Set in the pre-dawn of World War II, The Dig explores the remarkable true story of a group of excavators who manage to unearth a massive burial site for what they believe to be a Viking lord or King. What they instead discover is that the burial site predates the Viking incursions into England and must be of Anglo-Saxon origin, which completely changes the understanding of the dark ages in England.

This film employs the use of natural light which allows for some remarkably beautiful shots and gives the film a realism that is often lacking in films today. The realism also lends itself to the omnipresence of the looming World War, the Second World War for many of the characters in the film.

The only place where this film falls short is in its character stories. Sometimes meandering stories and hastily resolved secondary plots left this viewer wondering what the point of those stories were to begin with.

The actors gave excellent performances, but could not overcome what simply had bad writing and character development. 

This film was directed by Simon Stone and stars Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, and Lily James.