Out this week in Irish cinemas is legendary director Ridley Scott’s next flick, The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, with Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce. This latest film of Scott’s is about Hig (Elordi), a young man living in a post-apocalyptic world with his dog Jasper and his grumpy partner Bangley (Brolin). Living in post-apocalyptic Denver isn’t too bad; Hig, Bangley and Jasper keep to themselves, defending their little patch of paradise from deranged outsiders. Hig flies out on regular supply runs to what’s left of the city, visiting his old home and helping a small community of Mennonites.
As the days drag on, Hig lives in hope that there is something out there, and when tragedy strikes, he decides it’s finally time to move on.
There has to be something out there
I think after The Dog Stars I am done with the post-apocalyptic genre. The Dog Stars’ theme of hope cutting through the darkness of society are far too clumsy to have any real impact. This film has some of the most overused tropes of the genre: the overly hopeful protagonist, the grizzled realist who believes he can live and die alone, and a group of characters that have gone mad and somehow have a form of parkour.
On top of this, The Dog Stars has a laughable antagonist that just appears in the third act. Then, just as quickly, disappears. What works for films of this genre are the characters, and unfortunately this cast is led by Jacob Elordi’s Hig. Sadly, “Big Hig” is less broody and more indifferent in this broken world. He can’t quite carry the emotional weight of the history Hig has on his back.
Kill or be killed
Qualley is decent as Cima; she has a decent rapport with Elordi, but nothing that drew me in. The MVP of the film is Josh Brolin’s Bangley. He is broken, mean and emotionally withdrawn. His journey across the film is easily the highlight of The Dog Stars. He is also a part of the best action scene in the whole film.
A part of the film that I really enjoyed, though, was the cinematography. The wilderness of this fallen America is gorgeous (even if none of the locations are filmed on location in America). There is a loneliness that is felt throughout the film, and that’s thanks to Erik Messerschmidt’s impeccable cinematography.
The Dog Stars is a gorgeous-looking film, with a story that has been told many times before, and told better. For someone of Ridley Scott’s pedigree, I expected something to move me. Instead, I found myself lost in the wilderness.
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