The Dog Stars
Review by Mark Woodring
Nearly all post-apocalyptic films (or books, for that matter) derive their circumstances from one of two things: a nuclear war or a worldwide virus.
Very few deviate from those base causes, although two of my favorites actually do: A Quiet Place and Day of the Triffids.
The Dog Stars opts for a flu virus which decimated the planet’s population to nearly zero, leaving ever shrinking groups of people to survive however they can, and it is in the “however” that the drama or these tales is born.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then listen or watch once he and Ryan discuss the film further. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
158 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Peter Heller, Mark L. Smith, Christopher Wilkinson
Directed by Ridley Scott
Synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus wipes out humanity. Survivors face roaming scavengers called Reapers. Protagonist Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife.
It is 2035 and roughly a decade has passed since the pandemic which ended the world. Hig and Bangley (Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin) have carved out a piece of Colorado wilderness for themselves at an small airport, where Hig passes the days flying his small Cessna into Denver to scavenge supplies he has hidden over the years, while Bangley is in full survivalist mode to protect what little they have from raiders (and later, worse).
Hig hasn’t lost his sense in the goodness of humanity completely yet, and he annoys Bangley by stopping at an isolated Mennonite farm on occasion to help them keep their solar power and other equipment running. These interactions are steeped in COVID-era callbacks, including social distancing between Hig and the Mennonite children (who are more excited to see his dog, Jasper, than Hig).
Picking up what he believes is a radio signal from Grand Junction, Hig decides to make an attempt to reach it after a nearly successful raider attack robs him of his last connection to the old world. Bangley is not convinced, and remains behind, warning him that it’s nearly certain he won’t find what he’s looking for.
Engine trouble forces Hig to land early, where he encounters Cima and her father, Pops (Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce) while he attempts to repair his plane and clear enough trees for a take-off.
But a new group of raiders, these called Reapers, have moved north, savagely destroying and moving on, which forces Bangley to defend his area alone, while Hig, Cima, and Pops barely escape in Hig’s plane and decide to head to Grand Junction.
What happens in Grand Junction is both horrific and predictable. Allison Janney is incredibly effective here.
Overall, Ridley Scott has crafted a solid, if sometimes meandering, tale of humanity as it attempts to survive, if it can’t thrive.
I’ll admit, I love this genre of literature/film, and I always thought it was because I like to see the different ways humanity would try to rebuild, but the one thing The Dog Stars did for me was make me realize that it isn’t HUMANITY I liked to see, but how PEOPLE tried to survive and rebuild. The Dog Stars demonstrates that each person will do so according to their nature and their past.
I hope, should I ever find myself in this position, I discover my nature is as Good as I like to believe it to be.
The Dog Stars flies into theaters this Friday, August 28 and stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, Benedict Wong, and Allison Janney.
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