Ridley Scott's new film "The Dog Stars" struggles to reconcile two mismatched tones, according to this review: a sentimental romance in the vein of Nicholas Sparks and a bleak post-apocalyptic thriller reminiscent of Alex Garland's work. Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a mechanic who survives a flu pandemic and lives in the Colorado Rockies alongside a trigger-happy survivalist played by Josh Brolin, but the film's constant shifting between genres leaves it feeling unfocused and dull, undermining Scott's reputation for delivering visually strong work when handed a solid script.

The review notes that the film, based on a novel published nearly a decade before Covid-19, now feels dated in how it imagines a pandemic aftermath. It contrasts Hig's grief-driven storyline, including visions of his dead pregnant wife, with Brolin's more ruthless, unsentimental survivalist character, while supporting turns from Guy Pearce, Margaret Qualley and Allison Janney are described as belonging to entirely different films. The two-hour runtime is said to work best during action sequences but falter whenever characters attempt emotional depth, with Elordi's performance compared unfavourably to Paul Mescal's similarly underwritten role in "Gladiator II".