Ridley Scott's new post-apocalyptic drama "The Dog Stars" arrives amid a wider resurgence of end-of-times cinema, but takes the genre in an intimate, character-driven direction rather than the effects-heavy disaster spectacle typical of earlier films like "2012" or "The Day After Tomorrow." Set in 2035 after a super flu has devastated humanity, the film follows a handful of survivors and aims to explore love, loss and human connection, but the review finds it an uneven watch that never fully commits to a single tone or genre, despite strong visuals and performances.

The story centres on Hig (Jacob Elordi), a grieving mechanic who scavenges Denver's ruins with his dog before joining doctor-in-training Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her guardian Pops (Guy Pearce) after his plane breaks down near their ranch, having previously shared a mountain compound with ex-Marine Bangley (Josh Brolin). The review praises the cinematography and cast but criticises the film for oscillating uncertainly between survival drama, action-adventure and Western tropes, leaving its central message about love in crisis feeling unresolved.