The Dog Stars: the new Ridley Scott is massacred by American critics

With only 39% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dog Stars has already established itself as one of the most poorly received films of Ridley Scott’s career, tied with Kingdom of Heaven and Hannibal.

Before its release on screens in North America this weekend, the British filmmaker’s new post-apocalyptic thriller has clearly not convinced the critics.

With 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dog Stars currently displays one of the worst scores of Ridley Scott’s long career. The film does as much as Kingdom of Heaven (2005) and Hannibal (2001), which also displays only 39% favorable opinions.

Four of the director’s films, however, did even less well. At the bottom of the ranking, we find A great year (2006) romance set in the south of France with Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, which has only 26% positive reviews. The biblical peplum Exodus: Gods and Kingsworn by Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, is at 29%, while 1492: Christopher Columbuswith Gérard Depardieu, displays 30%. Finally, Cartelthe 2013 thriller starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, did barely better with 34%.

This reception contrasts with the more encouraging results obtained recently by Scott. Napoleon had collected 58% positive opinions, compared to 61% for House of Gucci. Gladiator II remains his highest rated recent film with 70%, even if the peplum worn by Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington did not meet with the commercial success hoped for in view of its budget estimated at 250 million dollars, with approximately 460 million dollars collected worldwide.

In The Dog StarsJacob Elordi, Josh Brolin and Margaret Qualley operate in a world ravaged by a pandemic. But the American press seems to have been especially cooled by the pace of the film and its lack of intensity.

THE Boston Globe thus believes that The Dog Stars East “a dystopian thriller that is three films in one, none of which are captivating enough to sustain two hours of film”. ComingSoon judge the feature film for his part “too slow, too monotonous and too familiar” to leave a real impression.

Same observation on the side of Varietywhich is about a blockbuster “surprisingly low energy and poor in events”. THE New York Times believes that Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley “struggle to bring Ridley Scott’s contemplative dystopia out of its torpor.”

IndieWire recognizes Elordi’s screen presence, but considers that it is not enough to “saving a material that is inevitably heading towards its own apocalypse”. Collider is a little more nuanced, describing a film that awkwardly mixes the survival blockbuster and more introspective science fiction, “with a little something for everyone, but a package that should really only excite a handful of spectators.”

The Dog Stars still cost 20th Century Studios $110 million (excluding promo). It will probably have to aim for at least $220 to $250 million in global box office revenue to cover its costs.