In one sentence: In a world devastated by a deadly flu, a grieving man risks the safety of the life he has built in search of something more than survival.

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Sometimes a film turns out to be very different from the one its trailer promised and sometimes it can be a pleasant surprise. Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars was exactly this for me. Its action-packed trailer suggests a fairly conventional post-apocalyptic thriller, even revealing many of its biggest explosions along the way, but the film itself is something much quieter. Beneath the violence is a contemplative story about grief, loneliness and what it means to keep living when almost everything you knew has disappeared.

Set in a dystopian world where most of the population has died following a devastating flu virus, the film follows Hig (Jacob Elordi) and his dog Jasper as they navigate what remains, often travelling in a small plane. Hig shares a compound with Bangley (Josh Brolin), a former soldier, and together they protect their territory from “roaches”, survivors who have become increasingly savage. Although they have created a relatively safe existence, Hig remains consumed by grief and eventually decides to risk what he has in search of something more.

Despite its action-packed marketing, the film is considerably gentler than I anticipated. Long stretches are devoted to silence, reflection and memories of the past with surprisingly little dialogue. Violence inevitably erupts, but because it isn’t constant, it carries considerably more weight when it arrives. Modern movies can often overwhelm audiences with so much action that spectacle gradually loses impact. The Dog Stars largely avoids this trap, allowing the threat of violence to become as important as the violence itself. This restraint will not work for everyone. Viewers arriving on the strength of the trailer may reasonably expect a much faster film filled with action so its measured pacing could prove challenging for some. Personally, I was comfortable with its slower rhythm. One sequence involving buffalo felt somewhat unnecessary beyond providing a mild plot catalyst and an impressive shot for the trailer, but the effects are generally convincing.

Jacob Elordi is particularly strong as Hig. He has relatively little dialogue to work with but by the end of the film I felt I understood the character remarkably well. His grief, loneliness and yearning for something beyond mere survival are communicated through small expressions and quiet moments rather than lengthy speeches. It is a gentle and introspective performance that continues to demonstrate his range. He also develops convincing chemistry with Cima (Margaret Qualley) and their rapport feels natural rather than forced. Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce round out the principal cast with two different versions of toughness, both finding occasional moments of humour within an otherwise bleak world. Allison Janney makes a small but memorably unsettling appearance and it might have been interesting to see more of her character.

One element that immediately pulled me out of the film was some rather conspicuous early product placement involving Sprite and Coca Cola. The prominence of recognisable branding felt forced. Thankfully, it peters out as the film progresses.

Far more effective are the film’s aerial sequences. Hig’s flights reveal vast stretches of water, forest and mountains, presenting nature in all its beauty even as human civilisation has fallen apart beneath it. There is something strangely peaceful about these scenes, almost suggesting that the natural world continues regardless of humanity’s suffering. The gentle soundtrack complements them beautifully, while the use of Hozier’s Like Real People Do to bookend the film is an unexpectedly tender choice.

More than anything, The Dog Stars is interested in grief and the different ways people respond when almost everything has been taken from them. Some seek connection, others retreat into themselves and some become destructive. Human life can appear frighteningly cheap in a world governed by survival, yet the film finds moments to suggest simply staying alive isn’t enough. Hig’s search is ultimately as emotional as it is physical. He wants evidence that there might still be something worth living for.

The context of the film is less developed. We learn relatively little about how society deteriorated after the flu or why some survivors have become so savage. Greater understanding of their circumstances and motivations might have made the world feel richer. At the same time, dystopian stories do not necessarily need to explain every stage of civilisation’s collapse and The Dog Stars is ultimately more interested in the people living within this world than explaining precisely how it came to be.

Some of the film’s most effective moments are also its most ordinary. Life at the ranch with Cima and Pops (Guy Pearce) can feel almost absurdly normal compared with everything surrounding it, but this normality brings warmth and humanity back into the story. Cooking, talking and simply existing alongside other people suddenly feel significant in a world where such things can no longer be taken for granted.

The animals contribute to this too. Jasper the dog and Sarah the donkey provide moments of both light and darkness, while reinforcing the importance of companionship in an otherwise lonely world. These quieter exchanges allow us to warm to the characters and genuinely hope that they might find some degree of peace.

Ultimately, The Dog Stars was a pleasant surprise precisely because it wasn’t the film I expected to see. Beneath its post-apocalyptic action is a much quieter drama. Its pacing won’t work for everyone, particularly those expecting the action film suggested by its trailer, but strong performances and beautiful scenery give the story an unexpected tenderness. It may take place at the end of the world, but its most interesting question is what might still make such a world worth living in.

★★★ (3 stars)