Tom Cruise's 'Outrageous' Digger Already Looks Set To Become 2026's Most Divisive Film

Tom Cruise’s new movie Digger screened for the press this week – and critics can’t seem to agree on what to make about the dystopian black comedy.

Since then, the first reactions on social media from those who’ve seen the film have so far been completely polarised, calling it everything from “goofy” to “unpleasant” to “fascinating stuff”.

Either way, Digger promises to be a film that will spark conversation and debate, whether audiences love it or hate it.

Next Best Picture founder Matt Neglia declared Digger to be an “over-the-top comedy of gigantic satirical proportions” and teased that the film probably isn’t what audiences may be expecting from its previously-released trailers.

However, despite appreciating the “sombre commentary on the bleak state of the world we’re inevitably heading toward”, the writer ultimately declared the film “less of a bang and more of a hollow misfire”.

The Wrap’s Drew Taylor also called the “odd and extraordinary” film “a grand satire (or farce?) about our current predicament and where we go from here, full of barbed commentary and outlandish set pieces”, but acknowledged it won’t be for everyone.

Variety’s Clayton Davis voiced his respect for the bold film that the film takes, but lamented that he wishes it “leaned harder into the absurdity and satire it kept reaching for”.

Similarly, content creator The Oscar Expert had mixed feelings about Digger, declaring it to be “goofy” and “not funny”, but still “fascinating.”

“It’ll be divisive…” he concluded. “But I appreciated the ambition and surprises.”

"Digger" is not what people are expecting — and how audiences react may be the ultimate test of Tom Cruise's star power. I respect the swing and what Alejandro González Iñárritu is going for. Tom Cruise and John Goodman are delivering stellar work (Sophie Wilde might be best in… pic.twitter.com/egbp5ExWVj

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.#Digger pic.twitter.com/dCQEtDlSYG

#Digger isn’t for everyone, but one thing undeniable: this is Tom Cruise’s bravest and riskiest performance in over 20 years. Digger Rockwell is manic and melancholy and the film has a lot to say about our future. It’s audacious, wild and one of Tom’s most memorable roles. pic.twitter.com/RqzpjdKLig

DIGGER one of the most ambitious films I’ve seen this year! Great commentary on where our world is heading. Tom Cruise while not his strongest it’s impactful and hilarious! John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and the ensemble also have great chemistry. An Innaritu film I dug! #digger pic.twitter.com/KdIICEdzfe

DIGGER is egregious & outrageous. It’s a tragic farce of the current disasters we’re living through told comedically by outlandish performances at the hands of a top-tier cast. Ultimately, while it may be a divisive picture, it’s about the importance of art in trialling times. pic.twitter.com/Njv6ogrSUx

A.G. Iñárritu's Digger is a brave and gorgeous art film that will not score with mainstream audiences but will play best for the Academy, especially crafts and actors. But critics will divide on Cruise. The tour-de-force amphitheater scene might put him across. Riz Ahmed is fab.

#DiggerMovie is a once-in-a-decade blast of chaos you have to experience on the big screen. Stunning, fearless, & genuinely staggering. This is the kind of movie that rewards a second viewing. Stay away from spoilers, hit the theater, & let it unfold. You truly won’t see it… pic.twitter.com/pCy7w2FOxX

DIGGER is a very mixed bag. You’ll get what it’s saying, and the concept is interesting, but it doesn’t trust the audience enough not to hold its hand. Riz Ahmed is great. The Cruise performance is solid. Hard to do satire when the absurdity is so prominent in reality. pic.twitter.com/SzhcTaztWB

#Digger is indeed unpleasant. It's not a dark comedy. There's nothing funny about it. It's sort of like a combo of Don't Look Up and Dr Strangelove. The Tom Cruise performance would have been best served as supporting, not lead. A little Digger goes a long way. John Goodman is…

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.@TomCruise’s performance ranks among his career best. pic.twitter.com/bOm4wlNroa

DIGGER is not at all what it seems on the surface. What begins as an over-the-top comedy of gigantic satirical proportions suddenly turns into a meta, somber commentary on the bleak state of the world we’re inevitably heading toward, our inability to stop it, and what we’ll… pic.twitter.com/AYTaRaGNYl

#Digger really is something else — a grand satire (or farce?) about our current predicament and where we go from here, full of barbed commentary and outlandish set pieces. It might not be for everybody but what @TomCruise and Iñárritu have accomplished is odd and extraordinary pic.twitter.com/A06UbWUGem

DIGGER is a timely examination of powerful, wealthy narcissists manipulating the public narrative for their gain. It is very goofy, though not particularly funny, while also dissecting itself being this way. A satire about the role of satire. Fascinating stuff, (1/2)

even if it doesn’t go down the smoothest. It'll be divisive (lol), but I appreciated the ambition and surprises. Really enjoyed Tom Cruise & Riz Ahmed clashing. The production design is stunning so get ready for that. (2/2)

We are living in the golden age of Tom Cruise! Digger is brilliant! Iñárritu take a big swing and knocks it out of the park. It really is Digg or die! #DiggerMovie @diggerthemovie

Hidden by elaborate prosthetics and makeup, critics have already suggested that Digger could help Tom land his fourth acting Oscar nomination, with his performance being hailed as both “magnificent” and “memorable”.

Film critic Carla Renata called Digger one of Tom’s “craziest, bravest most magnificent career performances” to date, with fellow film journalist Courtney Howard agreeing that his work in the movie is “brilliant”, “boldly invigorated” and an all-round “tour de force”.

Tom Cruise is extraordinary in #Digger, delivering one of the most unpredictable performances of his career. He swings from funny and chaotic to solemn, heartfelt and intensely anxious, sometimes within the same scene. It’s a demanding role that stretches Cruise in unexpected… pic.twitter.com/jyXlZZCsYe

“Digger” not only showcases Tom Cruise’s best performance since “Magnolia,” it’s one of the most visually inventive, conceptually audacious, and unpredictable studio movies ever made. Takes so many bold aesthetic swings it makes “Bardo” look like an episode of “The Golden Girls.”

Tom Cruise, as you probably expect, is *going for it* in DIGGER, which makes me want to like it. Though I find some plot choices baffling. There are very interesting moments in a meta, Cruise’s career way, but MAVERICK did them better. (It’s also kind of generally unpleasant.)

Alejandro Iñárritu’s #Digger is a big cinematic middle finger to any government anywhere making bold statements about billionaires, power and the status quo delivered and led by Tom Cruise in one of his craziest, bravest most magnificent career performances. It’s a stone gas… pic.twitter.com/iMBKXMZ7o1

DIGGER is breathtaking. A movie that reminds us just how fucking good Tom Cruise is. The biggest of swings that makes for an absolutely incredible movie. pic.twitter.com/wK5wCQH4pe

#DiggerMovie RIPS! Iñárritu creates powder keg cinema, exploding in blistering heat & dazzling fireworks. A masterfully compelling, electric & audaciously assured satirical farce. Tom Cruise gives a brilliant, boldly invigorated, tour de force performance. Riz Ahmed, a standout! pic.twitter.com/zmOojIDZCP

Directed by Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, who previously helmed Birdman and The Revenant, Digger centres around Tom’s character, who is described as the most powerful man in the world.

Over the course of the film – which co-stars John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Riz Ahmed – he must prove he can save humanity before a disaster of his own making destroys everything.

Tom recently told GQ that this film is the “culmination of all my skills” while referring to Digger himself as his most “challenging character ever”.

You can see for yourself if Digger is messy or magnificent when it’s released in cinemas on 2 October.