What are critics saying about The Dog Stars starring Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley? | indy100

Fabio Lovino

A Ridley Scott film set in a post-apocalyptic world starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley?

We're sat.

The new film, The Dog Stars is based on Peter Heller’s bestseller of the same name and follows Hig (Jacob Elordi), a young pilot who, together with a military survivalist, Bangley (Josh Brolin), "has carved out an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world until a mysterious radio transmission spurs Hig to venture into the unknown in search of the hope and humanity he still believes exists," as per the plot synopsis.

(L-R) Jacob Elordi as Hig and Josh Brolin as Bangley in 20th Century Studios' THE DOG STARS. Photo by Fabio Lovino. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.Fabio Lovino

Among the film's stars are Elordi, Brolin, Qualley, as well as Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce. The film was written by Mark L. Smith and produced by Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Mark L. Smith, and Cliff Roberts.

What are critics saying?

(L-R) Jasper and Jacob Elordi as Hig in 20th Century Studios' THE DOG STARS. Photo by Fabio Lovino. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.Fabio Lovino

The Dog Stars has received mixed reviews from critics, and currently has a critics score of 39 per cent on film and TV review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, but has performed better among audiences with a score of 71 per cent.

Elsewhere, on IMDb the film scored a 6.5 out of 10 and a 2.9 out of 5 on Letterboxd.

"The veteran filmmaker has made a movie that rips off ‘28 Days Later’, ‘Mad Max’ and the video game ‘Fallout’ to dull ends," said The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey in her two-star review. "The Dog Stars barely seems to know what it is. Neither prescient nor reflective, it looks to other apocalypses for its substance."

IndieWire's Ryan Lattanzio graded the film a C and wrote, "The quiet watchfulness of Elordi and his eyes make him ever a captivating actor, but even the towering sadness of his silhouette can’t rescue material that inevitably heads straight into its own apocalypse."

"In a world of seven Walking Dead shows, the beats are now far too familiar, and there’s nothing new or notable here to conjure anything but deja vu," noted The Guardian's Benjamin Lee, rating the film two stars.

The London Standard's Nick Howells shared, "So not quite a return to form, but for Scott, now 88, this strange flight of apocalyptic fancy proves there’s plenty of bite in the old dog yet."

"You have to hand it to Scott: even at the end of the world, he knows how to put on a show," The Times's Jake Heim said in his three-star review.

When is the release date?

(L-R) Jacob Elordi as Hig and Margaret Qualley as Cima in 20th Century Studios' THE DOG STARS. Photo by Fabio Lovino. © 2026 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.Fabio Lovino

The Dogs Stars was released in cinemas on August 28.

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