Hideo Kojima has defended Digger, the divisive Tom Cruise film from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, comparing its ideas about social media and manufactured reality with Metal Gear Solid 2.
Digger has attracted sharply divided reactions. Some viewers see an overlong, self-important failure, while others regard it as an unusually perceptive film. It has also struggled commercially, becoming a major box-office flop despite Cruise’s status as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. A group of prominent artists has nevertheless continued to support the film, with Kojima now adding his voice to that discussion.
The creator of the Metal Gear and Death Stranding series shared an extended response on X. He described Digger as a film that people living in the modern world should see, arguing that it stays with its audience, encourages reflection and raises warnings about the present.
A Gizmodo Japan interview also brought Kojima and Iñárritu together to discuss the connection between their work.
Why Kojima connects Digger with Metal Gear Solid 2
Kojima explained that Metal Gear Solid 2, released in 2001, imagined a world where social media could shape information and influence what people accepted as reality, even though social media as we know it did not yet exist. He believes that prediction has since become real, and that Digger explores a similar anxiety.
Both works examine how powerful systems can manipulate perception. Iñárritu described the present as a new reality imposed by forces people cannot directly experience, calling that separation frightening. The two artists identified that shared unease as a central link between the film and the game.
The twists behind the comparison
Digger and Metal Gear Solid 2 also unsettle their audiences by changing the terms of their stories. Trailers present Digger as a darkly comic, Dr. Strangelove-style tale about the end of the world. Although that material is present, an early revelation shows that the apparent story is actually a play being performed.
That reversal turns the film into more than a commentary on environmentalism and the absurd structures governing society. It also asks what art can contribute when the surrounding world appears increasingly hopeless. For readers interested in how games and film use technology to shape perception, the wider Arcade Blog covers related gaming and industry themes.
Metal Gear Solid 2 uses a similarly famous deception. Players begin by controlling Solid Snake during the opening mission, only to take control of the new character Raiden soon afterwards. The game then builds its story around misinformation, constructed narratives and repeated challenges to the player’s assumptions.
These techniques have a theatrical, Brechtian quality: both works interrupt passive viewing or play and encourage audiences to question what they are being shown. Their broader concerns include environmentalism, the instability of perceived reality and the way social platforms can create an information bubble. In each case, the work demands conversation rather than an instant, isolated reaction.
A shared interest in audience disruption
The comparison is not that Digger and Metal Gear Solid 2 tell the same story. Instead, both use a major structural surprise to expose the machinery behind the story and redirect the audience towards larger questions. Kojima’s defence of the film rests on that willingness to challenge expectations.
For arcade collectors and game-room fans, the discussion is a useful reminder that games can carry ambitious ideas alongside their action and spectacle. A carefully chosen arcade machine can celebrate the play experience, while an arcade machine buying guide can help Australian buyers plan a setup around the games they want to revisit.
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