Four flu-pandemic survivors do the best they can in trying circumstances in Ridley Scott's low-energy latest, and the same goes for the charismatic quartet of actors muddling through it.
By Guy Lodge
Plus IconGuy Lodge
Film Critic
@guylodge See All
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios It’s the end of the world as we know it in “The Dog Stars,” and everyone feels — well, not fine exactly, but, you know, fine? Alive, hanging in there, taking it one day at a time. Things could be better, which goes without saying in the aftermath of a flu pandemic that has wiped out most of the planet’s human population, but the four principals here could also be dead, so there’s that. That shrugging, slightly bereft air of just-getting-by is the prevailing mood of Ridley Scott‘s post-apocalyptic survival story, and it’s a tough one to sustain dramatically, much less with any sense of intrepid adventure. Somewhat aptly released at the tail end of a long, loud movie summer, this is a surprisingly low-energy, low-incident blockbuster; you’d appreciate its mellow, character-oriented approach if it gave you any real characters to hold onto.
Related Stories
