The Dog Stars is Frankensteined together from the well-worn tropes of more memorable movies.

For a movie set in a wasteland, The Dog Stars is cluttered with plot points and symbolic gimmicks; the pileup distracts from the fact that it isn’t really about anything at all.

You have to hand it to Scott: even at the end of the world, he knows how to put on a show.

The film is a confounding but engrossing experience, offering a few new paths on well-worn territory.