For some people out there, “The Dog Stars” will be their first time seeing a post-apocalyptic story. On the one hand, it’s unfortunate because there are so many better versions of this tale out there. On the other hand, these are the ultimate conditions for a viewer to be impressed by Ridley Scott’s new movie. Everything in “The Dog Stars” has been done before and better in a sea of such stories taking place after civilization collapses. And while it’s mostly competent, “The Dog Stars” brings nothing new to the table, offering no new insights with its episodic tale of survival and humanity. “The Dog Stars” isn’t awful. It’s just boring and uninspired.
Hig (Jacob Elordi) was a mechanic before a plague hit the world and seemingly devastated all of civilization. Now he spends his time with his dog, Jasper, and his survivalist friend, Bangley (Josh Brolin), in a fortified area when he’s not flying around Colorado doing recon and getting supplies. Mostly, though, he mourns the world as it once was and the wife and child he lost years ago. Soon he discovers other (non-feral) survivors, like Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her father (Guy Pearce), but wrestles with trust and friendship in this new dynamic, all while seeking out signs of a more stable life and way to go back to a better sense of normalcy.
I’m not sure what drew masterful director Ridley Scott to “The Dog Stars.” There’s nothing immediate about the script, or the cast, where it feels like he had to seize upon this opportunity to work in this sandbox. And what’s worse, it’s not a particularly great job by Scott either. The screenplay, by Mark L. Smith (based on the book by Peter Heller), certainly doesn’t bring anything new to the sub-genre. While the novel was published in 2012 and it’s probably been brewing in pre-production since then, you’d think that experiencing a real life global pandemic that left millions dead and many more forever altered in the interim would inform the script a bit more. Perhaps there’d be some greater insights gleaned from such a generational occurrence that happens to fold in with the story…but there’s not. What’s left of humanity once the thin veneer of civilization collapses? Can a good man stay Good in a world gone mad? Is savagery our default? Can we make something new or forever be haunted by the past? All fine questions for first year philosophy students or someone watching “The Walking Dead” for the first time (back in 2010). But…we’ve been asking these questions in art for millennia now. “The Dog Stars” does nothing new or different with any of these queries, instead just going along as if they were the first to pose them. It’s stale and unengaging, making the two-hour runtime feel leaden.
Not helping matters is Elordi, who has turned in amazing performances in Gullermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and even in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn.” He’s shown range in his work and the ability to emotionally impact viewers. Unfortunately, “The Dog Stars” finds him particularly wooden. Mostly he’s just asked to be sullen, wistful, or preoccupied with fixing his plane or some other tasks. But there’s not a lot of interior offered up—certainly nothing novel or inspired that makes you care about his journey in a unique or interesting way. Qualley isn’t given much to do, but at least her energy is irresistible, and you understand her character’s emotions fairly well and root for her, nonetheless. Pearce does the best out of the cast (with the exception of an appearance from Allison Janney for about one scene late in the film), for his irascible Pops is still funny and warm in his own way; it’s not anything we haven’t seen from a rancher character before, nor is it new for a post-apocalyptic figure to appear gruff but actually have some tenderness, but Pearce does well with the role and is entertaining in small fits.
“The Dog Stars” isn’t offensively bad. Not much of a sell or a pull-quote, I know, but it’s true. You’ve seen this story before. Hell, it’s even chopped up into episodic chunks with each concluding with some action sequence before moving on to the next part of the all-too-familiar tale. There’s a couple of good performances (literally), and some good aerial photography of Hig’s plane traveling in the sky, but mostly it’s all just so bland that it’s hard to really care. The movie brings nothing new to these trappings, not even particularly cool visuals or engaging action or anything that justifies its existence. But “The Dog Stars” would be fine to stumble upon on some hungover Sunday afternoon, or when you’re tired and just want something on that’s not too provocative or engaging (giving you permission to occasionally, secretly nap through it). It resembles a real movie in many ways, but is ultimately too boring and hollow to really call itself a film at all.
2.5 / 5 Stars
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, Allison Janney
