Rating:
Summary: A slice of life in post-apocalyptic Colorado that touches on the theme of grief, hope, and human connections. A surprisingly small and quiet film from director Ridley Scott that hits the right spots.
What would you do in the post-apocalyptic world? Do you give up or go on? Do you seek human connections or solitude for protection? These are some of the questions posed by "The Dog Stars".
The story is simple, and the scale is surprisingly small. Focusing on pilot and mechanic Hig, played by Hollywood rising starlet, and Australia's own Jacob Elordi, and how he deals with the tragic loss of his wife during a pandemic that seems to have wiped out human civilisation. He lives with Josh Brolin's Bangle, a gruff survivalist who seems tailor-made for this bleak and lonely new world. Both are survivors in the literal sense of the world - surviving, but not living - with Hig in particular unable to let go of his grief, which he shares with his canine companion, Jasper. But unlike Bangle, Hig still holds on to part of the old world, and the hope of new connections when a mysterious radio signal sets him on an unexpected adventure.
Ridley Scott's "The Dog Stars" is one of his quieter, smaller films, but it isn't without the director's signature touches of building tension and striking visuals. The film is full of quiet moments that give the film heft, and the scenes of the natural and decaying world as seen via Hig's high-altitude adventures gift the film a serene quality, despite the horrors that are hinted at (and sometimes shown) happening below.
The entire cast, not a huge number of speaking parts to be honest, all do an admirable job. Jacob Elordi is excellent as the grief-stricken Hig, and while he has lost a lot, he hasn't apparently lost his charm in the apocalypse. Josh Brolin is perfectly cast as the survivalist loner Bangley, while Margaret Qualley is another one who hasn't lost her charm in after all that's happened. There are also strong performances by Guy Pearce and a screen-stealing cameo by Allison Janney.
The film has been kept small by choice, as the world these survivors inhabit is not conducive to long-range travel, and without any sort of mass communication, there is a real feel of isolation, but at the same time, hope and wonder about what's out there. The relatively secluded location of Erie, Colorado, also helps to strengthen the feeling of desolation. And while the film remains quiet for most of its runtime, there are several action set-pieces that are exciting, but remain true to the film's low-fi, small scale spirit,
I quite liked "The Dog Stars". If you're expecting another Ridley Scott epic, you might be disappointed at the scale of the film, but anyone who has played post-apocalyptic games like the Fallout series, will understand that it's the small, personal stories that stick with you the most. To continue the comparison, "The Dog Stars" feel like some of the better side-missions of the said game franchise - one part of the film in particular - and that's fine with me, as I usually finish all the side-missions and rarely finish the main one.
"The Dog Stars" is in Australian cinemas on 27 August 2026. Australian streaming release date: TBA
