The Dig (2021)

Director: Simon Stone
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James
Runtime: 112 minutes

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

Verdict: Everything about this movie screamed boring British period piece, one of my least favorite subgenres in the world of Cinema. Directed by Simon Stone and starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, and Lily James, “The Dig” tells the true story of an archeological excavation that took place in 1939.

Despite using a visual template that has been used far too many times within the subgenre and a script that wasn’t entirely free of cheesy dialogue, my love of archeology was enough to make the first half of the film at the very least intriguing. I wasn’t blown away by it, but I also wasn’t nearly as bored as I was expecting to be.

But then the second half of the movie came along and with it a change in focus that worked against the flow of the narrative. The focus shifted from historical discoveries to dull romances and endless digging scenes that added nothing of worth to the experience. It was a chore to get through, a failed attempt from the creative team to take dramatic liberties in order to make the story a more human-centric one. Not even a couple of hours have passed since the movie came to a close, and I’m already struggling to remember what happened in the final act.

So yeah, I’ll give credit where credit is due and admit that I did find parts of the films to be interesting. But in the grand scheme of things, it was exactly what I was expecting it to be, maybe at times even worse. It felt like a second hand Joe Wright period piece so if you’re a fan of his work, maybe do give the Netflix original a shot. If not, you’re not missing much by skipping it.

FINAL GRADE: 5/10