I just happened to read Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars earlier this year, without prior knowledge of Mark L. Smith and Ridley Scott’s upcoming adaptation. I was curious to see whether the filmmakers would lean into the elegiac, haiku-like tone of the book, or condense its sparse action set-pieces, turning the film into a 28 Days Later-like thriller peppered with poetic touches. To my pleasant surprise, Scott’s feature achieves a more-or-less perfect balance of both: it’s quiet and meditative, a sorrowful glance at the few remnants of humanity; it also contains several brutal action set pieces that provide welcome moments of tension. Something tells me I’ll be in the minority here, but aside from a few minor missteps, this late-August release actually improves on its lauded source material, and provides a welcome antidote to summer Hollywood slop.
One of the things that stood out was the film’s lack of exposition. A plague of some sorts has wiped out most of humanity. The protagonist, Hig (Jacob Elordi), is a former mechanic, living on an abandoned little airbase with his beloved dog and Bangley (Josh Brolin), a take-no-sh*t survivalist. They’re perfect foils: Hig a pacifist dreaming of greener pastures, Bangley a borderline-psychopath perfectly content in their isolated world. They’re dependent on each other — Hig flies his plane, scoping the perimeter, and brings back the occasional Coke, while Bangley takes the lead in defending their base, shooting anyone in sight. There’s also an infected community of Mennonites, led by Aaron (Benedict Wong), which Hig visits, bringing supplies but always keeping his distance. All of this is revealed with near-silent imagery, Smith and Scott admirably adhering to the “show don’t tell” rule.
(L-R) Jacob Elordi as Hig and Margaret Qualley as Cima in 20th Century Studios’ THE DOG STARS. Photo by Fabio Lovino. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
“…tragedy descends upon our trio, prompting Hig to take off in search of… a promised land…”
Soon enough, tragedy descends upon our trio, prompting Hig — haunted by memories of his wife — to take off in search of Grand Junction, a promised land of sorts, a supposed sanctuary whose broken transmission he attempts to follow. Airplane troubles lead him to Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her gruff Pops (Guy Pearce). After some initial friction and a narrow escape, the newly formed trio continues Hig’s journey. In the meantime, Bangley faces major trouble of his own. Will our heroes reunite? Or will Hig find redemption in the mythical Grand Junction?
It’s impossible to talk about The Dog Stars without praising its jaw-dropping cinematography courtesy of Erik Messerschmidt — the film deserves to be seen in IMAX, on the widest screen available. The aerial imagery here, of imposing emerald mountains against graying skies, of abandoned traces of civilization among the grandeur of rapidly spreading nature, emphasizes one of the film’s main themes: the ephemeral, almost negligible imprint humanity leaves on this planet. In the book, Heller argued that our imprint is far more significant, as despite mankind being mostly wiped out, the heating, drying planet continues to feel its aftermath. Scott instead leaves the novel’s emphasis on global warming largely aside, shifting the focus toward humanity’s ultimate insignificance in Nature’s maw.
