The Dog Stars: Movie Review

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Jacob Elordi, Guy Pearce, Alison Janney, Benedict Wong
Director: Ridley Scott

If the post-apocalyptic genre has already been done to death in pop culture, The Dog Stars, from the 2012 novel by Peter Hellar, and Gladiator director Ridley Scott, shows no sign of that trend slowing down.

And while it does feel like it has so many elements of other films, TV shows and books within its mix, what Ridley Scott has created - aside from a genuinely inauspicious start - is a film that wrests fresh tension from familiar tropes and conventions.

Set in March 2035, the world has been laid waste by a flu virus. With vaccines no longer available or working, pockets of humanity have set up in spots around the world, defending themselves from marauding packs of feral hunters.

One such pocket is populated by Hig (a relatively solid Elordi), his dog Jasper and former US soldier and survivalist Bangley (Brolin, gruff, yet approachably warm). Hig, a pilot and mechanic, spends his time making runs for supplies in nearby Denver, fending off any would-be hunters and delivering supplies to the local Mennonites community, much to Bangley's chagriin.

But Hig is also circling a wave of grief brought on by the death of his wife before, suicidal tendencies and a glimmer of hope in the form of a radio message from Grand Junction, where he believes other survivors are. 

However, when tragedy hits Hig and Bangley's world, Hig sets out to see if the Grand Junction dream is the salvation he needs...

The Dog Stars mixes in elements of I Am Legend, 28 Years Later, Mad Max and The Last Of Us along with a large dose of humanity.

It's anything but wall-to-wall sci-fi action ripped from the zombie genre, preferring to slowly build a world (perhaps a little too slowly initially) that feels like it's been ripped from humanity's clutches.

There's a tenderness that Scott spends time creating, and with plenty of shots of Hig flying the skies, the scale of the loneliness becomes apparent without being subtly overstated. Yet there are moments of shocking brutality within that world, a constant reminder that surviving comes at a price, and these are carefully constructed by Scott to ensure the most tension comes from the briefest of action moments.

Elordi occasionally spends too much time moping and isnt quite strong enough fir the emotions needed, and while flashbacks reveal the reason for his misery, it doesn't quite convey enough of the gravitas of a man who's on the edge. He's better in interactions with Brolin's Bangley as their opposing world views rub gently against each other and clash - there's much here to be said about being a good man and being a practical one, and whether the two can co-exist. Brolin's the stand-out here and he works wonders with a more subtle approach to what could be a caricature. (And yes a contemporary theme of isolation vs connection in a post-COVID world goes without saying.)

Of the rest of the cast, Qualley and Pearce add a strong human element as a pair of other survivors - and while the romance between Qualley and Elordi's characters is telegraphed from a distance, Scott once again uses time to suggest a bond and a connection, rather than crashing them together. The West Wing's Alison Janney also deserves plaudits for an unbelievable appearance late in the film which sets up a truly memorable chain of events.

Ultimately, much more than just the sum of its parts and a screenplay that feels wildly familiar throughout, The Dog Stars cleverly inveigles its way under your skin, even though it's muted. Granted, there are themes of colonialism and guilt here, but at its heart, it's the well-told story of a man labouring under the desire to do his best in a world that's gone west, while battling with the spiritual and physical strength needed to survive.

Scott's delivered one of the most sincere films of the year, and inadvertent companion piece to the more meditative elements of the 28 Years Later series of films - and that's no bad thing at all.