In The Dog Stars, a virus has wiped out humanity, save for a few survivors. A pilot named Hig plans to search for them.
The main protagonist is Hig, a pilot, survived the flu but lost his wife to it. The protagonist is Hig, a pilot who survived the flu that killed everyone he knew, his wife included. He lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting ex-Marine.
Hig sometimes heads off in his 1956 Cessna, where he can fish and pretend things are how they used to be. When a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life might exist if he flies a bit further. He risks it all. to chase a possible haven in Grand Junction.
The Dog Stars is mostly a psychological drama, set against a rather cynical post-apocalypse backdrop. It’s based on a book by Peter Heller.
Unfortunately, the “what do we do after the world has ended” trope might be a trending topic, but not because we think it’s cool. At this point that might be a practical concern. For that reason, I believe this film, no matter how good it might be, and no matter how good the original source material was, will have trouble finding its audience.
The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Mark L. Smith and Christopher Wilkinson. It stars Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley, and reaches theaters on August 28.
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