August 31 2026, 19:43

The Dog Stars

Director: Ridley Scott

Release year: 2026

Hig, a mechanic, lives alongside Bangley, an ex-sniper, in a valley in Colorado, several years after a flu-like plague wiped out most of the human race. Bangley is a hard-nosed survivalist, but Hig is a gentler soul who relies on his family dog, Jasper, for company. Violent gangs called Reapers roam the wilderness, pillaging and killing as they go, and when they find the valley, Hig is forced to explore further into the new world.

Ridley Scott is eighty-nine years old, this is his fifth film in five years, and he has another Alien/Prometheus project (with Michael Fassbender) in the works. His energy levels are astounding. His films always wrestle with big ideas. Here, he is asking questions about the collapse of civilisation, being self-sufficient, the value of community, losing loved ones to illness, the importance of dogs as companions, and more.

The pace is pleasingly slow, reflecting the reality of living alone in the wilderness, punctuated with bursts of action. The night sky is rich with stars, and Hig likes to look for the constellations, imagining new ones to amuse himself. When he finds Cima and Pops in another valley, their lifestyle is closer to living in a Western, and we realise Hig has far more luxuries because he can fly his plane to get supplies. Most survivors are not that lucky, but Hig still fantasises about flying his plane into a mountain to put himself out of the misery of losing his family.

The film does an impressive job of reminding us how amazing it is to have simple things like coffee, fresh vegetables, recorded music, and fuel for vehicles. Life in nature without technology is extremely hard, and in our modern lives it’s easy to take these things for granted. The Dog Stars is a mournful, meditative film for long stretches, and those were my favourite parts.

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