After months of waiting, Alejandro Gonzalez’s Inarritu’s “Digger” was finally shown to critics the other day and the first reactions are in. From what has been said so far, the question now becomes: Will it be able to stay strong as a contender for Best Picture and/or Original Screenplay at this year’s Oscars? Or will “Digger” just be a vehicle for Tom Cruise to receive a Best Actor nomination with the potential for some additional craft nominations? On the surface, “Digger” appears to be visually innovative (Shot by 3-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki), but when experiencing the full 129 minute feature, much more can be seen and said about its social and thematic commentary, and the responses are divisive. One of Warner Bros. fall release players for the upcoming awards season, some might no longer hold hope for its full awards potential, which means the team will have to dig deep if they want to salvage what’s there.
Director Alejandro González Iñárritu first conceived “Digger” back in 2015 upon completion of his film “The Revenant.” Now, four years after Iñárritu’s previous Netflix film “Bardo,” the filmmaker is back in theaters. “Digger” is a satirical dark comedy following Cruise as the titular protagonist, Digger Rockwell. As the world’s most powerful man, he heads out on a quest to save humanity, before it’s revealed that the oncoming disaster was actually created by him. Cruise’s co-stars include Riz Ahmed as the scientist Ganesh and John Goodman as President Compson. Further filling out the ensemble are Michael Stuhibarg as the Vice President, Sandra Hüller as Digger’s temperamental business partner/half-sister Emma, and Jesse Plemons as Kenny, a mysterious figure whose role in the ultra-secretive narrative is later made clear.
The September 22nd world premiere of “Digger” in London saw the release of critics’ first reactions. While many praised Cruise’s acting, along with co-star Ahmed, there is little uniformly positive that has otherwise been said. With this in mind, one can only question what this means for the film in the upcoming awards season race. From the first reactions on X, it’s clear just how divisive these opinions have been. Half seem to believe that “Digger” is the film of the year, while others quote it as being a major misfire. At the moment, though, Cruise’s performance seems to be the film’s most praised element, although reactions are perhaps not as effusive as they could have been. With Ahmed’s performance also being appreciated, there has been little else inherently positive said about the film from an above the lime standpoint that would help the film in categories such as Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay. In addition, the film itself is receiving negative attention for its attempt at satirical comedy, described as being unfunny in its portrayal of an end of the world situation.
From simple tweets to longer opinions, many major critics made their thoughts known. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich mentioned Iñárritu’s poor ability to create a proper joke, while his colleague Jim Hemphill praised the film’s visual ingenuity, which he felt was unlike any other studio film he’d ever seen. Over at Variety, Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis noted the film’s unpredictable nature, remarking that audience reactions may indicate Cruise’s status as a star. On the other hand, fellow Variety editor Jazz Tangcay believes Ahmed is the best performance in the film. She also praised Iñárritu as a “visionary,” with the production design also being top notch. The Wrap’s Drew Taylor was also impressed, especially by Cruise. But Next Best Picture’s own Matt Neglia wasn’t as taken, calling the screenplay “imbalanced” and the film “unfunny.”
Critics all over are clearly divided, leading to inconclusive thoughts from pundits as we roll towards award season. Cruise notably lacks any Academy Award wins (not including his Honorary Oscar), whereas Iñárritu has multiple Best Director wins, meaning it’s hard to anticipate if “Digger” will be an Academy-friendly movie. Without regular audience reactions, and with critics being all over the place, it is currently hard to say whether or not the film’s original awards season buzz will remain relevant in weeks to come
Are you excited to see “Digger“? What do you think of Tom Cruise’s Oscar chances? Please let us know in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account, and check out Next Best Picture’s latest Oscar predictions here.
