the dig movie review rotten tomatoes

In May 1939, as Europe lurched towards war, amateur excavator/archaeologist Basil Brown, hired to dig up the huge mounds on Edith Pretty’s property in Suffolk, struck gold (literally). First, he came across the skeleton of an 88-foot ship dating to the Anglo-Saxon period. This was the first phase of what Sue Brunning, curator at the British Museum, has called “one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time, certainly in British archeology but I would argue in the world.” The next phase was discovering the burial chamber within the ship, filled with a treasure trove of almost perfectly-preserved artifacts, made from gold and garnet: a stunning helmet, shoulder clasps, a golden belt buckle. Pretty donated the artifacts to the British Museum, where they sit to this day, known as the “Sutton Hoo find.” This fascinating story is the subject of Netflix’s new film “The Dig,” directed by Simon Stone , with Moira Buffini adapting John Preston’s novel for the screenplay.

Basil Brown ( Ralph Fiennes ) is a humble man, of working-class origins, who was taught how to excavate archaeological sites by his father and his grandfather before him. Edith Pretty ( Carey Mulligan ), a widowed woman living on a huge estate with her small son Robert ( Archie Barnes ), hires Basil away from the Ipswich Museum to dig up the mounds on her property. Basil doesn’t have high hopes. These sites have been picked over by people for centuries, he informs her. She offers him more money than the museum, so he gets to work. Young Robert latches on to Basil as a new father-figure, and cavorts around on the mound as Basil digs. At first Basil utilizes just a small ad-hoc team, but after the ship is revealed, throngs of people descend onto Suffolk, wanting a piece of the action.

Told with simplicity and grace, and a sensitivity to the pastoral Suffolk landscape of wide fields and wider skies, “The Dig” is often quite thrilling, particularly in the dig’s initial phases, when it’s just Basil and Edith discussing how to proceed. Edith had a youthful interest in archaeology, and was accepted to university. Her father nixed those plans. She took care of her father through his long illness, and only got married after he died. This sad backstory is described in just one or two lines, but it’s all over Mulligan’s pinched determined face, dogged by loss and disappointment. Father-dominated her whole life, now widowed, in very poor health herself, she makes the decision to dig up those mounds, even though war is imminent.

The first half of the film is mostly Mulligan and Fiennes, and there’s an interesting dynamic at work. They come from two totally different worlds and classes. But they intersect in important ways. They share a passion for knowledge, for discoveries of the linkages between eras and peoples. Tutankhamun’s tomb was excavated in 1922 by British Egyptologist Harold Carter, whom Edith name-drops at one point. Edith would have been a teenager in 1922. One can imagine how that world-changing event—and seeing those artifacts for the first time—would have filled her with wonder and awe. She has a feeling about those mounds in her yard. She has a feeling something is down there. When Basil discovers the ship, he declares it sixth/seventh century Anglo-Saxon, and this is at first scoffed at by the “experts.” But he’s right.

The plot thickens when people descend onto the land, to continue the dig, and jostle for credit. Ken Stott plays Charles Phillips, a famous archaeologist, who declares the site far too important to be in the hands of Basil, an amateur with no formal education. Part of the new excavation team is Stuart Piggot ( Ben Chaplin ) and his budding-archaeologist wife Peggy ( Lily James ). Edith’s cousin Rory ( Johnny Flynn , charming as always) takes photographs of the dig. “The Dig” loses a little steam during this section, when it gets side-tracked by Peggy’s dissatisfaction in her marriage. Stuart seems just a little bit too into one of his male colleagues ( Eamon Farren ), and Rory is so friendly and gentle and makes Peggy feel things she’s never felt in her marriage. These complicated emotional matters arrive over an hour into the film, far too late to have any real staying power. Basil mostly disappears during this section, and the film really misses him.

But this larger ensemble is eventually shuffled into the overall mix. What matters is the dig itself. Stone’s attention to detail is crucial: he shows how a dig must proceed, the dangers of a dig, how the artifacts are discovered and then removed from the dirt—the way this is presented helps non-archaeologically-minded audience members understand what is happening and how. You believe in Fiennes’ expertise. You believe in Peggy’s too. The other element is the approach of war. RAF planes roar over the field with increasing regularity. Everyone knows that once war is declared the digging will have to cease. They’re all fired up with a sense of urgency.

There are moments of emotion and triumph, especially during the sequences of discovery, but the mood overall is understated, quiet, thoughtful. Phillips makes an impassioned speech about what the “Sutton Hoo find” means, and it’s an important thematic element. Common wisdom assumed the Anglo-Saxons were violent savage marauders, but the exquisite artifacts discovered showed “they had art. They had culture.” The Sutton Hoo find represented a shift in consciousness around shared ancestry and legacy, and a sense of ownership over the collective past. These themes are all present in “The Dig” but nothing is underlined or punched up to amplify significance.

Instead, you get Edith and Basil locking eyes across the hole in the ground, speechless, two misfit outsiders realizing they were right, there is something down there, and it is beyond their wildest dreams.

Now on Netflix.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O’Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty
• Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown
• Lily James as Peggy Preston
• Johnny Flynn as Rory Lomax
• Ben Chaplin as Stuart Piggott
• Ken Stott as Charles Phillips
• Monica Dolan as May Brown

Writer (novel)

• John Preston

Cinematographer

• Moira Buffini
• Simon Stone
• Stefan Gregory

Leave a comment

Now playing.

The Last of the Sea Women

The Wild Robot

We Live in Time

Look Into My Eyes

The Front Room

Matt and Mara

The Thicket

The Mother of All Lies

The Paragon

Latest articles.

TIFF 2024: Table of Contents

TIFF 2024: Paying For It, Viktor, Mr. K

Everything the Light Touches: James Earl Jones (1931-2024)

TIFF 2024: The Room Next Door, Hard Truths

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 78% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 94% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge
• 96% Red Rooms Link to Red Rooms

New TV Tonight

• 59% Emily in Paris: Season 4
• 20% Three Women: Season 1
• -- Universal Basic Guys: Season 1
• -- My Brilliant Friend: Story of the Lost Child: Season 4
• -- The Old Man: Season 2
• 83% How to Die Alone: Season 1
• -- Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Season 1
• -- The Circle: Season 7
• -- Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood with My Father: Season 1
• -- In Vogue: The 90s: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 59% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 77% Kaos: Season 1
• 84% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 97% English Teacher: Season 1
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 95% Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Link to Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Toronto Film Festival 2024: Movie Scorecard

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Movie Re-Release Calendar 2024: Your Guide to Movies Back In Theaters

Weekend Box Office: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Scores Second-Highest September Opening Ever

• Trending on RT
• Best Horror Movies
• Top 10 Box Office
• Toronto Film Festival
• Free Movies on YouTube

Where to Watch

Rent The Dig on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Ryan Tohill

Andy Tohill

Moe Dunford

Ronan Callahan

Emily Taaffe

Roberta McKenna

Francis Magee

Lorcan Cranitch

Sean McKenna

More Like This

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938. An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938. An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.

• Simon Stone
• Moira Buffini
• John Preston
• Carey Mulligan
• Ralph Fiennes
• 544 User reviews
• 320 Critic reviews
• 73 Metascore
• 3 wins & 11 nominations total

Top cast 38

• Edith Pretty

• Basil Brown

• Peggy Piggott

• John Grateley

• Robert Pretty
• Billy Lyons

• George Spooner

• John Jacobs

• James Reid Moir

• Guy Maynard

• Ellen McKenzie
• Barge Skipper

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Reimagines the events of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, in Suffolk, England. It is the site of two early medieval cemeteries that date from the 6th to 7th centuries. One cemetery had an undisturbed ship burial with a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts. Most of these objects are now held by the British Museum.
• Goofs Edith's son Robert can be seen wearing an aluminium foil hat early in the movie, Aluminium foil did not surface until after the war, but tin foil had existed since the 19th century.

Basil Brown : Robert, we all fail. Every day. There are some things we just can't succeed at no matter how hard we try. I know it's not what you want to hear.

• Connections Featured in Jeremy Vine: Episode #4.25 (2021)
• Soundtracks La Rejouissance (Allegro) Written by George Frideric Handel Public Domain Arranged by Julian Kershaw Performed by Alder Valley Brass

User reviews 544

• robertasmith
• Jan 28, 2021
• How long is The Dig? Powered by Alexa
• Why is it- at 1:13:18- Stuart can't remember his own wife's name?
• January 29, 2021 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Netflix Site
• Cuộc Khai Quật
• Shackleford, Surrey, England, UK
• Magnolia Mae Films
• Clerkenwell Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 52 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Help Kids Build Character Strengths with Quality Media

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 2 Reviews
• Kids Say 7 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Dignified, subtle historical drama has sensuality, smoking.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Dig is a drama based on John Preston's historical novel about the 1939 archeological discovery of Sutton Hoo in England. An air of impending death hangs over the story, both in the sense of England reluctantly joining World War II and in the illness of main character Edith (Carey…

Why Age 13+?

Breasts and other body parts are revealed when a woman takes a bath, although ke

Two intensely perilous moments: A character is buried alive, and a plane crash h

Frequent smoking, both cigarettes and a pipe.

Any Positive Content?

Basil Brown is a working-class man who can't afford a university education so in

The movie's dominant theme is about legacy in times of death and uncertainty. Be

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Breasts and other body parts are revealed when a woman takes a bath, although key sensitive areas remain hidden. Passionate kissing leads to implied sex. Subtle attraction develops between two characters. The side of a breast is exposed as a woman tries to entice her husband into having sex.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

Two intensely perilous moments: A character is buried alive, and a plane crash happens off camera. Parental loss is impending due to the main character's illness; it's heartbreaking when her young son sobs because he believes that it was his responsibility to "look after his mother."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Role Models

Basil Brown is a working-class man who can't afford a university education so instead learns on his own -- including becoming an amateur archeologist, writing reference books, and ultimately making a great historical discovery. Two women pursue archeology, a male-dominated field, especially in the 1930s and '40s.

Positive Messages

The movie's dominant theme is about legacy in times of death and uncertainty. Be open to discovering the truth. The true treasure is the relationships we forge.

Parents need to know that The Dig is a drama based on John Preston's historical novel about the 1939 archeological discovery of Sutton Hoo in England. An air of impending death hangs over the story, both in the sense of England reluctantly joining World War II and in the illness of main character Edith ( Carey Mulligan ). Viewers understand that her young son will soon be an orphan with potentially no surviving family; it's heartbreaking when he sobs because he believes that it was his responsibility to "look after his mother." The film's messages, though, are more about curiosity, teamwork, and legacy -- the idea that our actions can stand the test of time. The "stiff upper lip" attitude of pre-war-England lends itself to creating emotionally reserved characters. Parents may want to use the opportunity to discuss how characters successfully persuade others by using calm, tactfully delivered words. All of this properness means that some iffy content may go over younger viewers' heads: You have to be able to read between the lines to realize that a married man is feeling attracted to another man -- or realize that his wife is making a sexual overture. Expect brief partial female nudity (the most sensitive areas are covered) and a moment of passion that leads to sex. Scenes of peril include a character being buried alive and a plane crash (off camera); character also smoke both pipes and cigarettes frequently, which is accurate for the era. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (7)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Ruined a true story.

Building the future by unearthing the past, what's the story.

Based on real events (which were dramatized in John Preston's historical novel), THE DIG follows wealthy widow Edith Pretty ( Carey Mulligan ) as she hires amateur archeologist Basil Brown ( Ralph Fiennes ) to excavate what appear to be ancient burial mounds on her countryside property in Suffolk, England. As the country prepares to enter World War II -- and Pretty's health declines -- they hasten to complete the project.

Is It Any Good?

Graceful, restrained, and eloquent: The tone, aesthetic, and delivery of this drama match that of its aristocratic main character. Magnificently well-woven, the complexities of the story also resemble the excavation -- it's slow and steady, and we must keep brushing away the dust and pay close attention to slight details to discover the inner lives of the subjects. Intense feelings are bubbling under the surface but never expressed. Even the slights and jabs directed at gender and class are understated.

While little is said in The Dig , much is understood ... and yet it's hard to distinguish exactly what it's trying to say. Gentle whispers that we live on through our actions blow around like dandelion fuzz, contrasting sharply with the abundance of blatant metaphors. For example, a short time after Brown speaks with Edith about potential riches to be found buried in the mound, the dirt collapses on him, and she digs him out -- yep, Mr. Brown is the real treasure here. Less obvious is director Simon Stone's choice to play dialogue over scenes in which the characters are shown not speaking. Once or twice, sure. But used repeatedly, the device becomes disconcerting. Still, The Dig is artful, elegant, and educational. All of this may sound enticing if you're an adult, but expect kids to be a bit confounded by the nuance. Reading between the lines isn't usually the strong suit of the young, and so for them to get the most out of the film, this is a gem that may need to stay undiscovered until they're a tad older.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how we can be comforted by legacy while dealing with loss. Is there a right or a wrong way to grieve?

How do the characters in The Dig demonstrate restraint? Imagine this story being told as a reality show: How would it be different? In comparing the two, how is self-control an important tool in accomplishing a goal?

How is this a team effort? Did the professional crew add value to the excavation? And how did Basil Brown and his team add value once the museum's experienced team came in? Why is teamwork an important life skill?

Young Robert cries because he believes he's failed to "look after his mother." Why do you think well-meaning people say things like this or "you're the man of the house now" to children after parental loss? Can that do more harm than good?

Carey Mulligan, who's in her mid-30s, plays Edith Pretty at 56. And 50-year-old Ben Chaplin plays Stuart Piggott at 29. Female actors often say that fewer parts become available to them as they age, while male actors tend to work more as they age. Do you consider this movie's casting ageist or age blind?

Movie Details

• In theaters : January 15, 2021
• On DVD or streaming : January 29, 2021
• Cast : Carey Mulligan , Ralph Fiennes , Lily James
• Director : Simon Stone
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , History
• Character Strengths : Curiosity , Teamwork
• Run time : 112 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : brief sensuality and partial nudity
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

What to watch next.

Their Finest

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Mummy (1999)

National Treasure

Historical fiction, graphic novels that teach history, related topics.

• Great Boy Role Models
• Great Girl Role Models

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Review: ‘The Dig’ unearths rich emotions in an England on the brink of war

• Copy Link URL Copied!

Sometimes you just don’t want a movie to end. The characters are so vivid and multidimensional, the milieu so inviting, the circumstances so compelling, you don’t want to let go. “The Dig,” starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, is such a movie.

Suffolk, England, with the nation on the verge of war with Germany in 1939, may not sound comforting, but you would be surprised. Despite the prosaic title taken from the source novel by John Preston (based on the true story of the discovery of the Sutton Hoo treasure), “The Dig” is a tale bathed in warm nostalgia and a romanticism steeped in British stoicism, one that allows room for not only the melancholy of classic melodrama, but also sharp wit and a genuine sense of wonder.

For the record:

2:18 p.m. Jan. 31, 2021 An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the Sutton Hoo archaeological find as Sutton Loo.

From the moment Fiennes’ no-nonsense working-class excavator Basil Brown pedals his bicycle up the drive of the manor belonging to Mulligan’s upper-class widow Edith Pretty, “The Dig” charts a path that admittedly appears to be straightforward at first impression. With local museums rushing to finish projects before the impending war, Basil has been summoned to dig up several mounds, presumed to be ancient burial grounds, on the Pretty property. The key question is how ancient? Could they be Viking, or even older?

Once the pair negotiate a fair price, and in spite of their class difference, the proper Edith and the diligent Basil connect over their shared interest in archaeology and mysteries of the past. The mother of a young son, Robert (Archie Barnes), and in failing health, Edith has much on her mind, and Mulligan is terrific at projecting this inner life. It’s a nicely mature role for the actor as a complement to her very different, darkly comic performance in “Promising Young Woman.”

Fiennes , equally at home as a debonair aristocrat or as evil incarnate, here grounds the movie as the sturdy Basil, a self-educated polymath, long underappreciated in a field that values diplomas over field work. His good-natured ease with the curious Robert, whose interests are in the cosmos, belies a latent sadness that infuses his work.

As the war becomes imminent, a virtual circus comes to town in the form of British Museum experts and their entourage, tipped off to a discovery made by Basil that significantly raises the stakes of the project. The new arrivals, including married archaeologists Stuart and Peggy Piggott (Ben Chaplin and Lily James) and Edith’s dashing cousin Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn), transform the narrative in surprising ways. James is especially poignant as a young woman who, stifled professionally and personally, seizes the moment. (The gender and class biases experienced by Peggy and Basil, respectively, echo those recently seen in “Ammonite.” )

Screenwriter (and playwright) Moira Buffini and director Simon Stone admirably juggle the additional characters and storylines, reaching a satisfying mixture of resolution and unresolved curiosities. The richness of the narratives could easily have sustained a limited series.

As with most films involving archaeology, “The Dig” has no shortage of easy-to-reach metaphors, but Buffini and Stone take a broader poetic approach. Existential questions about how we’re remembered, cosmic time and our responsibilities to one another are nimbly woven into the life-altering events faced by each character.

One might quibble with the sentimentality or very modern attitudes toward acceptance on display, but it’s all rendered honestly. It’s an old-fashioned story told in an unexpected way.

Rated: PG-13, for brief sensuality and partial nudity Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes Playing: Available Jan. 29 on Netflix

More to Read

Review: A bit fizzy with romantic intrigue, ‘Widow Clicquot’ raises a glass to a woman innovator

July 19, 2024

Review: ‘Janet Planet,’ the luminous film debut of playwright Annie Baker, is a poem of childhood

June 25, 2024

Review: Jude Law rages through ‘Firebrand’ as a mercurial royal while Alicia Vikander hangs on

June 14, 2024

Only good movies

Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Now in his second tour with the Los Angeles Times, totaling more than 25 years, Kevin Crust is the planning editor for Entertainment and Arts. He previously served as deputy film editor and staff writer. A lifelong Southern Californian and a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s, he spends way too much time analyzing baseball statistics.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Tyrese Gibson says arrest after being found in contempt of court was ‘very traumatic’

Sept. 10, 2024

Entertainment & Arts

James Earl Jones, who voiced Darth Vader in ‘Star Wars’ and starred in ‘Field of Dreams,’ dies at 93

Sept. 9, 2024

Harvey Weinstein is in recovery following emergency heart surgery

Patti Scialfa reveals multiple myeloma diagnosis in new Springsteen documentary

In Theaters and Digital

The dig - movie review.

In the British period drama, The Dig , director Simon Stone ( The Daughter ) uses a real life historic archaeological dig to explore themes of time, mortality, our connection to the past, and the impact each of us has on the future. With the aid of Mike Eley ’s spectacular cinematography, which leverages the sparse but breathtaking Suffolk grasslands, the result is a superbly crafted slice of British life with a heaping helping of history thrown in for good measure.

As the drumbeats of war rage in 1939 Europe, wealthy young widow Edith Pretty ( Carey Mulligan ) plays a hunch when she hires excavator Basil Brown ( Ralph Fienne s) to explore what she believes to be ancient burial mounds on her vast Suffolk estate.

On the people side of the story, there are many wrinkles and folds, a couple of which are reflected in Edith Pretty’s own story. First, there is the fact that she is forced to reconcile her own time on Earth when it is revealed that she has a terminal heart condition. With her young son, Robert, there’s the question of who will take care of him and how. There’s also an extramarital affair that breaks out involving married archaeological couple Stuart ( Ben Chaplin, The Thin Red Line ) and wife Peggy ( Lily James, Baby Driver ), that is complicated by Rory’s call to war.

Speaking of war, Stone does an excellent job of juxtaposing the serene English countryside with roiling conflict and danger – from both humans and impending war. As the timeline progresses, we notice what were once rather small flocks of British Spitfires flying over grow in numbers and frequency as they rumble across the cloudy skies. The serenity is shattered when one of the planes sputters out and crashes on the farm, killing its pilot.

Stone , who adapts from the 2007 John Preston novel (inspired by true events), deploys many clever little storytelling devices throughout the film, including one in which he detaches bits of character dialogue and lays them over the scene like a voice-over narrative. It’s a nice touch and a quite brilliant tactic that adds another layer to the film’s many.

Mulligan follows her scorching performance in this year’s Promising Young Woman and delivers yet another memorable turn that, quite honestly – along with an equally strong performance from Fiennes – makes the entire film work. Also starring Monica Dolan (TV’s Black Mirror ) as Basil’s caring wife, and Ken Stott ( The Hobbit films) as the curmudgeonly government archaeologist, The Dig is a beautifully rendered experience that, despite a somewhat calculated setup and deliberate pacing, delivers great emotional impact. You just might learn something about history as well.

The Dig is now playing on Netflix .

Home Video Distributor: Available on Blu-ray Screen Formats: Subtitles : Audio: Discs: Region Encoding:

MPAA Rating: Unrated. Runtime: 112 mins Director : Simon Stone Writer: Moira Buffini Cast: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James Genre : Drama | War Tagline: Nothing stays lost forever. Memorable Movie Quote: "There are some things we just can't succeed at no matter how hard we try." Distributor: Netflix Official Site: https://www.netflix.com/title/81167887 Release Date: January 29, 2021 DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Synopsis : An ancient treasure emerges from the soil as history, heartache and dreams intertwine – and a family faces an uncertain future.

New in Theaters/VOD

New on Home Video

Movie Trailers

• Trailer Watch - APARTMENT 7A (2024)
• Trailer Watch - Megalopolis (2024)
• Trailer Watch - OUT COME THE WOLVES (2024)
• Trailer Watch - CHARLIE TANGO
• Trailer Watch - SLINGSHOT (2024)

Movie Reviews

Morbidly Hollywood

• Colorado Street Suicide Bridge
• Death of a Princess - The Story of Grace Kelly's Fatal Car Crash
• Joaquin Phoenix 911 Call - River Phoenix - Viper Room
• Screen Legend Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79
• Suicide and the Hollywood Sign - The Girl Who Jumped from the Hollywood Sign
• The Amityville Horror House
• The Black Dahlia Murder - The Death of Elizabeth Short
• The Death of Actress Jane Russell
• The Death of Brandon Lee
• The Death of Chris Farley
• The Death of Dominique Dunne
• The Death of George Reeves - the Original Superman