Digger (2026) Review
When Digger’s first Rotten Tomatoes score debuted it was at 41%, well now the movie is out in theaters with 182 reviews counted it has a 54%. Digger is one of 2026’s most polarizing films which means that I was excited to see this movie but even before that this was one of my most anticipated movies of 2026. I love that it is Tom Cruise moving away from franchises and doing something different for his career. Let us get started!
The Review
The first thing you must talk about with this movie is the polarizing nature of this movie and why critics seem so divided on this movie. It is a tricky thing to fully talk about without going into spoilers. Part of the reason the film is so polarizing is because of where it goes in the back half of the movie and where you get multiple twists and turns for what is going on. Some people are going to love the big ambitious swings this movie takes while other people are going to be frustrated by it, and I do not think there is going to be a lot of people in the middle. You are either going to really enjoy this movie or not enjoy this movie. For me, I just love that a movie like this exists. I like that we have a movie that is original, it is ambitious, and it is not afraid to step on toes. We live in a society where people are afraid to push boundaries and not go over the edge and so when Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Tom Cruise deliver a movie like this, there’s something that I just appreciate about that and it’s going to be for everybody and that’s ok.
As for me, I am on the side that liked this movie. It is an interesting mix of ideas, social commentary, and satirical humor that all comes together in the third act of the film that I thought worked and had a lot of interesting things to say. Once again, it is hard to talk about without going into spoilers, so I will do my best. This part is shown in the trailers that Tom Cruise’s character, Digger is this oil tycoon billionaire in charge of this company, and this glacier incident happens that sets in motion the entire film. From there, it goes into social commentary commenting on the state of the world we live with the politicians and how it does this with one of the big twists in the film I think works and it finds a clever way to comment on our society and the messaging of the movie I think works and I kind of agree with a lot of what the movie is saying. This is another aspect a lot of people are going to split on. Where it does get preachy in the back half of the film, Jesse Plemmons has this monologue that I thought was great but could turn a lot of people. It does pick a political stance from the beginning and if you disagree with that, you might not like this movie. The other thing, it is a film that is commenting on such real ideas to our world that does hit close to home, and I think doing a satirical take on it will not sit well with everybody. I wonder if the movie were not a satirical comedy and it was presented as more straightforward and serious, how different the overall reaction to the movie would be. I like what they did here as a whole, but I totally understand why a lot of people will not like this movie.
From there, the other thing you must talk about here is Tom Cruise. As I previously said, one of the reasons why I was so excited for this movie was because I believe Tom Cruise is a great actor and I like that he’s doing something so different and not another franchise film like Mission Impossible or Top Gun. This movie just reminds you how great of an actor he really is. There is one moment in this movie set during a courthouse that is about 10 minutes long that is a great showcase of Cruise’s acting and despite the negative reviews I think solidifies him an Oscar nomination. They did it all in one take and it is such an incredible scene that’s world class acting. In general, the type of character this is and the type of performance Cruise is having to give, you really do need a world class actor to pull this over. It is not a full-blown comedic performance like how the trailers were presenting it to be, there is some more to it where you see the actor Tom Cruise pop out. The other fun standout here is John Goodman as the President. This is a fun performance where you need a great actor like Goodman to come in and give this wild and wacky performance that is so funny and I think secures him a best supporting actor nomination. He also has a scene in a bedroom about halfway through the film that is fantastic with how over the top Goodman is going and what he must do. But everybody in here is good and they are all delivering fantastic performances that are fun and fit the weird and quirky vibe of the film.
One final thing to talk about here, but the technical aspects of the film are fantastic. Everything from the production design where it looks real but it also looks very weird and off which makes sense once you realize what the movie is about but also even the film having a weird and quirky tone fits the look of the film nicely. Of course, the make-up design on Tom Cruise is fantastic and it makes you forget that you are watching Tom Cruise, the makeup is that good. But even on a cinematography level, the movie is switching between different formats, which to some will be distracting but with how it is used in the film I think works and is clever as it helps tell the story. Alejandro G. Iñárritu seems to have some clever ways that he likes to use cinematography and the camera and how it is used in this film is good and it is something that I have not seen before in a movie.
Final Thoughts: As I said earlier, I am not at all surprised that the critics are split down the middle on this movie. At the same time, I sort of love that this movie exists because it is so different and out there and not everybody in Hollywood is ambitious even to make a movie like this. I am very curious what the discourse surrounding this film is going to be on social media this weekend because audiences are also going to be split. For me, I dug the movie and I liked what it had to say and how it told the story through the commentary and the camera.
The Score: 8.7/10 (B+)
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