Guillermo del Toro has come to the defense of Tom Cruise’s Digger. The filmmaker strongly disagreed with a review, slamming it as disrespectful.
In their recent review of Digger, IGN added, “The theater experience won’t change your mind, and the laughs that are there still will be when it hits HBO Max.” According to the outlet, the movie is “far from a must-watch,” and fans can save their money by skipping the theatrical experience.
Guillermo del Toro strongly disagrees, which he views as disrespectful towards Tom Cruise’s love for theaters. The Mission Impossible star has long been vocal about his passion for cinema. In an interview with GQ magazine, Cruise shared, “I have nothing against cable or TV or Netflix. I think it’s great. Create jobs and everything. But what I like about cinema is it is all of us coming together in a room and sharing an experience.”
In a recent X post, the Oscar-winning director called out the outlet for penning an “entirely petty headline.” He added, “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.”
What are critics saying about Digger?
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger has received mixed reviews, with only Tom Cruise’s performance being praised. The movie currently holds a disappointing 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.
ComingSoon’s Jonathan Sim writes, “Digger may not completely stick the landing, but Cruise certainly swings for the fences. Unfortunately, the movie around him cannot always match his energy.”
Stephanie Zacharek from TIME Magazine says, “Iñárritu and his star aren’t telling us a story; they’re selling us, relentlessly, on the genius of the movie they’ve made. This is reverse-engineered awards bait, a movie that insists it’s digging for the truth, when all it’s really doing is shoveling.”
According to AV Club’s Monica Castillo, “Digger lacks emotional depth, being much more interested in the showmanship of tricks and razzle-dazzle than character development. While Cruise puts on a good show, he’s walking around the loose threads of the script to get there.”
In addition to Cruise, Digger also stars Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D’Arcy, and more.
Digger arrives in theaters on October 2.