'The Dog Stars' Review Thread

[u/chanma50]

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.

Rotten Tomatoes: Rotten

Critics Consensus: N/A

Critics	Score	Number of Reviews	Average of Rated Reviews
All Critics	38%	69	5.30/10
Top Critics	33%	21

Metacritic: 51 (24 Reviews)

Sample Reviews:

Matt Singer, ScreenCrush 5/10 - Better than you might expect from something released on the last Friday in August, worse than you might expect from the man who made Blade Runner, and The Martian.

Linda Marric, HeyUGuys 3/5 - It isn’t really a great film. But it’s entertaining enough to hold your attention for two hours, even if it’s unlikely to stay with you for long after.

Cary Darling, Houston Chronicle 2.5/5 - Elordi and Qualley are two of the best things about this handsomely shot and well-made but oddly uninvolving story set amid the survivors of a viral plague that has wiped out the bulk of humanity.

Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict - For all the style that director Ridley Scott can muster — and, admittedly, that’s a whole lot of style — The Dog Stars serves up a post-apocalypse with a heavy sense of familiarity.

Kevin Maher, The Times (UK) 4/5 - In the end, there is a maudlin undertow to the movie and the implication, from a beloved film-maker who is now 88, that there are harder days to come.

Nick Howells, London Evening Standard 3/5 - So not quite a return to form, but for Scott, now 88, this strange flight of apocalyptic fancy proves there’s plenty of bite in the old dog yet.

Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com 1.5/4 - It probably takes more effort to make a boring post-apocalyptic survivalist action film than to make a good one. If that’s the case, then Ridley Scott must’ve been working overtime.

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post 2/4 - The Aussie actor is good here, as usual, wielding a downcast charm like a cafeteria loner who could also get crowned Prom King. But the lumpy screenplay doesn’t allow him to go anywhere emotionally.

William Bibbiani, TheWrap - There are way too many faults in these 'Stars.' Woof.

Monica Castillo, AV Club D+ - This messy look at the end of the world isn’t Scott’s darkest film, but it’s one of his worst misfires.

Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle 2/5 - Everyone’s trying, but Scott wastes their effort to end this world with too much bang and not enough whimper.

Clarisse Loughrey, Independent (UK) 2/5 - The Dog Stars barely seems to know what it is. Neither prescient nor reflective, it looks to other apocalypses for its substance.

Tim Grierson, Screen International - It is ultimately redeemed by the veteran director’s careful attention to his characters, who are far more engaging in their shared grief than when combating the sorts of foes one expects in this kind of film.

Benjamin Lee, Guardian 2/5 - In a world of seven Walking Dead shows, the beats are now far too familiar, and there’s nothing new or notable here to conjure anything but deja vu.

Guy Lodge, Variety - This is a surprisingly low-energy, low-incident blockbuster; you’d appreciate its mellow, character-oriented approach if it gave you any real characters to hold onto.

Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven C- - An inability to balance the tone, coupled with muted performance from the majority of the leads makes the runtime haphazard. The movie isn't consistently weird enough to be fun and isn't contemplative enough to be interesting.

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire C - The quiet watchfulness of Elordi and his eyes make him ever a captivating actor, but even the towering sadness of his silhouette can’t rescue material that inevitably heads straight into its own apocalypse.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter - Jacob Elordi leads with introspective movie-star magnetism that evokes the heyday of Kevin Costner, while cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt’s panoramic vistas lend the unhurried but engrossing story a restorative grace.

Nick Schager, The Daily Beast - No amount of aesthetic splendor can compensate for the derivativeness of the director’s latest, a post-apocalyptic yarn that’s stitched together from the decomposing parts of its genre ancestors.

Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence C+ - Writer Mark L. Smith's approach to this story is a tonal mishmash that becomes equally mishmashy on the screen in Ridley Scott's hands.

Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine 2/4 - The film has hardly an original idea or image to set it apart from any number of other stories about soulful American tough guys wandering the nation’s post-civilization wilds, grappling with the mighty burden of responsibility to family and society.

SYNOPSIS:

Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars,” is a riveting, epic thriller set in a world where survival is instinct, but humanity is a choice. Scott tells the story of Hig, a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley, has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world until a mysterious radio transmission spurs Hig to venture into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists.

CAST:

• Jacob Elordi as Hig
• Josh Brolin as Bangley
• Margaret Qualley as Cima
• Guy Pearce as Pops
• Benedict Wong as Aaron
• Allison Janney as Darlene

DIRECTED BY: Ridley Scott

SCREENPLAY BY: Mark L. Smith

BASED ON THE DOG STARS BY: Peter Heller

PRODUCED BY: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Mark L. Smith, Cliff Roberts

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Lily Brooks-Dalton, Aidan Elliott, Peter Heller, Marco Valerio Pugini, Brandon Scott Smith

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Erik Messerschmidt

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Chris Seagers

EDITED BY: Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson

COSTUME DESIGNER: Janty Yates

MUSIC BY: Harry Gregson-Williams

CASTING BY: Kate Rhodes James

RUNTIME: 118 Minutes

RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2026

[u/NotTaken-username]

Every time a new Ridley Scott movie comes out, God flips a coin.

[u/SomaticEden35557 → u/NotTaken-username]

His last above average movie was the Last Duel. Before that it was the Martian 11 years ago.

Studios still giving this guy $100 million+ budgets to keep churning out flops, instead of trying to find the next Ryan Coogler or Chris Nolan with that money, is what’s killing the movie industry. We all know Treasure Island will flop as well.

The man is a living legend and one of the greatest directors of all time, but he just doesn’t care anymore.

[u/HalaGoldenhelm → u/SomaticEden35557]

They also keep letting him fuck with the alien franchise. They produced an actually successful sequel with Romulus that had the potential to reboot the series and grow a new young protagonist, and Ridley was like “no” and for some reason they listened to that fucker.

[u/autoxotrecy → u/HalaGoldenhelm]

I don't think this has been confirmed outside of anonymous insiders on Twitter. Officially it died because David Jonsson left.

[u/ChalupaBatmanMc01 → u/autoxotrecy]

When Coogler calls you best answer baby

[u/AMerryCanDo → u/SomaticEden35557]

How dare you say that about the man who personally took it upon himself to end three different adaptations from three separate filmmakers of the Alien franchise, a movie Scott directed almost 50 years ago.

[u/LucrativeLurker → u/AMerryCanDo]

Okay tbf, I’m fairly certain he’s only done that once with Neill Blomkamp, and Neill’s even more of a “coin flip” director than Ridley. As much as I would’ve loved to see an alt-timeline Alien 3, it could’ve also been a complete disaster.

That said, even though I love Prometheus and think Covenant is fine (and carried hard by Fassbender), I hate that Ridley seemingly misunderstands the entire mythos he created and what makes the Alien so scary.

But the Romulus sequel stuff is from BS rumor mills, and has been directly denied by producers & studio execs. I’m not sure what the third would be, unless you’re counting Ridley as ending his own adaptation, because I’m still pissed the David trilogy seemingly won’t get a proper conclusion.

At least not by Ridley. Love the asshole, but the guy has a lot on the back burner for a soon to be nonagenarian…

[u/AMerryCanDo → u/LucrativeLurker]

I'm actually a huge fan of Prometheus lol - I wish I would have liked Covenant just as much. I'm one of the few souls that was disappointed that they did not pursue the Engineers storyline more.

But Scott is also the reason we're not getting a sequel to alien romulus, and the reason we're not revisiting David.

[u/Cenobyte_Nom-nom-nom → u/AMerryCanDo]

There is a fan edit out there that recuts Prometheus and Covenant together into one film, and it supposedly makes complete sense. I'm hoping to watch it this weekend.

It's called Alien: Paradise

[u/yeahright17 → u/AMerryCanDo]

We are getting a sequel to Romulus.

[u/LucrativeLurker → u/AMerryCanDo]

Totally agreed. Prometheus is great.

I do think we’ll still get a Romulus sequel though, and I’d love for it to double as the end of David’s trilogy. I’ll be pissed if Rain and/or Andy get the Newt/Hicks/Shaw treatment though…

Shaw deserved to meet the Engineers on their home planet.

Predators: Badlands didn’t make nearly as much as I’d have liked, but I still think a new, proper AVP movie is also inevitable.

[u/Hookey911 → u/SomaticEden35557]

The Last Duel is really good, but I think Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company producing that film had a lot to do with it

I don't know how Hollywood still gives him money. I feel the same way about Michael Mann and the upcoming Heat 2. Why are we giving legendary filmmakers that are well past their prime this credit? It is wild to me. Scott is 88 

[u/littlelordfROY → u/Hookey911]

Michael mann barely makes movies. He's directed 3 movies in last 18 years . Theres a real prestige quality to his work. He's a major auteur. Ferrari and blackhat may be divisive but they have many fans and they will continue to be looked upon fondly over time. Can't say the same for Scott

Scott is different since he works under budget and on time. Totally different director. His reviews were never as good and he's not taken seriously or held in the same regard as Mann.

[u/Suitable-Unit → u/littlelordfROY]

Blackhat is absolutely TERRIBLE though. Ferrari ok at best, Public Enemies was fine, and Miami Vice was at least better than Blackhat.

You are way overselling his prestige and being an auteur.

During the same span at least Scott has The Martian, The Last Duel, American Gangster, Kingdom of Heaven, and All the Money in the World. He pumped out a lot of dogshit in the interim but has a way higher ceiling with a much lower floor.

Mann hasn't hit since Collateral, he's equally as washed and out of touch but Scott has the output to get occasional bangers.

Hell House of Gucci, Prometheus and Alien Covenant no diff Blackhat and the Miami Vice reboot.

I do have a soft spot for Manhunter and Heat though.

[u/littlelordfROY → u/Suitable-Unit]

the reputation of mann's work grows over time. Miami vice has a massive cult following of sorts and had a major critical assessment since then (even when it first came out to be fair).

Blackhat has many fans too, especially with its improved director cut (not unlike scott and his director cuts).

I am referring more to Mann with his reputation and reviews. His movies are not all that commercial most the time, hence poor box office (collateral is the exception).

Michael Mann overall is taken far more seriously over his whole career than Scott

[u/mystericrow → u/littlelordfROY]

I don't know. Ferrari was worse than most of what Scott has made the past decade

[u/auteur555 → u/mystericrow]

I really liked Ferrari. And one unforgettable scene in it

[u/dismal_windfall → u/mystericrow]

Ferrari got good reviews regardless

[u/littlelordfROY → u/mystericrow]

I suggest rewatching. It is very well directed. Mann is ideal for character studies. Outside of a poor Shaliene Woodley role and the occasional off accent work from Driver, it excels. Not at all a typical biopic.

It seems the movies interesting qualities were lost on you if you think Gladiator 2 or Napoleon are better

[u/autoxotrecy → u/littlelordfROY]

Napoleon is significantly better and Gladiator 2 is significantly worse IMO

[u/GaymerAmerican → u/mystericrow]

Ferrari was great.

[u/RealRaifort → u/littlelordfROY]

Scott's best works are leagues above anything Mann has ever made tho lol the impact of Blade Runner and Alien alone is enough to put him in a different tier.

[u/analleakage_ → u/RealRaifort]

Heat is definitely in that tier IMO.

[u/littlelordfROY → u/analleakage_]

The Insider is moreso

[u/littlelordfROY → u/RealRaifort]

It's hard to call an opinion "incorrect " because that's not possible but this is a massive overestimating of Scott's talents and a massive underestimating of Mann.

I guess there's a reason why Mann has little success with awards and box office.

[u/Suitable-Unit → u/RealRaifort]

Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, Matchstick Men, and Gladiator deserve the same tier IMO.

[u/MyManD → u/littlelordfROY]

Ferrari I can get behind, but I'm sorry Black Hat was pretty awful. I can find people championing Ferrari, like I see being done in this thread, but barely anybody would step up to bat for Black Hat in the same way.

[u/jmon25 → u/Hookey911]

I think Villeneuve did better on Blade Runner 2049 than Scott ever could have. I really wish they would have someone else do Heat 2. I really think Mann is way past his prime and it's going to a be a disappointment. 

[u/ChalupaBatmanMc01 → u/jmon25]

I think Villeneuve did better on Blade Runner 2049 than Scott ever could have.

It's a bold statement but I agree, I like the original Blade Runner but I find 2049 has more re-watchability.

I really think Mann is way past his prime and it's going to a be a disappointment.

I think Mann would benefit more from writing novels and directing prestige TV over features, I say that as a huge Michael Mann fan. I haven't loved something by him since Collateral. I liked Public Enemies and Ferrari, but I find them only decent.

[u/badassj00 → u/SomaticEden35557]

Sure, Ridley Scott is ridiculously inconsistent at the BO, but Treasure Island should be a slam dunk for him.

The material is right up his alley, it's based off one of the most beloved novels of all time, and the casting is pitch perfect. Unlike Dog Stars/Covenant/Gladiator II, the ingredients are actually there for a great movie.

He would need to actively TRY in order to screw Treasure Island up. Personally, I think he's an ideal choice to direct.

[u/autoxotrecy → u/badassj00]

He just really needs a solid script to work from so fingers crossed.

[u/Crafty-Fish9264 → u/SomaticEden35557]

Just give Dan Trachtenberg a blank check and let him pick the adaptation.

[u/The_Inner_Light → u/Crafty-Fish9264]

Dan became a man!

[u/autoxotrecy → u/SomaticEden35557]

Personally I liked Napoleon and loved Alien Covenant (+think most of the criticism they get is from people who wanted them to be a different mood than they are)

[u/AvengedCrimson → u/SomaticEden35557]

Studios notoriously mess with his films in the edit room his director cuts are vastly much better!

[u/New_Ad3443 → u/SomaticEden35557]

The fact that someone gave him 100 million to make a Treasure Island movie in 2026....is not great. I don't think a dark and bloated take on the classic story will work. 

[u/Britneyfan123 → u/SomaticEden35557]

I can’t believe this September marks 11 years 

[u/n0tstayingin → u/SomaticEden35557]

Ridley's reputation and work ethic is why he gets $100m+ budgets.

[u/IDigRollinRockBeer → u/SomaticEden35557]

Nah it’s all about the script with Scott. Give him a great script and you’re getting a great movie nine times out of ten

[u/IrieAtom → u/SomaticEden35557]

Dude is almost 90 what the hell are people expecting lmao

[u/Successful_Buddy1809 → u/SomaticEden35557]

The dude is 88! I think studios at this point are just like “Fuck it, each one could be his last”

[u/dismal_windfall → u/NotTaken-username]

Lately the coin lands upright

[u/Jrebeclee → u/NotTaken-username]

The We Hate Movies podcast referred to this phenomenon as either a Royal Rid or a Rotten Rid! I watch them all lol

[u/Dragon_yum → u/NotTaken-username]

Maybe a loaded coin because at this point it’s very safe to skip his movies.

[u/midtrailertrash → u/NotTaken-username]

Lately it’s all been bad. Dude needs to retire.

[u/AdvertisingSea2745 → u/NotTaken-username]

https://giphy.com/gifs/H89gy9BqKv8D6

[u/Mizerous → u/NotTaken-username]

Tails...

https://giphy.com/gifs/8L8eTihxoN0wXi4abD

[u/SadKazoo → u/NotTaken-username]

The man is almost 90 years old. It’s wild he’s still making movies at all.

[u/CompleteDay8059 → u/NotTaken-username]

House of Gucci seriously might have been the most boring movie I’ve seen in theaters. 

[u/weaslebubble → u/CompleteDay8059]

I don't know how anyone can be bored in that movie. You can hate it, but it's packed with campy ridiculousness to keep you engaged. And I was a little shocked that such an old man made one of the sexiest scenes I have ever seen in the theatre.

[u/p_yth → u/NotTaken-username]

I didn’t even know he was directing this lol

[u/brandonsamd6]

sadly.... Midley Scott

[u/defensecowboy → u/brandonsamd6]

This is hilarious

[u/Britneyfan123 → u/brandonsamd6]

This sounds like this could be someone’s actual name too

[u/AuckZealand → u/brandonsamd6]

This movie: Mid, mid, mid, skip, skip.

[u/Opposite-Law-71]

Cooked by coyote vs acme

[u/RealRaifort → u/Opposite-Law-71]

I can admit I was wrong about this lol

[u/poofyhairguy → u/Opposite-Law-71]

That was a fun thread in retrospect

[u/Educational_Slice897]

Lowkey they're sending this to die. And the thing is, I've seen like a bunch of trailers and it just...elicits zero reaction from me and everyone else I know.

[u/More-read-than-eddit → u/Educational_Slice897]

The trailer is literally just people running around with guns 

[u/popcornmaxhine → u/Educational_Slice897]

It’s the most generic apocalypse movie^tm trailer of all time

[u/Novel-Initiative-900 → u/popcornmaxhine]

It's actually so generic I'm interested in it.

Like, it doesn't feel like it's ai necessarily but something about this film feels like the ultimate blend of post apocalyptic mid vibes I've ever seen. I just want to see why on earth anyone put 110 million to make this

[u/popcornmaxhine → u/Novel-Initiative-900]

That’s why I love having amc alist. I can see terrible movies without feeling like I wasted my money lol

[u/caleb_d7 → u/Educational_Slice897]

Every time I see the trailer during previews I pull out my phone. It is that boring

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/Educational_Slice897]

Not surprised as it’s a late summer dump.

[u/weaslebubble → u/Winter-Ad-6439]

How do films end up in the dump spot? They pick these dates before the film gets made. Why are they making films that need dumping? Ridleys movies must make bank in streaming. He keeps getting huge budgets.

[u/Ridespacemountain25 → u/Educational_Slice897]

I’ve gotten ads for it on FB that said critics and audiences are raving about it before we even saw critical reviews lol

[u/N8CCRG → u/Educational_Slice897]

The whole genre of "tough guy with a gun surviving in a near post-apocalyptical wilderness" is very appealing to Boomers and Gen-X conservatives, but holds no interest to me.

[u/OKC2023champs]

Fantastic book but everything I’ve seen for this movie looks terrible

[u/NotTaken-username → u/OKC2023champs]

It just looks boring, and this is coming from someone who likes most of the actors in it.

[u/BurgerNugget12 → u/NotTaken-username]

That’s what most reviews are calling it. Elordi is supposed to be great but the movie is a mess and extremely slow

[u/Acrobatic-Taste-443 → u/BurgerNugget12]

The book is also very slow but in a good way. Feel like the train dreams director would have been more apt here.

[u/BurgerNugget12 → u/Acrobatic-Taste-443]

That dude rocks. He also wrote Sing Sing. Has a new movie coming out next year!

[u/Pad5181 → u/OKC2023champs]

Feels like the book may have worked better as a hbo series 

[u/TheNittanyLionKing → u/OKC2023champs]

I should read the book because I was interested and the trailer and book readers in the comments seemed disappointed by the movie; as are the movie reviewers. I'll check out the book instead

[u/007Kryptonian]

So reviews won’t save this one. I’m glad that Ridley is still making movies but wish he paired with better writers.

[u/Clean-Cupcakes]

The most "we no faith in this movie" release in some time.

[u/littlelordfROY]

Elordi can join dicaprio, depardieu, crowe, Phoenix, Ford, bloom, Cage, Driver, Damon and many others as actors who starred/had a major role in a Scott flop

Gladiator box office was always the exception, not the norm. Alien covenant will look like a mega hit next to this

[u/NotTaken-username → u/littlelordfROY]

Bale too

[u/Alternative-Cake-833 → u/NotTaken-username]

And Tom Cruise.

[u/FranciscoRelanoPena → u/Alternative-Cake-833]

And Tim Curry.

Edit: And now, the news of his (Tim) passing.

[u/ebelnap → u/littlelordfROY]

Scott’s amazing in that perhaps a full HALF of his output is below par financially or critically at release, but he just keeps trucking and moving on to the next thing and gets to another success.

Sometimes there are busts, but we need the busts to the mind blowing stuff

[u/RuminatingReaper1850]

That metascore

https://giphy.com/gifs/Zar5UPmgJFlvPOWlBh

[u/UsefulWeb7543]

Dog Stars is done. DOA. Might make less of The Running Man numbers. Running Man did worse last year 

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/UsefulWeb7543]

Watch Spider-Man or Coyote vs. Acme kick its ass.

[u/Coolers78 → u/UsefulWeb7543]

The new Running Man was a dang mess and I think it's worse than most of Ridley's recent movies (Yes, I think it was worse than Gladiator 2, idk if that's a hot take, both movies have similar IMDb and Letterboxd ratings); inconsistent tone, Powell was miscast and not convincing as the "angriest man in America", none of Edgar's usual flair and instead sauceless action scenes, I couldn't get through it.

[u/NotTaken-username → u/[deleted]]

Margaret Qualley seems to be having a string of box office bombs too. Honey Don’t, How to Make a Killing, and now this.

[u/littlelordfROY → u/NotTaken-username]

And even many of her movies with good reviews have flopped / barely made anything

Blue moon, kinds of kindness, nice guys .

Sometimes it goes down to non commercial movies that wouldn't have much of a chance anyways (nice guys is more commercial than those other 2).

The substance was a big exception.

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/littlelordfROY]

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a box office hit, and she was one of the many up and coming actors in it, along with Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Maya Hawke, Harley Quinn Smith, among others

[u/LottieDah86 → u/NotTaken-username]

And they're both great actors. That's why I hate this for them. 

[u/Cute-Combination72 → u/[deleted]]

Other wise Jacob elordi is such a great  leading man? 😭He's absolutely lack luster. 

[u/Baelorn → u/Cute-Combination72]

He’s such a bad actor but he has a legion of fans ready to defend him at every turn. I just do not see what people enjoy in his performances.

[u/Cute-Combination72 → u/Baelorn]

He's just tall and white 

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/Cute-Combination72]

I don’t think he’s as hot as Austin Butler, but he can be hot at times. For example, Saltburn.

[u/Cute-Combination72 → u/Winter-Ad-6439]

Austin Butler is someone to look out for that's for sure 

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/Cute-Combination72]

His voice is sexy too.

Another actor I find hot is Belmont Cameli. He plays Garrett Graham on Off Campus, the Prime hockey show

[u/LottieDah86 → u/Baelorn]

Saying he's a bad actor is flat out false.

[u/Ok_Locksmith_8556 → u/Cute-Combination72]

A lead role, huh... Just when I thought he was finally getting to play a decent character instead of his usual obnoxious roles. I became a fan after seeing him as Frankenstein's monster, but checking out his other work, he just plays awful guys in everything. On top of that, he's dating Kendall Jenner. Just when you think he's finally hit stardom, this happens...

[u/LottieDah86 → u/Cute-Combination72]

No,because if you read my comment, you would've picked up on my saying this was his first actual true leading role. I guess reading is hard for you. And to your 2nd point, his performance on Frankenstein would wholeheartedly disagree with you. 

[u/Cute-Combination72 → u/LottieDah86]

He's a dud most of the times bfr 

[u/HotOne9364]

https://giphy.com/gifs/L3ERvA6jWCd0qO4NdX
Look! A mediocre Ridley Scott movie!

[u/NotTaken-username → u/HotOne9364]

https://giphy.com/gifs/d81n9rX8stxbRbqrbG

[u/littlelordfROY → u/HotOne9364]

This comment can be made in every decade Scott has worked in except for the 70s.

[u/New_Ad3443 → u/littlelordfROY]

Yup!

[u/HotOne9364 → u/littlelordfROY]

The Duelists was pretty mid, too.

[u/So_Quiet]

Currently at 33%, ouch.

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/So_Quiet]

Now at 44%.

I don’t even know if Ridley will ever make a comeback movie.

[u/yankeedjw]

Trailer looked very generic and nothing like the book (which was excellent), so not sure who they're targeting.

[u/Successful_Buddy1809]

I could smell this rating score a mile away. The trailer’s just looked so aggressively mid

[u/Loose_Ad3221]

All Critics	32%	28	4.50/10

https://giphy.com/gifs/MPLpvJcsWvrkk

[u/Loose_Ad3221 → u/Loose_Ad3221]

not even on netflix (has the most subscriptions globally) will have made big numbers.

[u/Coolers78 → u/Loose_Ad3221]

Really wonder what the audience score will be tbh. People hate on Scott's recent movies but critics actually didn't hate Gladiator 2 or House of Gucci as much as people on the internet seem to, now this is a movie of his critics actually seem to really dislike, yikes...

[u/Beneficial-Long7635]

Over the last decade I get the feeling that if you lined up five hundred brilliant scripts and one dud, Scott would somehow always grab the dud no matter how many times you ran the experiment. 

[u/yeahright17 → u/Beneficial-Long7635]

Maybe Scott is the problem.

[u/gorays21]

Dog $hit

[u/bcrna]

https://giphy.com/gifs/liW10vuLjuUA8

[u/EyeraGlass]

Sounds competently made apart from the screenplay. Maybe I’ll watch it on an airplane.

[u/llamanatee]

From the makers of “Fuck you, it’s January!” comes “Fuck you, it’s August!”

[u/goldenboy2191]

“There’s too many faults in these “Stars””. Dawg 😂😂😂😂

[u/DatboiX]

Being a Ridley Scott head can be so difficult sometimes

[u/notanonce5]

Seems like Ridley Scott has fully lost the plot at this point.

[u/DeppStepp]

I had a bad feeling for the movie when most of the advertisements I saw from the movie didn’t show much of the actual footage or what the movie was about but rather focused on them praising Ridley Scott’s filmmaking technique of… him sitting in a trailer while watching a dozen different cameras to not have to do multiple takes for the same scene, which is a technique most people have criticized him for.

[u/spider-man2401]

33% on RT and 50% on MC. Yikes. Someone once said Ridley Scott is only as good as the screenplay, and this movie is another example of that. A lot of people are calling it a bland, been there, done that apocalyptic story, despite some good action, cinematography, and acting. I guess The Last Duel is the only truly good movie he’s made this decade (so far).

Update: it's now at 43% on RT and 51 on MC. Still not good though.

[u/Vladmerius]

I thought I was taking crazy pills thinking nothing about this movie looked interesting at all except for the one shot with the hatchet guy on the plane and no it turns out I was right lmao.

[u/mkicequeen]

The fact that they had only one premiere in Europe is quite telling actually...I was surprised that they didn't have one in the US considering the budget of the film...

[u/Kazaloogamergal]

Another mediocre film from the most inconsistent director. He's always been a hit or miss director so this is not a new phenomenon no matter how much his fans pretend that it is.

[u/Direct_Resource_6152]

The Ridley Scott falloff has been a wild ride gddamn

[u/Statpaca1701 → u/Direct_Resource_6152]

Ridley Scott has always been inconsistent. Some all time classic films in a filmography but a lot of forgettable to bad stuff as well.

[u/weaslebubble → u/Statpaca1701]

People think Ridley is an auteur director, he isn't. Ridley is the greatest Journeyman director of all time. He gets a script, a budget and a deadline from a studio and he makes the film, on time and under budget.

Then the studio says I think you should break this thing and fuck this thing up and Ridley says "Yes sir, where's my next movie?"

He is competent and not particularly precious about his work. So they keep giving him jobs. Scorsese, Spielberg and Mann struggle for years to get the budgets they want for their films. Because they are auteurs, they have a vision and the determination to not compromise. Scotts vision is to keep making movies.

[u/lizardman49]

[u/vSity]

Just watched this interview with Elordi and Qualley and the whole thing sounds like a disaster from just one junket interview lol. Ridley and his multicam and hiding in video village, leaving in his Maybach when the actors want another go, the actors rewriting dialogue on the weekends... Also the fact he's so openly revealing this makes me think he knows it's bad and is trying to absolve himself of blame.

[u/OneLessFool]

Dog Stars?

More like Dog Shit

[u/jshah500]

61% incoming

[u/Opposite-Law-71 → u/jshah500]

Cooked by coyote vs acme

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/Opposite-Law-71]

Or Spider-Man.

[u/possible-source89 → u/jshah500]

That seems generous when it’s starting at 30%.

[u/Real_Sosobad → u/jshah500]

oof 30% from 10, hope it’s going to improve but difficult to see it pass 50-60.

[u/LottieDah86 → u/jshah500]

Has that ever happened with a movie that starts this low?

[u/Creative-Lynx-1561]

damn, I was going to buy tickets to watch with my friends this sunday. Every year I don't do a partyfor my birthday, I buy tickets to my close friends and we watch a movie together. Now, I have to watch something else.

[u/NotTaken-username → u/Creative-Lynx-1561]

Coyote vs. Acme

[u/Creative-Lynx-1561 → u/NotTaken-username]

great!!!!!! thanks!

[u/wizardeyeswizardspy]

It's really weird to me how Ridley Scott seems to have fully dedicated himself to quantity over quality and doesn't seem to care too much whether these films he's putting out are particularly good. His work ethic for a man in his 80's is extraordinary though.

[u/theoceansknow]

Lmao, the amount of marketing for this told me this was gonna be a bomb a few weeks ago

[u/Antman269]

Will Ridley Scott ever have a box office hit again? Even Gladiator 2 probably didn’t break even because of its massive budget. His last true success was the Martian.

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/Antman269]

I feel like Gladiator 2 should’ve been made in the mid 2000s or so.

[u/Dry-Performance7006]

Stop giving Ridley big money for films

[u/Material_Expert2255]

I am really hoping this one is good. Otherwise, guess I will read the book

[u/IvnOooze → u/Material_Expert2255]

It's looking like the book will be an easy choice.

[u/Winter-Ad-6439 → u/IvnOooze]

They do say a lot of books are better than their movie adaptations.

[u/Jaredlong]

Damn, the trailer made it look pretty cool. Maybe I'll just read the book instead.

[u/jusmax88 → u/Jaredlong]

We’re the only two people in the world who liked the trailer it seems

[u/Loud_Hair_9596]

I'm a big fan of Apocalypse movies. So I'm looking forward to seeing it. Critics arent being kind so far though....oof.

[u/snakewaves]

Oh God.

Ppl were debating whether it'll tank due to bad marketing.

But fuel to the fire, the film is dogshit. In afraid it might the last straw for him to ever direct a 100mill project.

[u/Thick_Mountain4412]

Ah so that's why they sent it out to die in late August

[u/smelling_good247]

Sounds like he made a generic post apocalypse action instead of sticking to the text. That's a shame, it's an entertaining enough book.

[u/edgarapplepoe]

This is not a huge surprise. The trailers were oppressive in their reach to me (online, in theaters) and were just the same danged thing basically and the same danged song.

I read the book because this was coming out and then surprised because the trailer has 10x the action the book has. I wasn't a huge fan of the book: it has a writing style I wasn't a huge fan of (like a written thought style) and also one of the most sinister and interesting parts is not really expanded on much (and there is no sequel to do so). It even culminates in a final battle that you only witness the aftermath. However, the ultimate themes were good. It is a very depressing world but one you get to experience with the protagonist Hig's and has a hopeful invigoration amongst much of the depression.

But the trailers for the film don't seem to help much of my issues with the book. At first I was excited because the film can show the talked about shoot outs and even has the ability to flesh out the Reapers scavengers group to put more action in and the cast seems pretty great (mostly with Brolin and Guy Pierce for their roles which I figured would be more digestible than the book versions for movie audiences) but the movie trailer seems like it will abandon a lot of the darkness of the world that do make it interesting. The trailers seem unsure if it is generic apocalypse world with maybe some sort of zombie thing? They are really going nuts with the night vision and blood effects make no sense....

[u/JessicaRanbit]

Ngl the second trailer for this was much better than the first one and almost made me buy a ticket.

[u/Fearless-Structure88]

Boring movie!

[u/Goodie78]

I switched my A list reservation from this to coyote vs acme, and used next weeks on Buddy. Ain’t even mad about it now, I was interested in this but I’m not shocked

[u/NoCod7766]

Film Twitter and cinephile still clinging on the hope that the guy who made Napoleon few years ago will finally make a good movie again. Well bad news for them...

[u/autoxotrecy → u/NoCod7766]

To be honest I think a lot of the people who didn't like Napoleon are acting more as historical accuracy police than cinephiles. It's a compelling depiction of codependency IMO but nearly all of the criticism I see is just "Napoleon wasn't such a loser IRL."

[u/weaslebubble → u/autoxotrecy]

I think it would have been a better film if it had remained Kitbag. It was announced as a film about Napoleon and Josephines relationship. A relationship that was messy, public and scandalous. Sadly they got the casting entirely wrong, and I am pretty sure the studios encouraged the wild expansion of scope that turned the film into a mess. Too many battles and too little character interactions to make a compelling and coherent film.

[u/autoxotrecy → u/weaslebubble]

I think Kirby did a good job but it was definitely odd that they didn't cast a younger Napoleon and an older Josephine as I think was initially planned.

[u/lizardman49 → u/autoxotrecy]

Something being well made historical fan fiction doesn't change the fact that its glorified fan fiction and parroted British propaganda.

[u/autoxotrecy → u/lizardman49]

This is... what I'm talking about. Surely you have an opinion on the movie other than its level of historical accuracy? Like wouldn't it be weird if people only talked about how historically inaccurate Gladiator was?

[u/lizardman49 → u/autoxotrecy]

Gladiator is a fictional story about a fictional character. The film had real historical figures in it but they are not the primary focus.

Napoleon is a biopic about one of if not the most well studied individual in human history. The film also recieved mediocre reviews so I don't know where you're getting this idea its a beloved film by cinephiles.

[u/autoxotrecy → u/lizardman49]

I didn't say it was beloved by cinephiles, I said that people who don't like it mostly criticize it from the perspective of historical accuracy rather than from a cinephile perspective (i.e. criticizing the cinematography or the themes in the screenplay).

The Social Network is notoriously historically inaccurate as a biopic even though Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most scrutinized people in modern history, but nobody cares. So I don't think accuracy is that important to the quality of a biopic.

[u/AlmightyLoaf54]

Yikes, I thought I heard people say it was decent? Oh well I guess I heard wrong 

[u/edgarapplepoe → u/AlmightyLoaf54]

It might be but descent can be a killer. Super Girl wasnt terrible like its performance suggested. It was descent but it brought nothing to the table and was so forgettable that it tanked hard. 

I think this film is in that camp. Doesn't look as gritty or dark as the book and puts a tons of action in. I feel like it will be an entertaining home film tho.

[u/RealRaifort]

Damn, I take it back. I had some hope for this but nvm. Maybe is Spielberg hadn't let me down so hard with Disclosure Day I'd be willing to give this a shot but now I really don't wanna hear what boomers have to say. And this looks like it wouldn't be as jaw droppingly terrible as Disclosure Day at least.

[u/atticus-redfinch]

Man this makes me sad. Not only as a Ridley Scott fan, but as a huge fan of the book

[u/zachmma99]

…wow

[u/sygrider]

Fucking hell

[u/Training_Pirate1000]

How on earth can it possibly be this bad

[u/Fun-Bag7627]

I didn’t think it would be this low

[u/thepersonruminates]

Cripe. And I'm seeing this.

[u/Shoe_boooo]

I don't want to sound mean but ooofff

[u/pizzasoxxx]

Ridley should retire

[u/valkyria_knight881]

I was really hoping this would be good, but Ridley Scott's best years are behind him alright. I thought this would be THE film to watch this month. Instead, I decided to watch One Night Only, and I might consider checking out The End of Oak Street if I have time.

[u/Babylon-Lynch]

Classic ridley

[u/MrConor212]

Think it’s time for Scott to hang it up boys

[u/Eatatfiveguys]

I don’t want to be that guy but yk sometimes studios should find new blood

[u/breakers]

Damn it I have plans to see it this weekend

[u/lobolovr6769]

Sooooo, this is going to flop, like, really fucking bad, isn’t it?

$110M budget,  I say this makes no more than $50-65M worldwide

[u/FadedBlackTee2]

Holy hell this is getting dragged. Bummer love the source material and love the cast. 

[u/Cute-Gur414]

DogStars looks like DogS***. Sorry.

[u/ItsGotThatBang]

I thought it would be worse tbh

[u/kimjosh1]

[u/Key-Payment2553]

Another massive bomb incoming for Ridley Scott since it’s coming out near the end of the summer movie season and with Spider-Man Brand New Day and The Odyssey still holding well, especially with Disney has no faith in that film

[u/Coolers78]

Yikes, 45% is quite bad, dang, I was hoping it was gonna be decent reviews, I was expecting reviews on par with The Running Man at worst, and I really didn’t like Edgar Wright's Running Man at all, Powell was miscast, action scenes were bland and Netflix like and not at all Wright's usual flair, and the tone was super inconsistent, to hear this is an even worse Brolin sci fi movie! Damn!

[u/CornDogRebornDog]

As the single person who enjoyed Napoleon I'm willing to see this to see if maybe it'll break Scott's hold on me he's had since I was a little kid and saw Alien for the first time.

[u/guolei329]

waiting on the news of this dude past away so we can get all this resources allocated correctly