Critics’ ratings and reviews have started pouring in, and so fare they’re all saying the same thing: things aren’t looking great for Tom Cruise as his first movie since wrapping up the Mission: Impossible franchise has hit theaters. Digger was one of those films that seemed wildly outside the action star’s wheelhouse (much like his performance in Tropic Thunder), and one that might signal the start of a new era—one that promised to be more character- or comedy-driven. But that new era might not be the one he was hoping for.
Digger has officially earned Cruise his second-lowest CinemaScore ever, bringing home a paltry C- (the honor of being his lowest-scoring film goes to Vanilla Sky). And it seems critics everywhere just can’t get on board, calling it sanctimonious while trying to veil its message behind over-the-top ridiculousness. That hasn’t stopped audiences from thoroughly enjoying it, however. The movie centers on oil tycoon Digger Rockwell (Cruise), seemingly the most powerful man in the world, as he attempts to stop the disaster he caused from destroying the world (all while keeping his ancient, decrepit cat alive).
Audiences don’t agree with that take. And neither does director and horror powerhouse Guillermo del Toro. Reacting to IGN’s review article about Digger, he said, “Entirely Petty headline. Love it or not. And, yes, I do. The film delivers in scale, ambition, and reach at a theatrical screen level. Daring, bold, and cinematically complex. Decidedly a Theatrical experience.”
Del Toro’s take seems to be the one that most audience members agree with, as the film has performed much more impressively with casual viewers. “Masterful filmmaking! It won’t be for everyone, but it will be in awards contention on many fronts and well deserved at that. Acting was superb across the board, and Tom Cruise might finally win his Oscar,” said one. One called it a mix of “The Truman Show, Bugonia, and I, Robot,” while another said that the film is “ambitious, creative, and thought-provoking. will be a cult classic one day and will stand the test of time.”
Overall, it seems that the over-the-top nature of the film is what turned critics off, leaving them with the feeling of it being too much, too loud, too full of itself while simultaneously not taking itself seriously at all. Critic Erik Childress said, “The kind of bad movie that only talented people seem to make. Loud comedy without wit, so get louder and remind people this is satire, while an ironic meta commentary looms, suggesting Inarritu’s story would have been better told starting at the end.” It does leave us with the question of what exactly critics are hoping for when it comes to meta takes and a storyteller’s opinion on the state of the world.
