‘The Dog Stars’ Review – A Mishmash With Two Beautiful People Surviving The Apocalypse

I remember seeing the trailer for The Dog Stars and having my eyes roll back in my head. Do we really need more post-apocalyptic stories when we’re living in a real life apocalypse? Do we need another movie that has an analog for COVID-19 and the aftermath that had on our own society.

Well, something about The Dog Stars surprised the hell out of me. Not only was it not as dark and dreary as I thought it would be, but there’s some exceptionally interesting sequences in the film. The Dog Stars stars Jacob Elordi as Hig, a former mechanic who’s now living with Bangley (Josh Brolin) on an old airstrip trying to survive in this new post-MegaFlu world. The opening of the film shows off Elordi on a run with his dog Jasper, and sets the tone for the rest of the film (for the most part). They’re finding supplies in Denver and they head back to give them to a convent of Mormons.

Bangley doesn’t like the outside world; he doesn’t believe that other people have the capacity to be good in this new world. Sounds pretty similar to our own circumstances, right? Well, on his travels, Hig gets a faint radio signal from Grand Junction, a place that has been rumored to be a utopia in a dark world. After an attack on the airstrip by bandits, Hig decides to go out in search of Grand Junction, to the chagrin of Bangley.

Two Beautiful People In Search Of The Old World

You’d think that’s where our story with Bangley would end, but interspersed between Hig’s travels, we get looks at what he’s up to. Josh Brolin is easily the most entertaining part of The Dog Stars. Bangley seems to be the character that got the most thought and care put into him. Hig is a fine character, but he’s basically the star of a rom-com here in an action movie. Elordi does have some chops, especially during the action scenes, but the best reactions from the audience were when Bangley was on screen.

Hig’s travels and airplane troubles force him to land in a remote section of the wilderness on his way to Grand Junction. Between a buffalo stampede and trying to clear a runway, he runs into Pops (played by Guy Pearce) and Cima (played by Margaret Qualley). They’re living in a similar way to how Hig and Bangley were. Living off the land, keeping scavengers and other dangerous folk at bay, and it shows. Pops is immediately distrustful of Hig. However, Cima trusts him very quickly and the movie shifts to almost a rom-com-esque look for about 20-30 minutes.

The Dog Stars feels like it takes a slice of whatever genre and mixes it with its post-apocalyptic setting in several spots in the film. We get Josh Brolin doing what amounts to Call of Duty: Zombies at a point in the film, the Grand Junction section of the film is equally as shocking, with Allison Janney stealing a scene from the other performers. We get some comedy in the third act, and then it wraps back around to drama-action. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make for an uneven tone.

Not As Apocalyptic, Not Nearly Enough Dogs

Overall, The Dog Stars is a fine mishmash of genres that takes us on a journey with Hig through his own grief, anger, and other emotions. The characters along the way might be more interesting but this is a story that’s well worth a watch. My only real complaint is that we didn’t get to see Guy Pearce’s Pops and Josh Brolin’s Bangley get to dude-out with one another in the film. They both try their hardest to remind you of your own dad (or father figure in your life) and end up as some of the best portions of the film.

The Dog Stars mishmashes western, action, rom-com, road movies, and plenty more with some sequences that stand out more than others. It ends up as a bit of a mixed film that has some sections that are faster-paced and exciting and others that feel like they drag on for a bit too long. Either way, its still a worthwhile film from Ridley Scott that shows that Jacob Elordi might have more action chops than I thought.

The Dog Stars releases in theaters on August 28th, 2026.

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