The Dog Stars
In most post-apocalyptic movies, the focus is on survival, usually from a threat like zombies or a villain the film introduces. In Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s novel, The Dog Stars, survival is definitely on the menu, but more importantly, the main protagonist of the film wants to not just survive but to live. He’s holding out for a chance to continue living beyond just keeping a lookout for forces attempting to take what he has. What he finds will challenge what he hoped for, but also, lead to something that was in front of him all along. That sounds corny as Hell, doesn’t it?
For a few years, I’ve wanted to do a podcast episode about the two different types of post-apocalyptic films. I may still do that in the future, but one of the interesting things about “The Dog Stars” is that it kind of touches on elements of both. There’s a part of it that is more meditative about being alive after the world ends, and what that means, and then there is the more action-driven, “Mad Max” variety, where survival usually involves chases, near captures, set pieces. If Scott was going to make a movie in this genre, the material suits him well- he’s capable of tapping into something more contemplative and human while also being able to build action sequences by the way the story plays out. I wouldn’t consider it upper tier filmmaking from the director, but I enjoyed it enough.
We are years removed from a global pandemic that wiped out most of humanity. Just outside Denver, Hig (Jacob Elordi) and Bangley (Josh Brolin) have carved out a decent life for themselves. They’re able to control the perimeter of their base, which is a long-disheveled airstrip, and Hig- a mechanic- is able to fly into Denver for supplies for them. Bangley is content just surviving and protecting their plot of land at the end of the world. Hig, however, wants to connect with people, whether that’s bringing supplies and helping a nearby Mennonite community, or trying to get someone over the radio while he is flying over. One day, he gets a response on a flight from a nearby outpost. He wants to go check it out. When his plane is downed for repairs on a flight, he encounters a young woman (Cima, played by
Margaret Qualley) and her father (Pops, played by Guy Pearce), who have been ranching on their own. The four may not have many more opportunities to live in peace, as reapers are finding their way into their territory.
The screenplay by Mark L. Smith (“The Revenant,” “The Midnight Sky”) has some really weird tonal shifts at some point in the movie. For the most part, it stays fairly consistent, but at one point, Hig, Cima and Pops find themselves at an outpost that is as garish as the Capitol in “The Hunger Games,” with a performance by Allison Janney that certainly commits to itself, but is flat out bonkers to watch. Having said that, the sequence is a good window into how a “better” society after the apocalypse is not necessarily the same as a welcoming society. This is the second film this summer that’s looked at the idea of empathy vs. protectiveness in a larger world where morality matters (the other one is “The Odyssey”), and while I don’t think Scott quite nails the themes of the story as successfully as Nolan, I think “The Dog Stars” is an interesting swing by a filmmaker who’s always wanted to take chances on the types of films he makes rather than playing it safe.
