The Dog Stars

Director: Ridley Scott

Based on Peter Heller’s novel, it is set in a near future, where much of humanity has been wiped out by a virus. But there are pockets of survivors. Hig (Jacob Elordi) and Bangley (Josh Brolin) live in an isolated valley near Denver, peaceful but for the threat of occasional scavengers. Hig, a pilot, flies into the abandoned city for supplies. On these journeys he occasionally picks up broadcasts from “Grand Central,” a possible sign of normal life elsewhere. Deciding to follow the signal, he’s led to a rancher (Guy Pearce) and his daughter (Margaret Qualley); when the three are forced together, they head off to find it. A new utopia? Or something else altogether?

Ridley Scott can make a film, and that shows here: sweeping vistas, tension, action and solid performances. The problem is it’s all rather pedestrian and a little predictable — bar one enjoyably bonkers plot turn. It also struggles to find balance between thriller and romance.

The story, while set in a dystopian future, with its fair share of threat and risk, is much more a story of today’s humanity. Exploring our mistrust of “others,” our willingness to isolate and self-centre, our cultish devotion to those promising a future that never really exists. That is balanced with the hope that humanity is better when it comes together. While those elements are intriguing, the film feels like it never really takes the characters anywhere, all feeling a little underwhelming.

The performances are what you’d expect from such a strong cast, Brolin and Pearce deliver plenty of grizzled and weary, while Margaret Qualley and Elordi counterbalance with optimism and hope. Allison Janney turns in a wonderfully deranged cameo, though Benedict Wong is woefully underused.

While it has its moments of action and tension, it’s let down by pedestrian storytelling that never quite draws you in. Not a film to dislike, but one that never fully engages.