Lights Camera Reaction .com

Score: 9.5/10

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Mark L. Smith
Based on the novel by: Peter Heller
Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editors: Claire Simpson & Sam Restivo
Production Designer: Chris Seagers

Starring:
Jacob Elordi
Josh Brolin
Margaret Qualley
Guy Pearce
Benedict Wong
Allison Janney

Date Reviewed: August 30, 2026

“What did you do before the world ended?”

The Dog Stars’ lead character Hig (played by Jacob Elordi) is a mostly isolated male in his thirties. Relatable? Mostly, because his only friend, Bangley (Josh Brolin), almost entirely depends on Hig to keep their one-day-at-a-time survival routine afloat. One of the early questions this story presents is – does Hig depend on Bangley? The two of them get along mostly well, while their unique relationship is one of the first ways The Dog Stars sets itself apart from others that came before it, such as The Last of Us, A Quiet Place, or The Road. Those movies are all great, each one showing how imperfect relationships can strengthen through perseverance.

Although, The Dog Stars is more like The Odyssey than it is The Road.

As shown in the trailer, Hig departs the safety of the barricaded airport/bachelor pad he shares with Bangley to go search for something. What he finds and the obstacles he faces returning “home” are where this film shines bright like a star in the night sky.

Story and Screenplay (1.5/2)

This movie is an adaptation of Peter Heller’s most successful novel, The Dog Stars, which was published in 2012. To this day, it’s been printed over 100,000 times in 26 different languages. The novel was almost immediately optioned for film rights but remained dormant for several years. After Gladiator II, Ridley Scott found The Dog Stars when looking for his next project.

My personal introduction to this movie was a few months ago when I saw the trailer. During the 2-minute trailer, I enjoyed it but did not see much in the premise of a plane-flying, dog-handling guy from Euphoria outrunning what looked to be Native Americans chasing a Cessna. It wasn’t until the end of the trailer that I read, “Based Upon the Novel by Peter Heller.” That type of marketing appeals to me. Knowing not every movie adapted from every book ever has been great, in that moment that’s exactly what I thought. I was right.

I read the book, so I’ll grade this category on its adaptation. It wasn’t a long novel. But The Dog Stars is also not a long movie by today’s standards. I walked out of the theater believing the movie left in precisely what they needed to maintain the spirit of Peter Heller’s manuscript. Call me crazy, but I think the movie made me understand the book more. Predictably, the film has more action than the book, but they don’t try to hide that. Nearly all the action scenes are seen in the trailer. They also do something entirely different with the “Grand Junction” chapter. If I had read only the screenplay for their version, I might have hated it. What played out on the screen was exciting, weird, and aided the viewer in believing the characters are on their way back home, not looking back (this was The Odyssey reference). The adapted film also showed a huge battle that doesn’t take place in the book and is only referenced. The only true loss from book to film was the complete lack of depth in supporting characters. I believe they did as much as they could with time. But there’s almost no backstory for “Pops” and not much more for “Cima.”

The movie wasn’t too long, but it was a full-length movie. I had no idea what time it was or when it was going to end. I wasn’t ready for it to be over, yet I felt completely satisfied with the closure.

Performances (2/2)

I don’t believe there was anything left on the table by the cast. Every member is a proven talent. Elordi has most of the few lines in this movie. There’s a lot of physical acting through body language and chemistry that works. Even Guy Pearce, who had the least number of lines and a nearly absent backstory, justified his existence in every scene he was in. A lot of what worked is what Elordi sold in the trailer. He carries this calm, concerned talent taking a leap of faith in a world where there aren’t too many second chances. Hig and Cima are obvious love interests, yet it doesn’t appear to be a definite thing until it is, and by that time, Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley have sold it to you. Josh Brolin is a fun one because he plays himself, or at least the guy he’s been playing since Sicario. He has one moment where his character tries to jerk some tears from you, pulled right from a page in the book. This is where Brolin reminds us that he’s the full package, despite there being no complaints with his presence up until then.

Cinematography & Production (2/2)

“Colorado” is performed by Rome, Italy. The entire movie was shot over there. It was a beautiful movie. There’s a CGI scene involving stampeding buffalo. Other than that, the environment and wildlife are less of a threat in this survival movie. There’s no shortage of salmon in the river or gasoline to siphon. All the stereotypical post-apocalyptic scenery is here. Hollowed-out skyscrapers and miles of abandoned cars. But unlike other films in the same category, The Dog Starsis constantly taking you up to 10,000 feet, where you’d almost think nothing was wrong down below. The mountains are gorgeous, as is the detail in every worn-out piece of scavenged equipment.

The film takes risks that paid off, such as Bangley’s big standoff against dozens of “raiders,” displayed entirely through his night-vision goggles. It wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before, for example, in Zero Dark Thirty. This was a more raw and analogue display, with fewer than 24 frames a second. You recognized the advantage the character had in the pitch-black night while still working at the mercy of the scavenged equipment. The scene was on the edge of being a little too much, yet I ended up locked in and satisfied until the end.

The other standout visual sequence in the film was how they reintroduced you back to civilization in Grand Junction. After spending the first hour and a half living in the woods, it was as visually stimulating for the characters as it was for the viewer.

Everywhere Hig took you was professionally displayed on screen.

Sound & Score (2/2)

The trailer for this movie is what hooked me. Specifically, the use of Nine Inch Nails’ “The Day the World Went Away.” I refuse to believe this song wasn’t written for movie trailers for films where men are clawing for survival. Ironically, I will never forget hearing this song in the Terminator Salvation (2009) trailer and being so pumped only to eventually be let down. I routinely reference that as being one of the best trailers and worst movies of all time. Maybe in 2009, the world wasn’t ready for it yet.

I realized this could be a repeat. Same song. Same intellectual property hype. In this case, having read the book and enjoyed it so much. Regardless, starting with the trailer, the music was in sync with the atmosphere. A song you hear in both the trailer and the film is “Like Real People Do” by Hozier. There are plenty of needle-drop moments with some standout singles. Henry Gregson-Williams’ score clearly worked because I didn’t really notice it. It seems like grand film scores are becoming so locked in and never miss.

Experience & Longevity (2/2)

I will be watching this movie again. I want to experience the same highs and lows the way they were brought to screen. I also need to fill in the three 5-minute gaps caused by my restroom breaks. I think that despite the book being published in 2012, this is a post-COVID movie. These hit different now. It’s no longer speculation for the modern audience. The Dog Stars begins 10 years into a flu pandemic that wiped out most of civilization. Some of the flashbacks show overflowing hospitals or medical equipment inside bedrooms. In the present timeline, there are piles of bodies that had been burned en masse. More poignantly, each character carries a grief story. How this grief manifests in their will to survive differs. For Hig, it’s his late wife and their unborn child. He’s now a widower with his dog and Bangley. For Bangley, the name of the game is survival. He lives for it. It’s a game to him. Wake up, defend, survive, then start all over. Hig is good as a companion in this lifestyle, but it isn’t him. Why he chooses to leave, what he finds, and how he returns is the throughline of this story. The Dog Stars film, like the novel, succeeds in not only making you believe, but making you eager to go along for the ride. It ends with a beautiful callback to the beginning in a way only a film could achieve, which made this a near-flawless adaptation.

9.5/10