--- title: "The Dog Stars: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-dog-stars/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-dog-stars" critics_score: 55 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Dog Stars (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 55 from 15 reviews: 5 positive, 4 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews are divided on The Dog Stars, with disappointment edging out enthusiasm for Ridley Scott’s subdued post-apocalyptic drama. Praise clusters around the landscape and aerial photography, while the more sympathetic critics welcome its attention to grief, compassion and the routines of survival. The cast also earns approval, particularly Jacob Elordi and the supporting ensemble, though several reviews find the actors working with characters too thinly written to sustain much interest. The chief divide concerns pace: what admirers find patient and tender, detractors find lethargic and short of incident. Reservations recur around familiar plotting, uncertain shifts between contemplation and violence, and effects that some find unconvincing. The spread is wide: Deadline praises Elordi, the character development and deliberate pacing, while The AV Club faults the performances, editing and narrative, despite finding something worth considering in the film’s treatment of community versus isolation. ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 August 2026. At 88, Scott returns to sci-fi with a bonkers film starring Jacob Elordi that puts on a starry show and leaves viewers yearning for more. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/ridley-scott-the-dog-stars-review-return-to-sci-fi-will-leave-you-yearning-for-more-jm9fmbm53) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. One of Ridley Scott’s most muted and tender films, redeemed by careful attention to characters and their shared grief rather than action; wobbly in execution with predictable elements but offers understated warmth. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-and-margaret-qualley-navigate-the-apocalypse-in-muted-tender-ridley-scott-drama/5219711.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2026. The critic finds it a subdued but pleasingly soulful dystopian western, minor-key but arguably Scott's best since The Martian, an appealingly mellow watch. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-ridley-scott-1236680319/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 3/5. 26 August 2026. The critic finds it a thoughtful rather than spectacular post-apocalyptic tale from Ridley Scott, praising the beautiful cinematography and performances but noting meandering pacing that dilutes tension. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/ridley-scott-the-dog-stars-review/) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 3/5. 26 August 2026. Scott delivers an oddly blissful and watchable post-apocalyptic yarn focused on day-to-day survival and scenic flights, with a chummy lead quartet and some splattery action. It gestures toward hope but leans into carnage and convenient plotting. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/08/26/ridley-scott-the-dog-stars-film-review/) ## Time Out — Simon Crook Rating 3/5. 26 August 2026. Ridley Scott delivers a hopeful if bumpy post-collapse drama that is a surprisingly sensitive meditation on loss and compassion, but it stumbles with a cartoonish misstep involving Allison Janney that kills the mood. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-dog-stars-review-2026) ## Financial Times Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. Jacob Elordi plods through Ridley Scott’s uneven vision of post-apocalyptic America, which combines fear of marauders with an ode to organic farming and scenic vistas. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/5e99155b-9596-4e04-9dae-4f728028f8fc) ## The AV Club — Monica Castillo Rating D+. 25 August 2026. One of Scott's worst misfires and dullest movies, with bad special effects, janky editing, underdeveloped performances, and a messy narrative, though it has a thought-provoking thread on community versus isolation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-dog-stars-review) ## Empire — Helen O’Hara Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. The critic finds the film too downbeat and familiar to make a lasting impression, with a narrative that fails to match its visual strengths. They single out the glorious aerial photography and Scott’s energetic direction for praise while noting confusing tone shifts and a lack of originality. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-dog-stars/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2026. The first half holds attention with its mood of hesitant survival and character contrasts, but the film feels fundamentally hollow overall, with functional rather than awe-inspiring visuals that lack the aestheticism of Scott's earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-dog-stars-and-ridley-scotts-broken-worlds.html) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2026. The film is a bizarrely inert post-apocalypse movie that Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin cannot save from near-disaster, curiously lacking in thrills. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-ridley-scott-movie-1235212620/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. The film is a limp and lethargic postapocalyptic survival tale that fails to find its footing amid overly familiar beats and a glum lack of energy. Scott appears disengaged, with stunning scenery undermined by insubstantial characters and janky effects. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/25/the-dog-stars-ridley-scott-review) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson 28 August 2026. Familiar to a fault, Ridley Scott’s postapocalyptic film finds the genre in need of new tricks and is hard to sit up and stay interested in. It is a lax adaptation whose best parts are its giddy, bloody action sequences. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-08-28/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-margaret-qualley-josh-brolin-guy-pearce-ridley-scott) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis 27 August 2026. A terrific cast led by Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley struggles to lift Ridley Scott’s contemplative dystopia out of the doldrums. The film feels more romantic than thrilling, with heartfelt but familiar hokum elements. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/movies/the-dog-stars-review.html) ## Variety — Guy Lodge 25 August 2026. Ridley Scott’s low-energy latest is a dreary dystopian adventure in which even a charismatic quartet of actors muddles through trying circumstances. The film is surprisingly low-incident and lacks real characters to hold onto. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-1236839483/) ## Polygon — Jake Kleinman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2026. The critic finds the film an enjoyable post-apocalyptic drama elevated by its visuals and a surprising third-act twist into something closer to an instant classic. They single out the cinematography capturing the beauty of the Rockies and abandoned landscapes for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/the-dog-stars-review-ridley-scott/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2026. The critic praises Jacob Elordi’s performance as a hopeful survivor in Ridley Scott’s post-apocalyptic thriller, highlighting strong character development and impressive action sequences alongside solid supporting turns from Josh Brolin and others. They single out the gorgeous cinematography and deliberate pacing as strengths in what feels like a classic Hollywood film. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/08/the-dog-stars-review-jacob-elordi-ridley-scott-1237049569/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2026. The critic finds the film a post-apocalyptic bore hampered by a slow pace and an unengaging hero, despite some effective sequences and a good dog. They single out the familiar tropes and lack of momentum as major issues. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a73509754/dog-stars-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-dog-stars.md