of another surviving community, he ventures into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes may exist.
The Dog Stars Review follows that search as Hig leaves the relative security of his isolated existence and risks everything for the possibility of finding human connection beyond the world he knows.
The screenplay for The Dog Stars was written by Mark L. Smith and is based on Peter Heller’s bestselling novel of the same name. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film features an acclaimed ensemble cast that includes Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce.
Ridley Scott Creates a Beautiful Apocalypse
The Dog Stars is a cinematically gorgeous epic.
As this The Dog Stars Review explores, Scott’s greatest achievement is the striking contrast between the beauty of the natural world and the devastation left behind by humanity.
Visually, the film moves from sweeping, beautiful landscapes as Hig takes to the skies to the stark desolation of overgrown, abandoned cities. The contrast makes the aerial sequences feel even more enticing and peaceful.
Visually, The Dog Stars Review finds Scott working on an impressive scale, transforming both the open skies and abandoned landscapes into reflections of Hig’s isolation.
The beauty and relative safety of Hig’s world, which he shares with his dog, Jasper, and Bangley, make it difficult for the audience to fully understand the depth of his emotional turmoil. The environment is dangerous, but there is also an unexpected serenity to the life he has managed to build.
That tension between what Hig has and what he believes he has lost becomes central to the film.
Hig’s Search for Something More
Even with several glimpses of Hig’s now-deceased wife, his motivations remain difficult to grasp.
At the heart of The Dog Stars Review is the question of whether Hig’s search represents genuine hope or an inability to accept the life he has already rebuilt.
Despite the ever-present threat of death, Hig is determined to prove that the life that existed before the deadly virus swept across the nation can somehow be found again. His determination is understandable in theory, but the film does not always do enough to make his emotional journey resonate.
Hig is searching for more than survivors. He is searching for evidence that humanity, connection, and perhaps even the person he once was can still exist in this devastated world.
Unfortunately, the film does not always establish enough emotional urgency to make that search as compelling as it should be.
The Dog Stars Struggles With a Predictable Journey
The film’s biggest weakness is its construction.
That narrative predictability becomes the central frustration of The Dog Stars Review, especially because the film’s impressive visual storytelling suggests a more compelling journey than the screenplay ultimately delivers.
The story can leave audiences wondering what, exactly, is so important about the journey. The narrative is so telegraphic that much of what is going to happen is foreshadowed almost immediately.
As a result, the movie becomes an exercise in endurance, propelling the audience through a plot that is about as transparent as plastic wrap.
That predictability becomes especially frustrating because Scott has created such a visually compelling world. The movie gives audiences plenty to look at, but considerably less to discover.
For a story built around venturing into the unknown, The Dog Stars rarely feels truly unpredictable.
Grief, Recovery, and the Cost of Moving Forward
Still, the film delivers an important message about overcoming tragedy and recognizing that the process of healing can sometimes involve enduring even more pain.
This is where The Dog Stars Review finds the film at its most meaningful, using Hig’s physical journey to examine the more difficult process of recovering from profound loss.
It also encourages audiences to treasure what they have because the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.
Hig’s journey ultimately becomes less about finding another place and more about understanding what makes a life worth living after nearly everything familiar has disappeared.
The film is at its strongest when it allows those questions of grief, recovery, and human connection to rise above the mechanics of its survival story.
The Dog Stars Review: Final Verdict
Rated R for strong violence and language, The Dog Stars is ultimately a morality tale centered on redemption, recovery, and relationships.
Its themes also give the film a timely resonance. In depicting a world struggling to recover from a devastating pandemic and rediscover a sense of connection, the movie serves as a metaphor for a society still finding its way forward.
As audiences themselves continue to return to movie theaters and seek communal experiences, The Dog Stars offers a reminder that survival is only part of the journey. Rebuilding a life, and finding the humanity within it, may be the greater challenge.
The Dog Stars is a visually spectacular and thematically ambitious postapocalyptic drama, elevated by strong performances and Ridley Scott’s assured direction. Unfortunately, its predictable and thinly constructed narrative makes the film feel more tedious than compelling.
What emerges is a beautiful but emotionally distant morality tale with worthwhile ideas about grief, survival, and rediscovering humanity, even if it struggles to make those ideas fully resonate.
Ultimately, The Dog Stars Review finds Ridley Scott’s film visually spectacular and thematically worthwhile, but too predictable and emotionally distant to fully deliver on its considerable promise.
The Dog Stars is in theaters starting August 28, 2026.
Grade: C
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