12/09/2026
The Neverending Days of Horror
Currently in theatres
The Dog Stars
Horror/Sci-Fi/Drama
1hr 58min
Italy/UK
Last night's pick was the 2026 post-apocalyptic thriller 'The Dog Stars' directed by Ridley Scott (Legend, The Counselor, Black Hawk Down).
After a virus wipes out humanity, survivors try to navigate a post-apocalyptic world where groups of scavengers try to destroy what’s left.
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The tl;dr Review:
Appealing post-apocalyptic story that suffers from a lack of direction. Amazing cinematography with gorgeous landscape shots backdrop some great set designs and wonderful acting. Unfortunately, the pacing is all over the place and the “Reapers” were a giant letdown.
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Full Review:
The older I get, the more I appreciate films about the collapse of the world and the near decimation of society. While 'The Dog Stars' teases some of the devastating destruction and barbaric threats that exist in this new world, the film is really quite slow at times and almost feels like it doesn't know what direction to go in. Great sequences showing how the survivors have adapted with even a few tense moments, but the pacing has these giant lulls which really interrupted the flow of the film for me. Granted these lulls were consistently filled in with extremely elaborate and breathtaking landscapes of the Italian countryside that helped showcase the post-apocalyptic isolation, so it's definitely not all bad. The score, which is a blend of acoustic guitar with orchestral elements, is a perfect mix courtesy of English composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
The casting is a great combination of talents with several notable faces from past to present. Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein, Saltburn) and Josh Brolin (The Goonies, No Country for Old Men) were great as the constantly bickering duo Hig and Bangley, but I think I liked Guy Pearce (Memento, The Shrouds) and Margaret Qualley (Poor Things, The Substance) as the father/daughter team of Cima and Pops even better. Also a nice little cameo from Spud aka Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting, Snowpiercer) to watch out for.
I couldn't find an estimate for the kill count for 'The Dog Stars', but I'm pretty sure it's closer to a 100 than it is 0. Some really great gory sequences with limbs, heads and all types of appendages getting liberated from unsuspecting victims. This is probably the closest element that the film comes to being horror as the "Reapers" didn't really do much for me in terms of striking fear in my heart. Some more imagination on that aspect could have helped the film a lot.
Visually striking film to watch with some tense elements, just a little too slow with missed creative opportunities.
Film Score: 6.4 out of 10
Gore Score: 7 out of 10
Would you like to knock
Hig's infamous dog Jasper (Belgian Malinois) was actually played by three separate dogs with each dog trained for a specific scene, all three of the dogs looked identical.
The film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name written by Peter Heller.
