Hig (Jacob Elordi) has a routine. He fuels up his rickety vintage airplane, flies into the abandoned city of Erie, Colorado, and restocks. He picks up more fuel from the gas station, its walls covered in graffiti and nearly buried by vegetation. He drops by the local bar, where he takes a few cases of soda. He naturally stops by the hospital, lights still flickering, where he’s squirreled away tons of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. But his most important stop is his old house, its doorway marked by a giant red X, but everything inside still untouched. He returns to his bedroom, where he’s greeted by the beatific vision of his pregnant wife, still full of love and life. But then we cut to Hig sitting alone on the bed, accompanied only by Jasper, his loving dog and partner in this post-apocalyptic landscape.
The world in The Dog Stars has been ravaged by a devastating flu pandemic, which has left only a handful of survivors scattered across the world. Some, like Hig and his disgruntled survivalist roommate Bangley (Josh Brolin), have insulated themselves in self-made fortresses, while others roam the country as part of feral, bloodthirsty tribes. Hig and Bangley’s home — an abandoned airport near Erie — is as good as it gets, with the ever-paranoid Bangley stocking up on weapons and provisions, while Hig makes his regular trips to the city (as well as stopping by a nearby Mennonite community to give handouts, against Bangley’s wishes). They’ve achieved “the American Dream,” Bangley says dryly. But Hig, who bristles against Bangley’s ruthless executions of anyone who comes within shooting distance of their home, wants more than just to get by. It’s the age-old question of many a post-apocalyptic drama: What does it mean to not just survive, but live? The Dog Stars doesn’t have an answer, and Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s acclaimed 2012 novel doesn’t really seem interested in one.
