A couple of years on from Gladiator II and Sir Ridley Scott’s latest is a post-apocalyptic survival flick that feels like it should have come out about a decade ago. The Dog Stars is based on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name, following a near-future rural US where a pandemic has wiped out most of humanity. Basically, it’s a zombie movie, but instead of zombies, a virus akin to COVID killed everyone.
Next James Bond shortlist contender Jacob Elordi stars as Hig, who, like Will Smith in I Am Legend, goes scouting in the city for supplies with his dog. After each run, he flies home to the countryside in a small plane, where his gruff Marine companion Bangley (Josh Brolin) secures the perimeter of their barn home.
As is the trope with the post-apocalyptic films, humanity’s morals have gone out the window, with Bangley having no problem executing children approaching their compound on sight, given they don’t know if they’re a threat to them or not. This is contrasted with Hig’s arrival at a farm, where Guy Pearce’s former Navy SEAL, Jack, lives with his medic daughter, Cima (Margaret Qualley). Jack is rightly suspicious, but doesn’t shoot on sight and Hig has to slowly build up trust, especially given his romantic interest in Cima.
It’s a meandering Neo-Western, with music and vibes very much in the vein of The Last of Us. That is, until a bizarre, action-packed third act right out of The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later that is as thrilling as it is eccentric. The Dog Stars is certainly entertaining enough across 2 hours, but it offers nothing new to a genre that reached its heights several years back. Wouldn’t expect more from a forgettable August release, but I would from Ridley Scott.
The Dogs Stars is out now in UK cinemas.
