Based on Peter Heller’s book, The Dog Stars is a post-apocalyptic story about survivors of a flu pandemic in CO. Pilot and mechanic Hig (played by Jacob Elordi), his dog Jasper, and ex-soldier Bangley (played by Josh Brolin) live in Isolation, rejecting any human incursion onto their compound. Hig’s flights in a weathered Cessna reflect the receding modern world, as do his foraging trips into Denver, which is virtually empty of people, and where nature is reclaiming the city landscape. While Hig and Bangley are not without conveniences (they’re well armed, not starving, have electricity to run fridges and cook on a stove), it’s interesting to understand the inner workings of a different way of life. The Dog Stars is light on those aspects, even leaving out how the two became partners in survival.
The film evokes others in the genre like I Am Legend, 24 Years Later (minus the zombies), and Silo, sometimes feeling like a post-apoc montage. As with other works in the genre, survival in The Dog Stars is less about resources and more about people surviving each other. There is the expected action and low-level gore. Fight scenes deliver suspense in anxious waits for ambush from other survivors who have lost their humanity. Despite their violent attacks, the groups are more confusing than scary; One seems to be fully feral and lacks language. Another pointlessly evokes old western tropes of painted, wild horse-mounted attackers, leaving behind the impression of questionable creative choices in the film.
To its credit, The Dog Stars is not a non-stop battle. Instead, it offers a deeper look into the psyche of who is left behind. Elordi portrays Hig as introspective and sad, but otherwise misses on a discernible personality. The rest of the cast deliver, though; Brolin makes for a jaded but interesting Bangley, who is morally at odds with Hig. Cima (played by Margaret Qualley) and Pops (played by Guy Pierce) are also isolated survivors who Hig encounters on a mission to find something more. They’re material to the few big action scenes and to the exploration of human connection. Allison Janey’s performance is bright and eerie as Darlene. The Dog Stars engages best through the perspective of Hig flying the Cessna above the Colorado Rockies, forests, and where nature is reclaiming what humans left behind.
As much as post-apocalypse stories share themes of horrors, the worst and best of humanity, fear and loss, there are also threads of hope. It’s what seems to keep Hig going, especially after his latest loss, and sets him in search of change. The Dog Star reminds of the value of connection and love, and it examines the difference between living and just surviving, even if the film feels like it left some of its context and depth in the book.
This film is in theaters Friday, August 28th. I rate it a (2.5/4) 🍿
