Ron Does Stuff

While I’ve made a few movie reviews during the course of running this blog, most of the ones I watch in the cinemas are because they’re free and part of my day job. The economy is shit everywhere, so I can’t just be shelling out money! All of this to say that the reason why I got to watch this movie in the first place is that it’s part of my job.

Set several years after a flu pandemic has decimated humanity, it tells the story of a mechanic and former civilian pilot named Higs who survives in this post-apocalyptic world by working with a former Marine named Bangley, despite their opposing views when dealing with strangers they run into in this post-apocalyptic world.

However, their bond begins to fray when a nighttime raid on their camp results in the death of Higs’s beloved dog, Jasper. Higs sees it as a sign to finally leave and visit Grand Junction, an airport where Higs has been receiving transmissions during his daily flights. But will Grand Junction prove to be a better alternative for Higs, or will it prove to be a bitter disappointment?

The Dog Stars is definitely a beautiful film to look at, with director Ridley Scott offering audiences breathtaking views of mountains, fields, and rivers of the Italian countryside where the movie was filmed. At certain points in the movie, it’s almost therapeutic to look at the screen and just let the beautiful images wash over you.

While the breathtaking views do a lot of the heavy lifting, the film’s actors — Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Allison Janney — also do their best. Josh Brolin’s Bangley is a curmudgeon who manages to bring levity to what can be tense situations, while Allison Janney’s turn as a creepy airline stewardess is unsettling and fascinating at the same time.

Unfortunately, the story The Dog Stars is trying to tell doesn’t justify its almost two-hour runtime, which felt even longer inside the cinema. The Dog Stars calls for a return to a time when people looked out for each other and lead simpler lives, as exemplified by the Mennonite community Higs helps out early on in the movie, but that’s a moral lesson that could have been taught with a shorter run time. As spectacular as the visuals may be, it just isn’t enough to make up for a less than spectacular story.

The Dog Stars is definitely one film audiences can pick if they want to move away from big-budget fare. The question is whether they’re going to enjoy picking this movie.

If any of you guys like what I do, feel free to leave me a tip!