The Dog Stars Review

Movie Review

The Dog Stars

★ 6.5/10 Good

Director

Ridley Scott

Cast

Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong

Release Date

August 28, 2026

Verdict: A quiet, good-looking post-apocalyptic drama with strong acting, but many viewers found it too slow and familiar to fully land as a Ridley Scott thriller.

Pros:

• Wide, striking landscapes and flying scenes
• Solid work from Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin
• The dog and grief story hits hard for some viewers

Cons:

• Pacing drags, especially in the first hour
• Story feels familiar and the second half loses focus

About The Dog Stars 2026

The Dog Stars reached US theatres on 28 August 2026 after a London premiere a week earlier. It is Ridley Scott’s take on Peter Heller’s 2012 novel, set years after a flu pandemic has wiped out most of the world. Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a pilot living off an abandoned airfield with his dog and a tough former Marine, Bangley, played by Josh Brolin.

Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney and Benedict Wong round out the main cast. Early audience talk has been mixed. Some people left the theatre moved. Others called it pretty but dull. That split is showing up across X, YouTube comments and ticket-site discussions.

The story is simple. Hig has already lost his wife and most of the life he knew. He and Bangley keep a small, guarded homestead and fly out for supplies. Then a radio voice cuts through the silence. Hig decides to leave the safety he has and look for whoever is still out there.

Without spoiling the later turns, the film is less about constant action and more about grief, trust and whether hope still matters when the world is empty. There are raids, tense landings and a stretch where Hig meets new people, including Qualley’s Cima. The dog, Jasper, is a big part of the first act and several viewers said that storyline stayed with them the longest.

On X, the praise keeps coming back to the same things. People liked Elordi’s quiet, worn-down lead performance. Brolin got a lot of love as the hard, practical partner. Qualley and Pearce were mentioned as welcome new energy once the journey starts. The flying shots and mountain landscapes came up again and again.

More than one viewer said they cried when Jasper’s part of the story ended. The complaints are just as consistent. Many said the first hour barely moves. Some expected a leaner action film and instead got a slow character piece. A few called the script thin and the dialogue weak.

Others felt the romance arrives too fast and the last stretch gets messy. “Beautiful screensaver” and “nothing happens” showed up more than once. A handful of posts were harsher and called it mid or boring. That mix matches the broader reaction. Theatre audiences have been kinder than many critics, but the overall mood is not a clear hit.

People who like quiet survival stories and Ridley Scott’s visual style are finding enough to stay with it. People who wanted a taut post-apocalyptic thriller are walking out disappointed. This will work best for viewers who can sit with a slower film and care more about mood than plot twists.

If you enjoy grounded end-of-the-world stories, good ensemble acting and big-screen scenery, a theatre visit, especially in IMAX, still makes sense. If you need pace and fresh ideas, waiting for streaming is the safer call. The film looks expensive and the cast is strong, but the story does not always earn the two hours it asks for.

Disclaimer: This review is based on publicly available audience reactions and discussions on X at the time of writing. Individual opinions may vary.