Brolin and Janney Hold Up Sleeper Sci-Fi Flick The Dog Stars

Every filmmaker in Hollywood, must have got the assignment about apocalyptic content this summer. First Spielberg with Disclosure Day and now bringing up the rear is legendary director Ridley Scott, who clearly understood the assignment with the year 2035.

Based on the 2012 Peter Heller bestseller of the same name, The Dog Stars introduces us to Hig (Jacob Elordi) and Bangley (Josh Brolin), who’ve carved out an efficient but isolated homestead on a deserted airstrip in Eerie, Colorado. With no intentions of leaving, Hig is eager to track down survivors  taking his beloved dog Jasper on scouting missions in his plane, delivering supplies to a nearby Amish community and searching for anyone who remains uninfected. After receiving a mysterious radio transmission, Hig propels himself into the unknown in search of the humanity he still believes exists. Instead, he stumbles upon an isolated canyon home belonging to Pops (Guy Pearce).  Pops embodies survival instinct stripped to its core of being wary, watchful and unyielding. His daughter Cima (Margaret Qualley), on the other hand, carries the wisdom of survival without having lost her gentleness. It is Cima’s offering of kindness and first genuine connection , ths shakes Hig  as he hasn’t experienced these feelings since losing his wife and baby. Ater repairing hisplane, Pops, Cima and Hig take off together discovering a semi-idyllic existence in Grand Junction, while being given a terrifying glimpse at the evil still existing in the world.

When I heard this dialogue, “you have to have something to hurt you, otherwise you get lonely,” taps into the understated theme of this film — grief. It struck me to my core that Hig’s incessant desire to find more survivors felt like him doing the one thing he couldn’t accomplish for his wife Melissa or Jasper – keep them safe from harm. This sweet sentiment comes in handy when Hig meets Cima, who becomes a reminder of how guarded his heart has become. This sentiment make you fall in love with all of the characters.

Sentiment aside and even though the sweeping overhead forest shots are breathtaking, The Dog Stars suffers from a very disjointed screenplay and pacing issues.  Saving it from itself are the performances of its star cast, particularly Allison Janney and Josh Brolin.  When this duo hits the screen, individually,  a levity and quirkiness explode like a confetti bomb. Elordi is a commanding presence, as is Qualley,  who are holding their own against their comrades.

Produced by Disney/20th Century Studios, The Dog Stars is in theatres now.