The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars is Ridley Scott’s unplugged take on the post-apocalypse. Meandering onto the screen with a ruminative tone and a sleepy, acoustic guitar-laden score by Harry Gregson-Williams, the film explores a post-human world set in 2035, after a virus has wiped out most of humanity and overgrowth has replaced all infrastructure. Those who watched AMC’s The Walking Dead or HBO’s The Last of Us will experience a feeling of déjà vu over its all-too-familiar world, populated by rugged heroes in plaid flannel shirts, with the usual threats of raiders and cannibals. Scott seems to think the morose tone, attractive cast, and visual splendor of the production, shot on location with Italy standing in for Colorado, will distract from the material’s been-there, done-that quality. They don’t. Instead, whatever surprises the film has in store end up feeling like tired tropes in a well-worn genre.  

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