Unearthing the online pile-on for Oscar contender and stinging satire, Digger

Key points

• Film critics have panned Digger, a new satire directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Tom Cruise, calling it an insufferable slog and a misfire. However, audience scores on aggregator sites like Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes are significantly higher than critic scores, with many viewers defending the film.
• Academics suggest the negative reviews may be driven by a desire to see the film fail, as well as a trend of criticising high-budget Hollywood films.
• Some celebrities, including Ben Affleck and Anne Hathaway, have publicly defended the film, warning that its rejection could lead to less risk-taking by studios.