Movie Review: The Dog Stars

Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars doesn’t feel like a complete movie. Yes, it has actors, production value, and visual effects, and there was a script for the film, but there is no connective story or depth. It just felt like a lot of scenes placed together in an order that is digestible for an audience. It deals with a lot of heavy subjects and has characters who could have been interesting, but it’s like the film didn’t care about any of that.

The Dog Stars is based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic America and follows Hig (Jacob Elordi) and his journey to conquer his grief and find purpose in a brutal world. Hig spends his days flying his plane into town to get supplies and bring them back to his fort with Bangley (Josh Brolin).

Hig and Bangley’s fort is loaded with everything they need for survival: guns, ammunition, food, power, and a view of the outskirts, giving them an optimal living situation in this disintegrated world. But Hig isn’t satisfied, and he continues to search for something more, hoping to find more peaceful people out there. Following a tragedy at their bunker, Hig takes his plane in search of a place called Grand Junction, a place nobody knows if it is real, and ventures to unfamiliar and dangerous territory.

Hig is an interesting character who is never fully fleshed out. He is constantly in survival mode while also trying to handle the trauma of some of his past decisions. His optimism about the world is countered by Bangley’s pessimism. Hig thinks there is more out in the world; Bangley has no problem staying at their fort and mowing down anyone who comes near them. It’s an interesting dynamic, especially with the strong performances by Elordi and Brolin, but unfortunately, none of this is explored much further than what I just explained. I was more interested in Hig and Bangley’s life on their compound than anything else in the movie. It’s a shame this only accounts for a fraction of the film.

On Hig’s journey to Grand Junction, his plane breaks down, and he meets Cima (Margaret Qualley) and his father, Pops (Guy Pearce), who have a small farm. Both are hardly characters. Cima used to be a medical student who lost her husband, and Pops is overprotective and ready to pull a trigger at anyone who might mess up his and Cima’s life. Qualley and Pearce try their best with what little they are given, but neither has any depth to make them interesting. When Hig leaves his compound and lands near Cima and Pa’s land, The Dog Stars comes to a standstill and fails to elevate itself back to the heights it hit at the beginning of the movie.

The Dog Stars has no emotion or intrigue. The script never fleshes anything out, leaving any interesting idea or character left to dry. Scott knows how to construct an action scene, and there are a couple that are exciting, but below standard for a Scott set piece. I was watching The Dog Stars in a daze. I was never bored, but nothing was interesting or exciting. I like all the actors in the film, but none of them blew me away. The story and themes are interesting, but none of them are developed.

Scott is a director I’ve always liked and who has taken some big swings in his career, but I don’t think he has ever made such a nothing of a movie before.

TL;DR Review of The Dog Stars

• One of Ridley Scott’s weaker films.
• Has good actors, good action, and good production, but no heart or soul.
• The story lacks connective tissue, interesting characters, and a captivating story despite good ideas.
• Flat and uninspired.

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