The Dog Stars Rotten Tomatoes Score | Critical Reception

Early Reviews for The Dog Stars

Ridley Scott returns to theaters this week with The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic drama based on the 2012 novel by Peter Heller. The film stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin. It arrives as the latest high-profile project for the director, following a string of massive productions in recent years. Critics have now shared their initial impressions, and the early numbers suggest a complicated road ahead for the project.

Rotten Tomatoes posted the initial Tomatometer score for the film on August 25. Out of 36 reviews cataloged, the project holds a 42 percent approval rating. This places the movie near the bottom of Scott's filmography by that metric. Should this rating remain stable, it would rank among the ten lowest-rated features of his lengthy career.

Critical Reception and Industry Noise

The film centers on a civilian pilot navigating a world ravaged by a pandemic. Reviews have hit hard on the tone and execution. Robert Daniels, writing for RogerEbert, noted that the film feels labored. He argued that it requires more effort to create a dull survival movie than a compelling one, suggesting the director may have missed his mark here. August Hammel from AwardsWatch called the film too polished. He felt it lacked the grit expected from a project set in a collapsed society.

Other critics pointed to a lack of necessity in the storytelling. Nadine Whitney of The Curb wrote that the movie struggles to justify its own existence as a theatrical experience. She described it as a project that lacks the weight of a true blockbuster. Monica Castillo of The AV Club labeled the film a messy misfire. These critiques represent a stark departure from the positive reception surrounding earlier Scott films like Gladiator II.

Competition and Future Outlook

The film hits theaters on August 28, 2026. It enters a crowded market dominated by major titles. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day currently hold significant audience interest. Meanwhile, the horror genre continues to perform well following the debut of Insidious: Out of the Further. The Dog Stars faces a steep climb to find its audience in the coming weeks.

Scott remains a legendary figure in Hollywood. His career spans decades and includes some of the most influential works in science fiction and historical drama. Still, even the most established directors face critical hurdles. Whether audiences agree with these early reviews will become clear when the box office numbers come in this weekend. The film runs for 119 minutes and arrives with high expectations from the studio despite the initial critical tepidness.