In 1 Month, A Sci-Fi Master Returns With Their "Best Movie" In 11 Years

2026 has already been a stellar year for sci-fi movies, and a genre master has placed huge expectations on his return that's only one month away. While Christopher Nolan moved away from science fiction to make a fantasy epic with The Odyssey, some of Hollywood's most prolific directors dealing with space, aliens, apocalypses, and more have kept the bar for storytelling in this genre high.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller turned to sci-fi like never before with Project Hail Mary. Teaming up with Ryan Gosling to adapt Andy Weir's novel, the movie became a $684 million hit for Amazon MGM. It's the studio's highest-grossing movie and sits in the top 5 for the yearly box office. With rave reviews and Oscar chances, Project Hail Mary gave 2026's sci-fi movies a great start.

Since then, Steven Spielberg returned to the genre with Disclosure Day. His alien movie also received favorable reviews and has made over $230 million worldwide. Audiences still have some sci-fi movies to look forward to for the rest of the year. Denis Villeneuve returns to the genre with Dune: Part Three in December, but another director responsible for classics in this realm returns much sooner.

In exactly one month, Ridley Scott goes back to sci-fi for The Dog Stars. The post-apocalyptic survival film hits theaters on August 28 and will give viewers a very different type of entry from the man responsible for Alien and Blade Runner. His sci-fi return makes The Dog Stars inherently interesting, but Scott has made it a must-see release, claiming it's the best movie he's done in many years.

Ridley Scott Called The Dog Stars His Best Movie Since The Martian

In the lead up to the movie's release, Scott has been asked several times about what viewers can expect from The Dog Stars, a movie starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, and Margaret Qualley as survivors navigating the state of the world after a devastating pandemic. The director is tooting his own horn with this one, as he's claimed The Dog Stars is his best movie in 11 years.

Speaking to The Buyer previously, Scott said, "It's probably the best movie I've done since The Martian." The Martian came out in 2015 and was Scott's last sci-fi movie. It was a major success, grossing $630 million, scoring 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with audiences and critics, and receiving seven Oscar nominations. And since then, Scott has delivered several other strong movies outside the sci-fi realm.

It's notable that Scott drew the line for The Dog Stars' quality at The Martian. He previously stated that The Dog Stars was "maybe" his best movie yet. Perhaps this is him attempting to manage expectations somewhat, as the Matt Damon-starring Andy Weir adaptation is widely considered to be one of Scott's best movies. But even stopping there gives his new sci-fi thriller lofty heights to reach.

Ridley Scott's Claim Gives The Dog Stars High Expectations

In the years between The Martian and The Dog Stars, Scott has stayed incredibly busy. He's made six movies during that span, and while none are better than The Martian, there are some notable success stories and well-liked titles among them.

Scott is telling everyone that he believes The Dog Stars is better than Alien: Covenant, All the Money in the World, The Last Duel, House of Gucci, Napoleon, and Gladiator II. The majority of those movies are generally liked by audiences, with a few even earning Best Picture Oscar nominations.

Rather than The Dog Stars coming out and just looking to be a solid addition to Scott's filmography, the movie now has an expectation to be better than these films. Your mileage may vary on how much you like specific titles from this run, but it has largely been a successful stretch for him. He has box office hits, critically acclaimed features, and awards contenders.

Now it's up to The Dog Stars to try and become all three, like The Martian. If that is in its future, it will likely only be because Scott was right about just how well the movie turned out that audiences, critics, and the industry won't be able to ignore it.