THE DOG STARS
Starring: Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney
Director: Ridley Scott
NICK
An indie film cosplaying as a summer blockbuster, The Dog Stars is undone by its scale, budget, and blockbuster aspirations. It's as if director Ridley Scott was aiming to use the post-apocalyptic setting as a subtle backdrop (similar 2015's Maggie), but was instead persuaded to include more action and excitement. This actually takes away from the story of grief that is being explored and hinders character development. Yes, it takes its time in the early going, but it was building to something while presenting interesting ideas, only to abandon them for apocalyptic moments we’ve seen done countless times before…and better, no less. What a shame.
QUENTIN
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ridley Scott is sitting on a three-hour Director’s Cut of The Dog Stars because, at two hours, it’s incredibly rushed. It probably would have been better as a miniseries, but as is, the themes it attempts to explore are superficial. We’re dropped into a post-apocalyptic world with no other background than “the virus,” which…okay, fine…but the core story of Hig’s (Jacob Elordi) grief has no weight because we’re only given fleeting glimpses of his life before. Furthermore, revelations and villains somewhat jarringly appear out of nowhere. The cinematography is, admittedly, stunning to look at, but there isn’t much under that veneer.
ADRIANO
As a critic of director Ridley Scott, The Dog Stars reaffirms my issues with him because I’m not sure what I was supposed to take away here. A slow-burn, post-apocalyptic meditation can be compelling if there is something or someone to latch onto, but this movie devolves into action territory that’s completely stranger from the rest of the film, with one sidequest being so bizarre that it derails the whole affair. It's not Scott’s worst outing — I was even into it at first — but it ultimately becomes clear this is a long slog full of exposition and nothing to say.
BODE
Ridley Scott has always been hit-or-miss as a director, but with his last two efforts being Gladiator II and Napoleon, he’s missed more than he’s hit as of late. I can’t say The Dog Stars fully bucks this trend, but if nothing else, it’s more fascinating to watch. Though its musings on the need for humanity in a post-apocalyptic world are surface-level, it’s somewhat engrossing to see the push-and-pull between Scott’s sensitive side and appetite for brutality (a night vision action sequence is particularly impressive in that regard). It’s handsomely shot, and the cast do a decent job imbuing some soul into the material. It’s… fine.
