Reviews of THE DOG STARS were so muted that I was surprised I liked it as much as I did and now suspect it will be one of those Ridley Scott films (like, recently, THE COUNSELOR and THE LAST DUEL) that will be re-evaluated upwards in years to come. I liked the depiction of nature, which remains beautiful, whilst all humans have built is ugly and deteriorating. This is a world almost eradicated by a virus and now dog-eat-dog survivalist. The film is about overcoming the sadness that overhangs everything and finding love (romantic as well as communal) and hope. The pace feels slow (though is that just because of our current doom scrolling from ten sec clip to ten sec clip?). There are some fantastical moments – gothic meets the surreal – with Allison Janney ruling an airport outpost and I loved the John Fordish prelude to the film’s end. The cast is starry indeed, Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley lovely together; Josh Brolin at his most appealing; Guy Pearce brilliant at playing someone almost ordinary. I liked the film’s valuing of skills and knowledge and really loved the combination of apocalyptic circumstances not without nature and beauty, overhanging sadness, and a finding of more than a glimmer of love and hope as those circumstances unfold. I was very glad to see it.

José Arroyo