This opinion might go against the grain, but The Dog Stars might just be the best film Ridley Scott has made in two decades. It lacks the grandiose elements of a Gladiator and prefers to embrace the complexities of human behaviour from multiple directions. In a runtime that falls a shade under two hours it explores loss with subtlety, dissects the need for companionship with wisdom, and rarely puts a foot wrong.
Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley star alongside Guy Pearce and Allison Janney. A powerhouse ensemble by any measure, The Dog Stars is unique because there is no reliance on that star power to tell its story. Screenwriter Mark L. Smith, best known for American Primeval on Netflix and The Revenant adapts Peter Heller’s novel with precision, allowing these characters to find their feet slowly.
Elordi slips beneath the skin of Hig, defining this man through his inconsolable grief and inability to let a loved one be at peace. The introspection and quiet compassion Elordi injects into his performance quickly becomes the bedrock of this film. As the last bastion of genuine humanity in this ravaged wasteland, Hig is elevated only by the presence of his canine companion Jasper.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
This is a film that focuses on reconciliation, reconnection, and rebuilding relationships. That universal theme sits at its centre, and Ridley Scott demonstrates a lightness of touch in depicting humanity at its most disparate. Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce embody stereotypical alpha males, embracing traditional gender roles and harking back to a frontier mentality when cornered.
Ridley Scott spends time alone with Hig in the opening half hour, allowing audiences to acclimatise and breath in some staggering aerial photography. Capturing the American landscape up close, establishing tone, and deploying any action sequences with care. For anyone coming into The Dog Stars expecting a survivalist horror be aware drama here is intentional and meandering, while any violent outbursts carry their own consequences.
Mark L. Smith draws drama from their inflexible approach forged through fear and insecurity. Both Bagley and Pops would rather shoot first and ask questions later, preferring cultural stasis over evolution. However, the odd couple chemistry between Bagley and Hig offsets these alpha male tendencies, while Pops is softened by Cima hinting at a potential capacity for change.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
What The Dog Stars does is disarm audiences by creating a film about reconnection in a time when people have never felt so separated. It might exist against the backdrop of a viral outbreak, but those underlying theme permeates every frame. Every actor in this ensemble understands the assignment and delivers a performance that perfectly complements their companions. Making this feel like the most accomplished film Ridley Scott has made in years.
In a time when cinema seems overly reliant on superhero blockbusters, it is refreshing to discover such a low-key offering from a confirmed master of tentpole offerings. Suggesting that audiences are still open to something of substance, over an abundance of green screen and acres of spandex.
The Dog Stars is on release in UK cinemas now.