The early critical reaction to Digger, starring Tom Cruise as an eccentric oil tycoon who triggers a global ecological crisis, is highly polarized. Ahead of the movie's release this week, here is what the critics fraternity is saying.
Positive reviews hail Digger as a "masterpiece" and a "brave and gorgeous art film," praising the bold direction, high-wire theatrical structure, and impressive technical craft. Reviewers who loved the film feel its "wild, satirical take on modern corporate greed and climate anxiety makes it an immediate Oscars contender". "A mid-movie monologue Cruise delivers may be the single best scene of any movie of all year long. He has the eccentricity of a Bond villain, the arrogance and ignorance of a stereotypical American, and the undeniable charisma of classic Cruise," a positive review mentioned.
Negative reviews described the film as an "ambitious misstep" or "overstuffed". A frequent complaint across multiple outlets is that for a satirical dark comedy, Digger is "rarely funny", opting instead for heavy-handed browbeating and an uncomfortable lack of subtlety. Several critics warn that mainstream audiences may react poorly to its "bizarre tone and Brechtian theatrical twists".
"Alejandro González Iñárritu and Tom Cruise make a movie that's a ugly, lifeless, meaningless monument to nothing. Despite Cruise becoming Mr. Movies, this is less a love letter to the form and more a hate letter to life, cinema, art, and its own audience," a reviewer opined.
