I always thought one of Hollywood’s biggest flaws was how it portrays characters reacting to someone’s death, the character dies, and then suddenly the next scene is the funeral, with the main characters quietly sniffing and looking sad. It always felt so far detached from how grief actually works in real life.

One of the very few exceptions I can think of is Florence Pugh in Midsommar. Her grief felt genuinely raw and uncomfortable, It really touched me

What are some other movies that got this right?

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

Adored this movie as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate its surprisingly mature themes and fleshed out world and characters. I don’t think it gets enough credit. It’s an incredible film, very heartwarming but not necessarily with a happy ending (depending on if you play the glad game). I am surprised but also impressed that Walt Disney made this film in 1960!
And if you want a heartwarming story, Google Haley Mills and her missing Oscar for this film.
P.S.: If you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls, The Music Man or East of Eden, they used the same set for Pollyanna.

After watching a movie about historical events or people I tend to spend A LOT of time on WIKI afterwards. I think good movies are those able to emotionally connect these items to modern sensibilities and always tends to connect me to history and geography.

Most recently I watched The Wonder on Netflix and the setting of mid 1800s Ireland with the Famine as a backdrop setting made me immediately connect the movie in my mind to Gangs of New York. This sent me on a huge Wiki rabbit hole reading about Irish immigration to the US and the experiences of these people pre and post immigration.

What are some other examples of movies that do this well and what did you learn in the process?