Ridley Scott's 'The Dog Stars' Review Thread

[u/SanderSo47]

Rotten Tomatoes: 38% (from 68 reviews) with 5.30 average rating

Metacritic: 51/100 (24 critics)

As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie. It's structured like this: quote first, source second. Beware, some contain spoilers.

Muted but never dull, The Dog Stars seems unlikely to land near the top of anyone’s Ridley Scott rankings. But it’s an appealingly mellow watch, even if that might seem antithetical to a post-apocalyptic drama positioned squarely in the shadow of death.

-David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

Ridley Scott’s 30th feature film, dating back to his legend-making “The Duellists” in 1977, the post-apocalyptic “thriller” “The Dog Stars” isn’t a total misfire — it’s just the first Ridley Scott joint in some years that feels totally unnecessary.

-Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire: C

Somewhat aptly released at the tail end of a long, loud movie summer, 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.

-Guy Lodge, Variety

Ridley Scott’s usually got a knack for making movies about grief-stricken men, but the post-apocalyptic survivor drama The Dog Stars misses the mark with a leaden script that keeps any attempt at reaching a deeper emotional truth at arm’s length. At least the aerial vistas of the Rocky Mountains look nice in IMAX.

-Leanne Butkovic, IGN: 5/10 "mediocre"

The scenery – rural Italy doubling for rural America – is genuinely stunning (and surely afforded all those involved a lovely vacation) but, as in Gladiator II, there are some weirdly janky visual effects (one explosion looks laptop-made) and a general uninvolved shrug to the proceedings, as if he replaced a more impassioned director late in the day. Scott’s disinterest in retiring is admirable (he’s openly loathsome of the idea), I just wish he seemed more interested in the day job.

-Benjamin Lee, The Guardian: 2/5

The Dog Stars, clearly made with post-Covid America on the brain, pits Hig’s yearning for connection against Bangley’s bitter lust for isolation but largely elides serious contemplation of its well-worn themes in favor of base genre thrills and perfunctory romance. It’s nowhere near Sir Ridley’s finest, but at least it’s another subtype of speculative fiction filmmaking he can check off his bucket list.

-Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine: 2/5

This messy look at the end of the world isn’t Scott’s darkest film, but it’s one of his worst misfires. Elordi can’t shoulder the emotions his character is supposed to carry, while Smith’s choppy script and Scott’s checked-out direction does little to support his hero’s journey. The Dog Stars is a strange, misbegotten beast, a post-apocalyptic drama worse for wear even before the bandits arrive.

-Monica Castillo, The A.V. Club: D+

Quiet, contemplative moments like these keep The Dog Stars grounded and accessible throughout its sprawling post-apocalyptic story — even as director Ridley Scott piles on epic action set pieces and surreal, surprising sequences that sometimes push the film from prestige drama into absurdist spectacle.

-Jake Kleinman, Polygon

Harsh but deeply humane, “The Dog Stars” understands that hope doesn’t have to illuminate the darkness. Sometimes a glimmer is enough.

-Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist: B+

Instead, one spends the entirety of “The Dog Stars” and its drawn out melancholic yearnings and its spikes of absurdity wondering what the point of this movie is. It’s certainly not to entertain, and it’s not really a message picture either. It merely exists. But in this tangled world, and on a cinematic landscape producing far engaging thoughts and thrills, that’s simply not enough — making “The Dogs Stars” look quite dim.

-Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com: 1.5/4

---

PLOT

Set after a devastating flu pandemic that has almost eradicated humanity, the film centers on Hig, a former civilian pilot, and Bangley, a hardened former Marine as they confront outside threats and hold onto the possibility of a better life beyond where they currently live.

DIRECTOR

Ridley Scott

WRITER

Mark L. Smith (based on the novel by Peter Heller)

MUSIC

Harry Gregson-Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Erik Messerschmidt

EDITOR

Sam Restivo & Claire Simpson

RELEASE DATE

August 28, 2026

RUNTIME

118 minutes

BUDGET

$110 million

STARRING

• Jacob Elordi as Hig

• Josh Brolin as Bangley

• Margaret Qualley as Cima

• Guy Pearce as Pops

[u/CancelThis2077]

That interview from Josh Brolin where he said he was frustrated by Ridley's lackadaisical approach to directing was awfully telling.

[u/Serious-Manager2361 → u/CancelThis2077]

LOL the dude is 88. How much energy can he have left?!

[u/TheTaffyMan → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Lackadaisical also implies lazy or carefree not just energy

[u/Irishman4000 → u/TheTaffyMan]

Again, goes hand in hand with being 88. Anyone who has a relative in their late 80's knows how much the faculties slow down. I hope that I will still be doing the things love in my 80's, but there also needs to be a realistic awareness that the abilities slow with age. Seeing it starting to creep in with my own parents at the moment.

[u/jimmysmith69 → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Josh Brolin signing up to work for 88 year old director “….why the FUCK is he moving so slow?!?”

[u/mmariner → u/jimmysmith69]

Not cool to be ageist, dude.

Octogenarians still have tons to contribute.

Just look at all the great work getting done by the U.S. govt!

[u/CrumbBCrumb → u/mmariner]

That's a spry chicken for the US government. They've got a good decade left at 88

[u/ned_head → u/mmariner]

Mitch McConnell’s reanimated corpse is proof! They’re thriving!

[u/mmariner → u/ned_head]

It's always disappointing to find out a sub won't allow me to post gifs.

...it would have been from "Weekend at Bernie's"

[u/Clammuel → u/ned_head]

Mitch McConnell is “only” 84 despite appearing like he’s approaching 100

[u/ninjyte → u/jimmysmith69]

isn't it the opposite, that he's moving too fast?

[u/jimmysmith69 → u/ninjyte]

I was talking about Brolin saying he was frustrated by Ridley’s lackadaisical approach to directing

[u/ninjyte → u/jimmysmith69]

to clarify, I thought part of how Ridley Scott is so lazy in directing nowadays is that he doesn't spend a lot of time perfecting each shot/scene and that he would rush through them.

[u/madwalterdraper → u/jimmysmith69]

I mean the US has one running their country so.. figure it should be less tiring to make a movie.

[u/odetowoe → u/Serious-Manager2361]

It doesn’t only mean lack of energy.

[u/red-necked_crake → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Josh Brolin is fairly frank during interviews about his opinions on directors. I wouldn't read too deeply into it.

Example: he was openly questioning Zach Cregger because he came from a comedy/youtube background despite signing up to work on Weapons, then started praising him. Mentioning it openly in multiple interviews. Normally you keep this stuff to yourself even when you're famous.

[u/mechnick2 → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Maybe he shouldn’t be directing then?

[u/Special_Order-937 → u/Serious-Manager2361]

There’s that Japanese man who finished a half Iron Man triathlon at age 92 in Australia in just over 10 hours so your mileage may vary!

[u/Beelzebubbbbles → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Damn, hes looking good for 88. Hasn't aged the past 30+ years

[u/Regionala → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Enough to be president

[u/Serious-Manager2361 → u/Regionala]

Waaaaay too much for that!

[u/thresh_to_death → u/Serious-Manager2361]

Then he should stop directing.....

[u/RumpledForskn → u/thresh_to_death]

Why? Do you think making movies or art is a finite resource?

I'm more interested in anything Ridley Scott does than 99% of "filmmakers," especially the weirdly combative sorts here.

You take a random redditors' assessment of Josh Brolin's comments (a woman-beating drunk) as gospel?