Tom Cruise has spent the last decade jumping out of planes, flying fighter jets, and saving the world on screen. So playing an eccentric oil tycoon who accidentally dooms the planet might sound like a vacation. But early reactions to Digger suggest Cruise's latest is anything but a relaxing ride—and critics can't seem to agree on whether it's a bold masterpiece or an absolute disaster.
The film marks Cruise's first original movie in nine years, and it reunites him with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant). Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, the world's most powerful man, who desperately tries to prove he can save humanity from a catastrophe he caused himself. The supporting cast is stacked: Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Sophie Wilde, Emma D'Arcy, Robert John Burke, and Burn Gorman. Iñárritu co-wrote the screenplay with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, and Sabina Berman, with a story by Berman, Iñárritu, and Jez Butterworth. Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki shot the entire film in VistaVision.
With Digger set to hit theaters on October 2, the first wave of social media reactions has arrived, and "mixed" doesn't quite capture the chaos. Some viewers are calling it "audacious" and "powder keg cinema," while others describe it as "a mess" and simply "not enjoyable." Cruise's performance is drawing equally polarized takes—some are already whispering "Academy Award," while one critic labeled him the "least interesting actor" on screen.
That's a dramatic swing for Cruise, whose recent output has been dominated by broadly acclaimed blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible franchise. Warner Bros. has positioned Digger as a bold departure, and it's clearly dividing audiences in ways his recent films haven't.
What the Critics Are Saying
Jake Kleinman praised the film while warning that its biggest swings won't work for everyone. He compared its sensibility to Charlie Kaufman rather than Stanley Kubrick and suggested some twists are almost designed to annoy: "Digger is definitely not for everyone, but I loved it. The big twists are going to piss off a lot of people, but the payoff is worth it. The vibe is much more Kaufman than Kubrick. Cruise is great, but he's the least interesting actor onscreen next to John Goodman and Riz Ahmed."
Joey Magidson landed on the opposite side, arguing that Iñárritu's ambitious swing doesn't come together: "Digger is a mess. Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu are taking a massive swing here, but despite some great production design and a commitment to their big choices, not a whole lot works here. Cruise is good and Riz Ahmed is a highlight, but man this wasn't enjoyable."
Hoai-Tran Bui came away "very mixed," praising Cruise but calling other parts "absolutely insufferable." She joked that she hadn't considered herself an Iñárritu hater before, "but now I kind of get it!" Meanwhile, Jake Hamilton called it his favorite film of 2026, praising its surprises and ranking Cruise's performance among his career best: "Digger is my favorite film of '26 — I avoided spoilers, so the surprises had an incredible impact. A bit Kubrick, a bit Black Mirror but also feels original — a surreal, weird, funny study on human nature and storytelling."
Jana N Nagase was similarly enthusiastic, describing the movie as "funky & wild" and highlighting another enormous twist that shouldn't be spoiled. She reserved most of her praise for Cruise, adding to the chorus of voices impressed by his work even when they weren't sold on the film overall.
So is Digger worth watching? It certainly isn't boring. The film's polarizing nature—and the strong reactions to Cruise's performance—make it one of the fall's most intriguing releases. Whether it's a misunderstood masterpiece or an ambitious misfire, audiences will get to decide for themselves when it opens on October 2.
For more on Tom Cruise's career, check out his epic 'Last Samurai' finding new life on streaming, and see how Zack Snyder's latest film faced similarly brutal first reactions at TIFF.
