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The Dog Stars key art featuring Josh Brolin, Jacob Elord, Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce.<\/p>\n
20th Century Studios<\/p>\n
Ridley Scott\u2019s dystopian thriller The Dog Stars, starring Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin, isn\u2019t entirely impressing critics despite the level of talent involved.<\/p>\n
Based on Peter Heller\u2019s 2012 bestselling novel of the same name, The Dog Stars opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. Elordi (Guillermo del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein<\/a>) stars in The Dog Stars as Hig, a young pilot in a post-apocalyptic world who, along with a survivalist, Bangley (Brolin), sets out into the dangerous unknown after receiving a mysterious radio transmission.<\/p>\n Forbes\u2018Coyote Vs. Acme\u2019 Rotten Tomatoes Review Score Rises Above Already Stellar Early NoticesBy Tim Lammers<\/a><\/p>\n Qualley (Happy Gilmore 2<\/a>) stars as Cima, a young medic and girlfriend of Hig, while Guy Pearce (The Brutalist) plays Cima\u2019s father, Jack, who is a former Navy SEAL.<\/p>\n Rated R, The Dog Stars also stars Oscar winner Allison Janney (I, Tonya) and Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange).<\/p>\n As of Thursday night, The Dog Stars has earned a 40% \u201crotten\u201d rating on Rotten Tomatoes\u2019<\/a> Tomatometer based on 122 reviews. RT\u2019s Critics Consensus, Audience Summary and Popcornmeter score based on verified user ratings are still pending.<\/p>\n ForbesPeter Cullen, \u2018Transformers\u2019 Optimus Prime Voice Actor, Dies At 85By Tim Lammers<\/a>What Are Individual Critics Saying About \u2018The Dog Stars\u2019?<\/p>\n Helen O\u2019Hara of Empire Magazine is among the top critics on RT<\/a> who give The Dog Stars a \u201crotten\u201d score, writing, \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful, mountainous spin on the post-apocalyptic genre, but too familiar and too downbeat to really stick in the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Soren Andersen of the Seattle Times also gives the film a \u201crotten\u201d score, writing on RT, \u201cThe Dog Stars is a clunky contraption that creaks and sputters over the picture\u2019s post-apocalyptic landscape. It never soars.\u201d<\/p>\n John Wenzel of the Denver Post isn\u2019t impressed with The Dog Stars, either. Wenzel writes in his \u201crotten\u201d RT review summary, \u201cFor all its technical confidence and pleasant faces, The Dog Stars squanders its actors\u2019 talents and trades true insight for familiar action. There\u2019s little to chew on after the camera pans up to the stars and the screen fades to black.\u201d<\/p>\n Forbes6 Great Dog Movies To Watch To Celebrate National Dog Day 2026By Tim Lammers<\/a><\/p>\n Robert Daniels of Roger Ebert also deems The Dog Stars \u201crotten,\u201d writing on RT, \u201cIt probably takes more effort to make a boring post-apocalyptic survivalist action film than to make a good one. If that\u2019s the case, then Ridley Scott must\u2019ve been working overtime.\u201d<\/p>\n William Bibbani of The Wrap simply writes in his \u201crotten\u201d review summary of The Dog Stars on RT, \u201cThere are way too many faults in these Stars. Woof.\u201d<\/p>\n Tim Grierson of Screen International praises Ridley Scott\u2019s filmmaking in his \u201cfresh\u201d review of The Dog Stars on RT, writing, \u201cIt is ultimately redeemed by the veteran director\u2019s careful attention to his characters, who are far more engaging in their shared grief than when combating the sorts of foes one expects in this kind of film.\u201d<\/p>\n David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter is also a fan of The Dog Stars. Rooney writes in his \u201cfresh\u201d review summary on RT, \u201cJacob Elordi leads with introspective movie-star magnetism that evokes the heyday of Kevin Costner, while cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt\u2019s panoramic vistas lend the unhurried but engrossing story a restorative grace.\u201d<\/p>\n