Recxpectations: Digger

New Thing #2 is Digger, the latest from Alejandro González Iñárritu and Tom Cruise. The Google synopsis is: “After unleashing a disaster that threatens to destroy everything, the most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he's humanity's saviour.”

Since it’s a new blog attempt, I’ll re-explain that Recxpectations are my spoiler free approach to movie reviews. I think a key to the moviegoing experience is people’s expectations going into the film and these posts are my attempt to tell people where I think there head should be - they are my Recommended Expectations - when they go into the theater. Because I also think lower expectations are better, these are usually a bit more pessimistic but I think they are always fair. I still try to be somewhat objective in my approach but over the years of doing this, I came to realize that that objectivity is kind of impossible. My feelings on the film will always infect this approach so it makes more sense to acknowledge where I myself am coming from while still trying to be as open minded to the fact that each person reading it will have their own individual response to the movie.

EXPECT: ANOTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER LECTURE
I feel like this film boils down to two or three monologues and the rest is just kind of noise. I refer to these as Tik Tok movies; films where, if all you caught was three highlights on TikTok, you really wouldn’t have missed much. Much like the last big environmental disaster movie “Don’t Look Up”, this isn’t a film that is going to change any minds. It’s another expensive sermon to the choir.

DON’T EXPECT: A TON OF LAUGHS
The film is supposed to be a hilarious satire. I didn’t find it funny at all and I wasn’t alone. The theater I saw it in was packed and there was only a smattering of laughs at the jokes. A surprising amount of the humor is pretty base; maybe the more clever jokes went over my head but I wouldn’t call this a smart movie, in terms of the comedy.

EXPECT: A CULT INDIE COMEDY
A few people in the audience did find the film literally laugh out loud hilarious. When the film ended, one person vigorously applauded but a few people scoffed at him for doing. The couple that was walking behind me after the film agreed that the film was “interesting” but it wasn’t a very energetic or inspired utterance. This seems like a film that will have an island of very vocal supporters in a sea of detractors and I’m very interested to see how the film ages. I feel like Iñárritu’s movies haven’t been doing well as the years go by. Amores Perros is still held in high regard and I feel like the fans of Biutiful are getting a bit more vocal but Birdman usually only comes up when people talk about questionable/forgettable Oscar winners and The Revenant’s critics seem to be taking over the narrative on that film.

EXPECT: A CHALLENGER FOR WORST B-STORY OF THE YEAR
There’s a side story in this movie that reeks of Tom Cruise demanding it be added to help give his character more depth. I could be dead wrong about that but either way, this film’s side story would be hands down the most unnecessary one that I’ve seen in years if Lobo in Supergirl didn’t exist. I feel like Jason Mamoa’s character was added simply to get guys to the theaters; in the film itself, that character was completely unnecessary. Now that I’m typing this, Lobo is still worse but maybe I’ll make him most unnecessary character of the year and give most thrown in/half-assed b-story award to this one. I can’t imagine that there will be a worse one in the next few months.

MY TAKE: There was enough to this film that I wasn’t bored - although I did think the end started to drag - and the script makes some interesting choices along the way that elevates things but ultimately, I can’t say that I really enjoyed my two hours in the theater. Compared to “Don’t Look Up” - a film I truly disliked - I’d say that this is a much better movie but a worse comedy. I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from seeing it but if you’re on the fence, I kind of doubt that it will win you over. I think most people - like the couple from my showing - will leave the theater halfheartedly thinking it was interesting… and then they’ll never think of it ever again.