Tom Cruise is regarded as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, known for making exciting, crowd-pleasing movies, but not all his films receive great reviews. This is the case once again with his 2026 feature, Digger. Teaming with acclaimed director Alejandro G. Iñárritu was heralded early on as a necessary shake-up for the actor’s career after almost exclusively making action films for a decade.
However, Digger‘s reviews have been all over the place. Some have praised the movie for its bold swing and Cruise’s Oscar-worthy performance. Others have criticized the film for having an underbaked story, poor visuals, jokes that don’t land, and a Cruise performance that’s too over the top. ScreenRant‘s Digger review by Brandon Zachary praised the film, giving it 8 out of 10 stars.
Depending on the person, there are some who will consider Digger to be among Tom Cruise’s best movies. But the divisive reactions also mean there are certainly other viewers who view it as one of his worst. So far, the movie has almost exactly split critics, with Digger‘s Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at 53% on the Tomatometer, making it Cruise’s first “Rotten” movie in nearly a decade.
But Digger is far from his first badly reviewed movie. In fact, it is not even one of Cruise’s worst-reviewed movies. He has 10 other films that split critics with a more negative skew or almost exclusively brought bad reviews.
10
Knight and Day (2010)
Tom Cruise partnered with Cameron Diaz and director James Mangold for an action comedy in 2010 called Knight and Day. On paper, Cruise reuniting with a charismatic and funny co-star in Diaz and a steady filmmaker in Mangold should have produced great results. Instead, Knight and Day split critics, leaving it at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The average review score is 5.7 out of 10, with it narrowly having more positive reviews than negative ones. Many critics found some fun with the movie, even if it couldn’t all come together or do much to set itself apart from every other action comedy. Everything in Knight and Day feels familiar, even if Cruise and Diaz do their best to make it enjoyable.
9
Rock of Ages (2012)
Cruise made an unexpected pivot in 2012 to go full musical for Rock of Ages. Playing a rock star named Stacee Jaxx, the actor fully commits to a part that doubles as a commentary on his own movie stardom, making it one of Cruise’s most underrated performances. That wasn’t enough for Rock of Ages to land with the majority of critics, as negative reviews gave it a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 5.2 out of 10.
The issues with Rock of Ages range from its overlong runtime to its overstuffed story and questionable musical numbers. While this story has been well-received for years as a Broadway show, it did not translate well to the big screen. Rock of Ages may have its fans, but even those involved have turned on it, with Alec Baldwin calling it “a horrible movie” the year after it came out.
8
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Cruise was expecting another huge hit with Vanilla Sky in 2001. The movie reteams him with director Cameron Crowe after the pair delivered a critical and financial hit in Jerry Maguire. Instead of playing it safe, they made an ambitious mystery thriller. Critics largely didn’t respond positively, and Vanilla Sky earneda score of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The criticisms levied against Vanilla Sky range from its genre-mashups not working to the story being difficult to follow and Cruise’s performance not being where it needs to be. Despite this more negative rating, the movie has its fans who view it as a near masterpiece. That’s why its average review score is 6 out of 10, with passionate defenders hailing its brilliance.
7
Days Of Thunder (1990)
After getting a need for speed with Top Gun, Cruise put himself behind the wheel of a race car for Days of Thunder, reuniting with director Tony Scott. While the movie has its cult following, critics were not all that impressed. The film holds a score of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 5.1 out of 10.
Reviews criticized the all-too-familiar story and lacking characters. Several critics even harped on the movie’s action being underwhelming, which is particularly disappointing considering what Scott and Cruise proved they could do together before.
6
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
Cruise found a new franchise with Jack Reacher in the 2010s, but things didn’t go well with the sequel,Jack Reacher: Never Go Back . The title proves to be quite fitting since the final product suggests that Cruise shouldn’t have returned to this role and that viewers generally didn’t want to go back to this series again.
Jack Reacher : Never Go Back sits at a score of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes due to various issues , but its biggest flaw is unoriginality . It couldn’t find a way to make itself feel like a fresh entry in either the action genre or Cruise’s filmography . The only good thing that came from this movie is that it ended the franchise while paving the way for Alan Ritchson’s Reacher show years later.
5
Lions For Lambs (2007)
Kicking off the bottom five worst-reviewed movies of Cruise’s career is his dramatic turn in Lions for Lambs . The film pairs him with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep for what should have been an effective political drama but ultimately fell short.
Lions for Lambs has a score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes , averaging at about 4 .9 out of ten . Critics noted that its political commentary was too heavy-handed , lacking nuance . While the all-star cast delivered strong performances , they weren’t enough to make Lions for Lambs memorable.
4
Endless Love (1981)
Tom Cruise is not one of the main stars of Endless Love , but its poor reception still reflects on him . He plays a supporting role while the film focuses on Richard Kiley and Brooke Shields’ characters . Critics were unimpressed , giving Endless Love a score of only 26% on Rotten Tomatoes , averaging at about four point seven out of ten .
Adapting Scott Spencer’s novel brought high expectations that Endless Love couldn’t meet . Roger Ebert rated it two out of four stars , calling it “a narrative and logical mess.” This sentiment was echoed throughout other reviews , which were limited , resulting in only nineteen ratings on Rotten Tomatoes , indicating a relatively small sample size.
3
Losin’ It (1982)
Losin ‘ It has an even smaller critical consensus for Rotten Tomatoes to judge . With only eleven reviews available , they are predominantly negative , resulting in an eighteen percent rating . Esteemed critic Janet Maslin rated it two out of five stars .
The results are surprising given that it’s directed by Curtis Hanson , who would later make acclaimed films like L.A. Confidential , Wonder Boys , Eight Mile , and Adaptation . This film came early in his career before he could deliver Oscar-winning works.
2
The Mummy (2017)
The Mummy proved that Cruise shouldn’t have attempted to revive this franchise . The supernatural action film aimed high by trying to launch Dark Universe featuring Hollywood’s A-list star at its center . These ambitions are evident throughout The Mummy, which is one reason why critics condemned this blockbuster.
< The Mummy received only fifteen percent on Rotten Tomatoes due to its need to establish groundwork for an entire universe instead of focusing on creating an engaging first installment that audiences would care about . Its overly serious tone contrasted sharply with Brendan Fraser’s beloved franchise while failing to impress audiences with its monster elements.
1
Cocktail (1988)
The worst-reviewed movie in Cruise’s career is Cocktail. This romantic comedy from nineteen eighty-eight pairs him with Elisabeth Shue but fails miserably at every turn . Critics were overwhelmingly negative towards this film which holds an eleven percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
< Roger Ebert gave it two out of four stars concluding his review by stating , "The more you think about what really happens in Cocktail , the more you realize how empty and fabricated it truly is." With its ridiculous plot , failed romance , and questionable decisions , this film set an exceptionally low bar for Tom Cruise's future projects to surpass if they wish to avoid worse reviews.
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