The Dog Stars
Ridley Scott’s dystopian thriller is a beautifully crafted downer.
Denver indisposed: Jacob Elordi and Jasper
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
As the viral outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread fear through the corridors of the World Heath Organisation, we get yet another dystopian thriller detailing the end of humanity. The year is 2035 (nine years away) and a flu pandemic has wiped out most of the world’s population, leaving only pockets of people struggling to get by. We first see Hig (Jacob Elordi) and his canine sidekick (Jasper) picking their way through the remains of Denver, now overgrown and dotted with the hulks of rusted vehicles. There are still supplies to be found and Hig fills up his Cessna with vital medication for a community of Mennonites that live close by. Hig’s companion Bangley (Josh Brolin) is none too impressed by his humanitarian efforts as he suspects that Hig is putting his health at risk. But the Mennonites ran out of vaccines years ago and now some of the children are dying of measles.
Bangley’s mantra is “shoot first – and enquire afterwards.” There are still bands of well-armed marauders around, and Bangley, a former military man, is a mean shot, picking off visitors with a sniper rifle from his watch tower. A mechanic in his previous incarnation, Hig is more interested in fixing things and making the best of a bad lot. And he is grateful for the luxuries he can still enjoy, in particular real coffee and access to pre-recorded music. But the most precious commodity is kindness, and that seems to be in short supply in these troubled times. Now Hig is getting restless and wants to venture further afield and is particularly keen to visit a haven known as Grand Junction, dubbed “the Paris of the New World.”…
With Ridley Scott behind the camera, The Dog Stars is inevitably as good-looking a film as its two young leads, Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley, and the production values are ace. And while much of the film feels like many we have already seen set in post-apocalyptic futures, there are moments that remind us that this is the director who brought us Blade Runner. Furthermore, if you are going to spend a lot of downtime with a solitary character, Jacob Elordi is at least as an engaging a presence as you will get in this sort of film. Hig is something of an amateur astronomer and spends much of his time staring at the stars, pointing out the various constellations to Margaret Qualley’s Cima, include the ‘Elvis constellation,’ a direct reference to the singer that Elordi played in Priscilla. However, such moments of tranquillity merely grease the path for what is to come, and the sequences of high-octane action do not disappoint. It’s just that the rest of the film, for all its production values, is a real downer.
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, Ewen Bremner, James Craze, Sam Spruell, Sai Bennett.
Dir Ridley Scott, Pro Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Mark L. Smith and Cliff Roberts, Screenplay Mark L. Smith, from the novel by Peter Heller, Ph Erik Messerschmidt, Pro Des Chris Seagers, Ed Sam Restivo and Claire Simpson, Music Harry Gregson-Williams, Costumes Janty Yates, Sound Alyn Sclosa, Joe Fletcher, Rob Prynne and Paul Carter, Dialect coaches Zabarjad Budgie Salam and Courtney Young.
20th Century Studios/Scott Free Productions-Walt Disney Studios.
118 mins. USA/UK. 2026. UK and US Rel: 28 August 2026. Cert. 15.
