After “Digger” was savaged by critics — and bombed at the box-office — the over-the-top “reviews” by influencers online now seem even more unhinged.
I was struck scrolling Instagram this week by one influencer who filmed himself allegedly walking home after seeing “Digger” and practically hyperventilating, covering his mouth and gasping for air between squeals of delight, asking himself “What did I just see?” and hyperbolically proclaiming the movie beyond a masterpiece.
He’s not alone.
One host of the online movie show “Raiders of the Lost Podcast” — which has 578.3K followers on TikTok, and landed “Digger” star Tom Cruise as a guest — said directly to camera in a post after seeing an advanced screening of the movie: “These are my predictions… I think ‘Digger’ will go down as probably the most important film of the 21st century. Not being hyperbolic. [And] Tom will finally win his first Oscar for acting.”
He went on to say of the film, “It was mind-blowing. My jaw was on the floor. And Alejandro González Iñárritu has got to be a wizard… it just boggles the mind. It comes out in a couple weeks, and I’m just very grateful to have seen the film… You’re in for a ride, I’m gonna see it again at the premiere, but… ‘Digger’ is just wholly unique and on a different stratosphere when it comes to production design, acting, stunts, wardrobe, it’s just phenomenal… Just get ready everybody, let’s f–kin’ go.”
As a reminder, films of the 21st century include: “There Will Be Blood,” “Parasite,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “No Country for Old Men,” but we digress…
Perhaps if “Digger” hadn’t been such a box office and critical dud, the bizarrely over-the-top influencer reactions wouldn’t stick out as such sore thumbs.
One commenter soberly reacted to the “Raiders of the Lost Podcast” host’s take by posting, “I genuinely believe you love this movie, but it’s a little unclear what’s a paid promo with you guys these days. It’s not your fault, though rules around journalism are gone.”
Other influencer takes on “Digger” said, “I just got done watching this movie, I just got out of the theater… Tom Cruise should be nominated for an Oscar… he’s that damn great in this, it’s one of the best performances of his career,” as well as, “I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll start with this… I’m in a movie promotion with the Tom Cruise!” and “Tom Cruise did a phenomenal job… I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets an award for this.”
Many of the influencer raves seem to have elements in common: the word “masterpiece,” an intro that says they just saw the movie or just left the theater (and immediately had to jump on camera?) and predictions that Cruise will obviously get an Oscar.
But as a host of the Academy Awards podcast, “Mike, Mike, and Oscar,” points out in his own Instagram clip: “‘Digger’ has been promoted through every corner of the film internet over the past week. And Tom Cruise has had FaceTime with seemingly every influencer available. What was the point? A purposeful muddying of the waters by [Warner Bros.] which ends up helping… nobody.”
Adds the clip: “What good is this doing the studios where the critics see the movie — the paid professionals — and they pan it. But if you go online and look up the movie itself, well it’s the ‘greatest thing you’ve ever seen.’ I literally have seen influencers say, ‘It’s the best movie of all time,’ ‘It’s the most important movie of all time,’ ‘It’s the best movie of the year,’ ‘Tom Cruise is definitely winning best actor.’ We study the Academy 24/7, if he does it’ll be the first type of movie to bomb this badly at the box office to have an Oscar acting winner.”
We previously reported on a highly controlled event on the Warner Bros. lot this year to unveil the film’s trailer — where scads of influencers were invited to see the preview and pose for pics (provided by the studio, no phones allowed) with Cruise.
No doubt many of the influencers who (proverbially or literally?) signed on to be along for the ride are now the ones calling the movie, which opened to $8 million, the best of this century.
Said another movie influencer in their post, “I feel like what ‘Digger’ does so brilliantly is that it brings everyone together.”
But did it?
The post Why hyperventilating influencers are calling Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ a masterpiece as it flops at the box office appeared first on Page Six.
