A virus wipes out most of humankind in Ridley Scott’s bizarre new film, The Dog Stars. Scott is known for making some of the best films of all-time (Alien, Thelma & Louise, etc.), but he took the day off with this latest endeavor.
Jacob Elordi is featured as the film’s main character, Hig, a man who was so content with the love of his life, his wife, that losing her has made him void of any and all sense of hope in his life. His dog is everything to him nowadays, but how long can man’s best friend stay alive in a hopeless world like the one featured in this bleak film?
There is also the character, Bangley (Josh Brolin), who has forged a life for himself in these uncertain times where anything can and will happen.
Eventually, Hig takes off to try to save himself and meets a father and daughter called Pops (a wasted Guy Pearce of The Brutalist) and Cima (Margaret Qualley). A love story comes into play between Hig and Cima, but it’s hard to notice any chemistry in this mess of a film.
What makes The Dog Stars feel so pointless? It plods along at a snail’s pace for nearly an hour, moving along so slowly that one can’t help but feel like it’s going to go nowhere.
Yet, the pace does pick up with an action sequence where some infected humans with markings all over them chase our heroes, who end up taking off in a plane and getting away, scot-free. Only in bad movies would something like this come across as so boring.
Then, the biggest reveal of the movie takes place. Allison Janney’s character, Darlene, helps steer Fig and company’s plane towards a destination where her peculiar entourage has taken refuge.
Janney is one of our finest actresses, but she’s lost at bay in this movie. Yes, the plot development is quite interesting in her scenes, but it’s an example of way too little, way too late in the proceedings.
Brolin disappears from the movie for a bit, only to magically reappear towards the end. This film has no plausible scenarios to keep it afloat. Its premise would be laughable if it were not so threadbare.
Qualley is one of the most exciting actresses working today. One would expect she would follow-up work in great movies like The Substance with better roles. No such luck, unfortunately.
It’s not Qualley’s fault the movie falters, though. There was never much substance to the material as a screenplay, no matter how well it may have fared as a book by Peter Heller.
Brolin and Pearce also seem lost at sea here. Pearce gets corny dialogue, such as the scene where he must convince Janney’s character to let him and his crew come see their shelter. Brolin is just acting wild and goofy, for the most part, and telephones his scenes in.
Benedict Wong (Weapons) rounds out the supporting cast in The Dog Stars in a role that gets lost in the shuffle here.
The Dog Stars had a lot of potential with this cast and this director, but Scott appears as if he has lost the magic touch, which was on display in some of his greatest films. What Scott’s previous movies often feature in excitement and suspense, the latest picture replaces with a dull, meandering series of scenes that sit flat and lifeless on the screen.
If any of the scenes almost work at all in The Dog Stars, they are the ones featuring Janney, which is a testament to the quality of the actress’s on-screen presence. She may not give a good performance, but she commands the audience’s attention with her very appearance in the movie.
Elordi and Qualley could have made the film work, but the movie ultimately ends up making their characters boring. This movie could demand a remake later in time, if fans of the book are correct in saying it was interesting. As a film, The Dog Stars is a huge miss.
The Dog Stars is now playing, only in theaters.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.