Early buzz tags The Dog Stars 'emotional' — among Ridley Scott’s most 'human' films

Right, Ridley Scott has dropped another post-apocalyptic bombshell and this one‘s already causing quite a bit of chatter. The Dog Stars, his latest, had its world premiere on 20 August 2026 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, right in the heart of London. You had the whole cast looking sharp for the cameras, including Jacob Elordi on the arm of his scene-stealing canine co-star, Rak Jasper. The film adapts Peter Heller’s novel, and the early buzz is… let’s just say, divided.

The Plot & the Players

The story follows Hig (played by Elordi), a young pilot trying to keep his head above water (metaphorically, the world’s pretty dry) in a rough, collapsed civilisation. He’s teamed up with a military survivalist named Bangley—expertly grizzled by Josh Brolin—and the pair have carved out a little fortress of solitude, living off what the earth still grudgingly provides. Things get moving when Hig picks up an odd signal on his radio, pushing him to break cover and go searching for whatever or whoever might still be out there.

The supporting cast is nothing to sniff at: Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Benedict Wong, and Guy Pearce all turn up. The film’s hitting cinemas, IMAX, and every other large screen going on 28 August—barely a week after its premiere, so there’s not long to spin the wheel if you’re keen to see it cold.

The Dog Stars opens in UK cinemas 28 August 2026.

Is This Top-Tier Ridley?

Scott’s been making some bold claims about The Dog Stars—though if you recall, he said something not unlike this about Gladiator II as well, calling it 'one of the best things I’ve ever made.' This time around, he’s talking up his casting game and the film’s lightning-fast production schedule, boasting it might just be his very best work.

Here’s what Scott was saying in the run-up to Gladiator II in 2024, trying to put the scale of The Dog Stars into perspective:

‘The one I just finished, The Dog Stars, [shot for just 34 days]. It’s the speed of a TV show, but maybe my best movie. Every movie is a discovery of who you are, and making choices about actors. Before I speak to anybody, I look at everything they’ve done. I cast Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Josh Brolin. Frequently, the biggest thing I’m good at is casting. If they’re available, normally I get them.’

First Impressions: Mixed Bag

The critics and early audiences have piped up, and the responses are a real range—from high praise to a few raised eyebrows. Here’s a snapshot of what people are actually saying:

• Some are calling it a bold change of pace for Scott—'emotionally weighted', with impressive visuals and strong work from Elordi and Brolin.
• Others reckon it kicks off slow and purposeful but then loses its way, becoming 'baffling and hard to follow'.
• Nods for the score, the 'quiet and contemplative' vibe, with flashes of unexpected violence—plus, apparently, the dog is genuinely wonderful.
• Comparisons have already popped up—one described it as 'FURY ROAD energy mixed with quiet campfires' and another as a 'soothing and gruelling western' at world’s end, which sounds vaguely exhausting but possibly fascinating.
• A few are less dazzled, feeling Scott’s on a bit of autopilot but giving due credit for certain energetic sequences—and acknowledging it’s a rare bit of optimism in a post-apocalypse story.
• Jacob Elordi is earning plenty of individual praise for carrying the emotional heft, with one comment singling out the film’s take on grief and humanity, recommending it as worth the price of a ticket.