Ridley Scott's New Sci-Fi Thriller The Dog Stars Officially Breaks A Rotten Tomatoes Record In The Last 6 Years

Published Aug 25, 2026, 9:41 PM EDT Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Ridley Scott's new sci-fi thriller is on a bumpy ride with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. After tackling aliens and gladiators, the legendary filmmaker is back in the director's chair with his first traditional post-apocalyptic movie, The Dog Stars, based on Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel that became a bestseller fourteen years ago. After an influenza pandemic wipes out much of humanity, Hig (Jacob Elordi) and Bangley (Josh Brolin) are among the few survivors; they face the lingering perils while searching for hopes of a better life. Ahead of its release, Scott vouched that The Dog Stars was "probably the best movie I’ve done since The Martian." Now, the first reviews are in to determine whether the director was accurate in his self-assessment. Unfortunately, The Dog Stars fell short of impressing critics, with the score debuting at 44%. Although it's far from his worst-rated movie, the upcoming thriller is Scott's lowest-scored project ever in the 2020s and ranks lower than Napoleon's 58%. It's also his lowest-rated movie in the last 12 years after Exodus: Gods and Kings earned a 29% in 2014. All Ridley Scott-Directed Movies In the 2020s Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score The Last Duel (2021) 85% 81% House of Gucci (2021) 63% 83% Napoleon (2023) 58% 58% Gladiator II (2024) 70% 80% The Dog Stars (2026) 44% N/A Although Elordi and Margaret Qualley's performances and the beautiful visuals were the few positive aspects, the issues stemmed from the post-apocalyptic elements and the failure to execute the novel's voice. Many critics agreed that The Dog Stars wasn't innovative compared to other post-apocalyptic movies and recycled the genre tropes. Additionally, removing the novel's first-person narrative shifted the movie's tone, making it difficult to display the grief felt by Elordi's protagonist. In ScreenRant's review of The Dog Stars, Jordan William admitted that the story wasn't "groundbreaking," but disagreed with most critics in that Scott's sci-fi thriller was "an entertaining, visually stunning ride with a refreshing focus on hope." Despite the issues behind its post-apocalyptic clichés, the film "drives home these themes on humanity with a heavier hand." While Scott's thriller isn't without flaws, the cast helps overcome the lackluster character depth and underwhelming subplots, ultimately earning a 6 out of 10 stars as an "easy-to-watch adventure among summer blockbuster fare." This is a developing story... The Dog Stars will be released in theaters on August 28, 2026. Release Date August 28, 2026 Runtime 119 minutes Director Ridley Scott Writers Mark L. Smith Producers Mark L. Smith, Michael A. Pruss, Ridley Scott, Cliff Roberts