The Dog Stars Ending Explained

Published Aug 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X. A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Dog Stars Ridley Scott is one of the most celebrated and acclaimed filmmakers working today, having made titles like Alien, Gladiator, and more. Now, Scott’s latest film hits theaters — The Dog Stars, which stars Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, and Josh Brolin. Based upon the novel of the same name, The Dog Stars follows Hig, a man surviving a post-apocalyptic era. Hig is joined by his loyal dog, Jasper, and together they live with Bangley, played by Josh Brolin. Hig eventually decides to venture off on his own, and it’s on his travels that he meets Cima (Qualley) and Pops (Guy Pearce). The Dog Stars is, in many ways, something of a road trip film. Hig doesn't stay in any one place for too long, and it's through this movement that he's able to meet Cima and Pops along the way. The roadtrip, then, is all building up to Grand Junction, a place that Hig believes may house some sort of functioning society in an era where almost everything (and everyone) has fallen away. The climax of The Dog Stars takes place primarily at Grand Junction, and it's reminiscent of other apocolyptic films like 28 Days Later. In that film, the heroes reach a military compound, thinking that it would be a sanctuary from the zombie outbreak, only to discover that the humans there are arguably even more dangerous. The same sort of thing happens in The Dog Stars, which leads to a grandstand conclusion. Grand Junction Is Not What Hig Hoped It Would Be Early on in the film, Hig hears some radio chatter that references Grand Junction. It gives him hope that the world he once knew may still be intact, at least somewhat, and it’s after Jasper is killed that Hig decides to set out on the quest to get to Grand Junction. Josh Brolin’s character protests this decision, not only because it would leave him alone, but because he doesn’t believe there is anything good left in where Hig plans to go. When Hig and co. finally get to Grand Junction, the voice on the radio is cautious. The woman on the other end is initially hesitant to let them land, and this gives Hig hope that Grand Junction is what he thinks it is. After Pops helps convince the woman to let them in, the trio land and head into the facility. However, it’s in the facility that Hig pieces together that not everything is right with Grand Junction. The leader of the group, played by Allison Janney, takes a specific interest in Cima because of her experience as a medical student before the world ended. At this point, Janney’s character reveals her true intentions, stating that she wants to get rid of Hig and Pops and keep Cima around for her medical expertise. Not only that, but Hig is told that the citizens of Grand Junction are all cannibals, and they eat almost all of the visitors that come in. Hig then lights one of the soldiers on fire, which starts the escape plan. Bangley Is Attacked By Raiders (But Survives) As Hig decided to leave the compound that he shared with Bangley, this left the latter alone to defend himself. Bangley shares his anxiety over this, especially as the duo have heard rumors of escalating attacks in a nearby city (or former city, as it's mostly deserted). Not just that, Hig himself has seen evidence of this dangerous group of raiders, and has seen evidence that they're getting closer. Yet, Hig still opted to go on his journey, in large part due to his grief over losing his dog, Jasper. That leaves Bangley compromised in many ways, as he's left alone to defend not just himself, but his entire home as well. All of these concerns hit a head when the raiders, who are bald and have extensive tattoos all over their bodies and face, finally reach Bangley's home. This leads to what is arguably the best action set piece of the film, as Bangley has no choice but to defend himself. First, he uses stealth, opting for knife attacks so that the raiders won't notice him. However, once he's spotted, Bangley begins using his rifle to pick them off one by one. He's able to take down a significant portion of the raider army before they begin to fight back more significantly. Their fightback comes when the raiders discover Bangley's arsenal of weapons. At this point, Bangley is trying to get to the top of his watch tower, with the raiders climbing the sides of the structure in an attempt to get to him. However, some of the raiders on the ground find a rocket launcher, which they use to shoot at the watch tower. This causes Bangley to fall several feet in the impending explosion, and it's the last audiences see of him for quite a while in the film. However, after Hig returns (more on that later), it's revealed that Bangley is alive. He has bandages all over his body, and he's clearly injured from the attack. Yet, he survived the attack of 50+ men, which Hig is impressed with. Hig And Co. Return To Bangley After the failure at Grand Junction, Hig opts to take Cima and Pops to the only place he knows is safe — his former home. Bangley is alive, but the home itself is destroyed by the fire that started from the rocket launcher explosion. But, an event from earlier in the film gave the characters another place to go. Earlier on in the film, Hig is seen delivering supplies to a group of Mennonites, who live in an area sheltered by trees, leaving them protected from outsiders. Hig brings Cima and Pops there, and even convinces Bangley, who's in need of a new place to stay after everything that happened, to come along. The Dog Stars ends with Hig and Cima, who are now in a relationship. Pops is absent for much of this epilogue, but it's assumed that he's still around and living at the compound. Bangley, meanwhile, is enjoying himself far more than he thought he would, all of this gives the film a happily-ever-after sort of ending. How The Dog Stars' Ending Compares To The Book From beginning to end, The Dog Stars takes a number of liberties with the source material. Among its biggest changes is the death of Jasper, who died naturally in the book version of the story. There's also the matter of the romance between Hig and Cima, which only fully blossoms into romance at the end of the movie, whereas in the book, it had already happened. But the two being positioned to start a family together, along with Bangley and Pops, is consistent with the original narrative. One element of the book's ending that was notably missing from the movie was the presence of military aircraft, which oddly ignored Hig's attempts to communicate. Since the story ended shortly afterward, the implications of this were never explored. This allowed the book to end on a mysterious note, with the characters looking forward to the future but having reasons to doubt that there wasn't a larger threat looming. By not showing this, the movie sidestepped this entirely, and in doing so, created a much more optimistic outlook about the main characters' futures after The Dog Stars. 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