The Dog Stars

"At the end of the world, no one survives alone."

2026 1h 59m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 306

Science FictionThrillerAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the world's population has been ravaged by a pandemic, a man lives a lonesome existence in a Colorado airplane hangar with his dog and a dour gunman he has befriended. When a mysterious transmission comes through on the radio while he’s flying his old Cessna, it sparks a hunt for the provenance of the sound.

“At the end of the world, no one survives alone.”

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Cast

Jacob Elordi
Hig
Margaret Qualley
Cima
Josh Brolin
Bangley
Guy Pearce
Pops
Allison Janney
Darlene
Benedict Wong
Aaron
Ewen Bremner
Crossbow Hunter
James Craze
Logan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Mark L. Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$110M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 34% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ridley Scott, shot by Erik Messerschmidt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "At the end of the world, no one survives alone.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ridley Scott directs. Erik Messerschmidt behind the camera. Harry Gregson-Williams scores. Claire Simpson cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$110M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Earned back only 34% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
4Directed by Ridley Scott, shot by Erik Messerschmidt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Claire Simpson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "At the end of the world, no one survives alone.".
9IMDB entry: tt21285562 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "based on novel or book", "dystopia", "denver, colorado", "pilot".

The technical file

Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt
Original score: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing: Claire Simpson
Production design: Chris Seagers
Costume design: Janty Yates
Makeup / hair: Luigi Rocchetti
VFX supervisor: Charley Henley
Stunt coordinator: Massimiliano Ubaldi
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $110,000,000
Box office: $37,416,959
Return: 34% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Dog Stars (2026)

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Ridley Scott

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2026-08-26
★ 5/10
Life in a post-apocalyptic world is a common theme in movies (especially, if you believe what’s published in the media, the increasing prospect that such an outcome may be coming closer to a reality than any of us might like). In many cases, these films follow the experiences of a resourceful, innovative protagonist who quietly but skillfully struggles to survive, successfully managing to fend off foes while cerebrally wrestling with feelings about what’s been lost. That scenario is apparent once again in this latest release from legendary director Ridley Scott. Unfortunately, however, this is not one of the filmmaker’s better efforts, a blatantly uneven production that gets things right in some regards but woefully misses the mark in others. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Peter Heller, the film follows the life of a mechanic and antique Cessna pilot, Hig (Jacob Elordi), who ekes out a comparatively comfortable existence in the Colorado wilderness with his wise-cracking marksman wingman, Bangley (Josh Brolin), in a dystopian future that has been devastated by a deadly virus. Like Hig and Bangley, pockets of survivalists resistant to the pandemic’s lethal impact are scattered across the countryside, but they face constant danger from the encroachment of ruthless scavengers seeking to pilfer whatever they can find for themselves. But, despite the undeniable harshness of this new reality, Hig still pines for a way of life that once was. And he’s convinced of rediscovering that possibility when he receives radio messages from a mystery woman (Allison Janney) in Grand Junction, CO that ambiguously hold out hope for the existence of such a sanctuary. In his quest to find the truth, he embarks on an adventure-filled journey in which he encounters a variety of other survivors, such as Aaron (Bendict Wong), head of a surprisingly thriving Mennonite community, and a hard-nosed gun-toting rancher, Jack (a.k.a. “Pops”) (Guy Pearce), living in a remote and vulnerable locale with his daughter, Cima (Margaret Qualley). But can Hig survive the journey? And what might he find if he ever makes it to Grand Junction? While the premise here is solid, recalling such offerings as “I Am Legend” (2007) and films in the “Mad Max” franchise, the finished product nevertheless occasionally teeters on shaky ground. After a strong but sometimes-slow opening hour, backed by a reasonably commendable closing act, in between viewers are mercilessly subjected to a middle segment that seriously defies believability, taking the picture decidedly off the rails, a serious blow to the film’s overall credibility. This is truly regrettable, as this disproportionately out-of-place sequence makes it easy for viewers to quickly lose interest as the project struggles to get back on track before the credits roll. It’s difficult to fathom what the filmmaker was going for in such a ridiculously over-the-top sequence, and it detracts from the elements that truly work well (a terrific cast, gorgeous cinematography, and an emotive soundtrack reminiscent of Scott’s earlier cinematic opus, “Thelma & Louise” (1991)). I can’t help but think that this was a case of failure to “kill one’s darlings,” and, in this instance, that shortcoming nearly undermines all of the audience goodwill the picture amasses before and after it. What’s more, the script is short on its back story elements, leaving one wondering how the narrative ultimately arrived at where it is. Sadly, “The Dog Stars” could have been much better, both as a cautionary tale and as a fine work of big screen drama, with some deliberate tweaking. As it stands now, though, the survival considerations addressed here could be just as applicable to viewing audiences as they are to the characters themselves.
TheStoic2026-08-29
★ 9/10
What a great movie!! One of those worth seeing in the theater—and one that leaves you hoping for a sequel! Great story, great actors, great direction! No racial quotas, no trendy interracial couples, and no gender issues shoved down our throats—in short, no “woke” garbage! A breath of fresh air. I want more of this. I highly recommend it! I’m looking forward to a sequel!
Manuel São Bento2026-08-30
★ 5/10
Check out my full review @ https://www.manuelsbento.com/the-dog-stars-2026-ridley-scotts-gorgeous-grief-stricken-post-apocalypse-never-quite-takes-flight/ Rating: C+ THE DOG STARS is a gorgeous, contemplative post-apocalyptic thriller that never fully earns its two-hour runtime. Ridley Scott finds real tenderness in a story about grief, isolation, and the fragile work of learning to hope again, and the ensemble cast sells that journey beautifully. But the screenplay leans too hard on familiar genre beats and repetitive detours, leaving even its most striking visuals feeling more decorative than purposeful. A film that looks and sounds wonderful, but rarely says anything new.