Sometimes you just get a feeling that the latest from a famous filmmaker just isn't going to stick the landing. The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott's latest film, has had one of the worst marketing campaigns I've seen in recent memory. Whether it be the beyond lazy posters or the bland trailers, this just isn't the type of push you typically see for films from directors of Scott's pedigree. Upon watching the movie, it kind of makes sense, but strangely I found myself kind of enjoying it.
The Dog Stars is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Heller. It follows Hig (Jacob Elordi), a former mechanic turned pilot navigating a post-apocalyptic world where all but a few have been killed off by an unnamed virus. Aside from a mennonite colony he brings aid to now and then, Hig's only companions are his dog Jasper and a former marine named Bangley (Josh Brolin). On a recon run in his Cessna, Hig hears snippets on the radio that suggest more civilization nearby, so he sets off on a trek that eventually leads him to a father and daughter (played by Guy Pearce and Margaret Qualley). There the three of them must adapt to one another as they search for more survivors.
This is such a strange film, but what I found most bizarre was how locked in I was despite how ultimately dull the film is. From the first shot and its terrible music choice, Scott throws you into a world stripped of much of any character, and the most interesting ideas narratively come in fleeting moments that never get their time to shine. When it comes to vibes though, there's just something about it that hooked me. There isn't much going on but the beautiful greenery and slow pace make a lot of the film feel almost meditative. I don't think it really should feel that way, but I couldn't help but enjoy my time watching. Despite his age, Scott continues to be at the very least a technically proficient director, and the craft whether it be cinematography or production design is consistently strong.
The script and editing are what bring things down quite a bit. As I mentioned before, interesting ideas are given nowhere near enough time to develop properly, leaving us with a lot of filler with the occasional great set piece that we move on from as quickly as we got there. One scene in particular with Brolin is straight up awesome, but it's the surrounding events and how poorly they are seamed together that suck the energy out of those moments. What we ultimately get is a collection of great moments with a whole lot of nothing between them. There are also one or two moments where the dialogue is frankly awful, and the performances fail to stop it from feeling wildly forced and awkward. Really all of the craft, especially the cinematography and the musical score, is great, everything is just assembled in a way that fails to leave any kind of lasting impact.
Brolin and Pearce are clear highlights of the cast. Both of them are gruff old guys, but they take that identity on in different ways and bring their a-game despite the script's flaws. Elordi and Qualley don't quite live up to that bar. Qualley is fine, hell she's even pretty great in some moments. There's just nothing here from her perfomance that impressed me nearly as much as some of her other work. Elordi is in a similar boat, he has a handful of standout moments but never really feels like his character, and with him taking on the lead role it does limit how much you can connect with the story. We also get a very strange Allison Janney performance that I'm still figuring out how I feel about.
I've talked a lot about the film's flaws, but don't get me wrong there are undoubtedly highlights here whether it be the grumpy old men performances or some standout set pieces. I don't think the finished product here presents a well assembled film, but for whatever reason I was locked in from start to finish. I'm going to lean ever so slightly positive just based on my personal experience watching, but if you do go see this one know that it is far from without its detractors. 3/5
Comments
Post a Comment