Tom Cruise's divisive new movie Digger highlights bad reviews in excellent new teaser

Tom Cruise's new polarising movie Digger, directed by Birdman's Alejandro González Iñárritu, has worn its 'divisive' badge proudly as it used conflicting review excerpts in a new teaser.

Releasing on 2 October in the UK, Iñárritu's latest, which he co-wrote with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman, stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a billionaire oil tycoon whose company causes an environmental disaster in Greenland.

Also starring Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons, Digger has earned mixed reviews, currently sitting at an emblematic 50% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.

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The movie has certainly made the most of its controversiality, using first reactions and discordant pull quotes in two teasers. A first clip included reactions from those who watched it at early screenings, with Digger branded "unpleasant" and a "masterpiece", as well as "baffling" and "brilliant".

After the embargo lifted on reviews, a second teaser has been released, incorporating verdicts ranging from "messy" and "deranged" to "mind-blowing" and "career-best".

At Digital Spy, our three-star review argued that Digger is the kind of ambitious film you should see for yourself.

"Digger may ultimately prove too divisive to make much of an impact during the awards season, or even at the box office, but you can't fault its ambition," the review reads. "It's flawed, for sure, yet with a committed Tom Cruise at its centre, it's the kind of movie you should see to make up your own mind."

While we won't spoil the film's big reveal, we can absolutely debunk the early fan theory that the film would be a musical. Cruise was presented with the theory during an appearance on The Tonight Show, saying it was "a very good idea".

"No, but I think it's a very good idea," the actor told host Jimmy Fallon. "I think we should do Digger: The Musical. Just Digger down."

Digger is released in cinemas on 2 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).