'The Dog Stars' Review
- Trevor Leavell
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 08/28/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Adventure. Drama. SciFi. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
The Verdict: A Mistake
It seems that this time, for his new film The Dog Stars, legendary director Ridley Scott has rolled out of bed and directed a movie half asleep. Directing Jacob Elordi in his first ever leading role in an adaptation of Peter Heller's post-apocalypse novel, Scott walks on rote and treated ground, and while it looks really good for the most part, it's hard to say that anything here is even worth your time.
I like Jacob Elordy as an actor, and he's supported by a cast that usually shines whenever their respective members are in supporting roles; not limited to recent Oscar nominee Guy Pierce. However, the script from Mark L. Smith, which adapts Heller's novel, is so bare and stretched thin. The main character which Elordi plays, Hig, is such a bore. There's interesting meditations on trying to move on after loss, but it's hard to really attach to Hig as a character as he attempts to find his way to west Colorado in search for a rogue radio signal. He crosses paths with father and daughter Cima and Pops who are as cardboard thin as Hig. All with worldviews that refuse to explore any complexity of the world that they now live in and the reality that they want to make. It all eventually kind of feels derivative and pointless.
As the film wraps up, it drags its feel through the mud. It wants to wrap itself in such a neat little bow, but there's nothing satisfying or triumphant with anything it provides. It's lazy and way too familiar. I, for one, had been rolling with Ridley Scott's most recent output, even his more rocky efforts this decade. However, The Dog Stars may be one of Scott's worst films sadly. It's so strange how the man who made Alien and Blade Runner can have such select strange misfires in his massive filmography… but he DID make Alien and Blade Runner. So… Ridley, I'm still there for you.
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