The Dog Stars: A man, a dog, and the end of the world directed by Ridley Scott (trailer).
There’s a particular flavour of apocalypse that Ridley Scott seems to favour. Not the loud, explodey sort where cities are flattened like cheap garden furniture, but the quieter end-of-the-world. The kind where civilisation has politely excused itself, left the lights on, and wandered off into the wilderness never to return.
Enter The Dog Stars, based on The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, which has now been given the full Scott treatment. Judging by the first trailer, this is less Mad Max and more “lonely bloke, a dog, and the occasional existential crisis while flying a battered Cessna over a very empty America.” Frankly, it looks rather lovely.
Our guide to the end times is Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, a civilian pilot who survives a flu pandemic that’s done a rather efficient job of removing most of humanity from the guest list. He shares his existence with a dog, which already places this film firmly in the “emotionally manipulative but we’ll allow it” category, and Bangley, a heavily armed ex-Marine played by Josh Brolin, who looks like he’d shoot first, ask questions later, and then shoot the questions just to be safe.
The trailer leans hard into that lonely beauty. Sweeping skies. Empty forests. The sort of abandoned landscapes that make estate agents weep softly into their brochures. It’s all very meditative until, inevitably, other humans appear to complicate things by being… well, human. There are hints of invaders, hope, and the faint suggestion that maybe, just maybe, not everyone left alive is a complete disaster.
Also entering the fray are Margaret Qualley as Cima, the medic who might just give Hig something to live for beyond canned food and dog companionship, and Guy Pearce as her father Pops, who looks like he’s been carved out of driftwood and suspicion. Throw in Benedict Wong and Allison Janney, and you’ve got a cast that could convincingly argue over the last tin of beans for two solid hours.
The source novel was praised for its lyrical, almost poetic take on survival. Not just staying alive, but staying human when the world has gone a bit feral around the edges. That tone seems intact here, which is either very encouraging or a warning that you may leave the cinema staring wistfully at the horizon and reconsidering your life choices.
Production-wise, Scott has once again gone globe-trotting, with filming across Italy’s forests, mountains, and studios. Which is a polite way of saying: expect it to look stunning, even if everything on screen has technically gone to hell.
The real hook, though, is that radio signal. A faint whisper of someone out there. In a genre usually filled with roaring engines and marauding war bands, The Dog Stars dares to ask a quieter question: what if the most dangerous thing in the apocalypse isn’t the monsters, but the possibility that you’re not alone after all?
Here at SFcrowsnest, we do appreciate an apocalypse with a bit of soul. And a dog. Always bring a dog.
The Dog Stars lands on 28 August 2026. Bring tissues, existential dread, and possibly a sudden urge to learn how to fly a small aircraft.
