'The Dog Stars' Review: One Post Apocalyptic Cliché After Another
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Dan Bremner - August 26, 2026
The latest from prolific Ridley Scott, a post-apocalyptic action-thriller based on the 2012 Peter Heller novel of the same name. It’s always a gamble with Scott at this stage. It’s genuinely good to see a director of his age and stature still working and landing big budgets, but the results remain consistently hit or miss. Sadly, The Dog Stars lands firmly in miss territory. It’s not a complete write-off as Scott can still stage visceral, brutal action and he’s backed by a solid cast, but narratively it’s one of the most generic collections of post-apocalyptic clichés I’ve sat through in years, with almost nothing to help it stand out in an already overcrowded genre.
I haven’t read the book, so I can only judge what’s on screen, but it’s difficult to see what made the source material so beloved. What ends up on screen is a bland copy-and-paste of tropes you’ve seen endlessly before: lonely survivor, trusted dog, uneasy alliances, mysterious radio signal, hostile survivors, the usual. I Am Legend, The Walking Dead, The Last of Us… this film doesn’t have a single original bone in its body. That wouldn’t necessarily be fatal if it was doing something interesting or emotionally sharp with the familiar ingredients, but it rarely is.
It moves at a reasonable clip, and Scott still knows how to deliver kinetic, nasty action. A night-time assault heavy on POV night-vision shots is a clear standout and briefly reminds you what he’s still capable of, as do some later set-pieces. Including one with a gleefully violent kill that made the crowd cheer. The production values are mostly solid too. Apart from one moment of dodgy animal CGI, the practical sets, locations and scenery look properly cinematic. Overgrown cities being reclaimed by nature and small communities scraping by in desolate landscapes aren’t new ideas, but they are well-realised and give the film a sense of scale and money spent. It’s not a must-see in IMAX, but it is theatrical-worthy on a modest level.
Jacob Elordi makes for a decent enough lead, while Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce and especially Josh Brolin provide reliable support. The problem is that the characters themselves are so flat and underdeveloped that it’s hard to care about any of them beyond the surface level. Even Brolin’s grizzled presence can only do so much with what’s on the page, even as he provides the strongest comedic beats. while Elordi’s Hig is a fairly blank slate, a survivor with a dog who has a less cynical out view on fellow survivors while he deals with the grief of losing his pregnant wife during the pandemic that wiped out most of humanity. The dog Jasper isn't in it as much as you would expect, but he makes great use of his screen time without delving into obnoxious “hella epic cute doggo” garbage I am so sick of. Qualley is one of the great young actresses working this generation, but while she's doing what she can with the material, she rarely feels like more than just a love interest for Elordi.
The relationship between Hig and his dog is clearly meant to be the emotional core, and while the dog itself is fine (and mercifully not overused for cheap sentiment), the film never really digs into what that bond actually means in this world as it's his last remaining link to his late wife (complete with manipulative flashbacks with him as a puppy). It just sort of exists as a given. Same with the uneasy friendship with Brolin’s gunman there’s potential in the friction between them, especially with his actions that cause something awful to happen, but it's weirdly brushed over. I won't go into the specifics as it is a major spoiler.
The biggest issue is that the film feels like it’s missing a third act. The final set-piece is so rushed and glossed over that I genuinely couldn’t believe it was already wrapping up. I kept waiting for some bigger turn or emotional payoff that would justify the journey, but it never arrives. Everything just sort of… ends. The entire film feels like it's stuck in first gear, never really kicking into something more than just a generic apocalypse thriller. The note is more hopeful than the bleak world it displays, but I just couldn't help but want more from this considering the talent on display.
The Dog Stars is sadly another miss in the late stages of Ridley Scott's career. He can still handle brutal action very well in some standout moments, the strong do their best with such flat characters, and it's rarely dull. Unfortunately, The Dog Stars does so little to actually stand out against so many other post-apocalyptic films, as it hits every beat you would expect with little to no surprises.
'The Dog Stars' releases in cinemas on August 28, 2026.
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