Spiderhead
new off the record - breaking success ofTop Gun : Maverick , director Joseph Kosinski is back for his 2d film of the summertime , Netflix’sSpiderhead . Shot in late 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic , the thriller is a much small and more contained work than Kosinski ’s blockbuster bequest sequel . Still , with a cast that include bountiful nameslike Chris Hemsworthand Miles Teller , there are enough pieces in play to haveSpiderheadstand out from the gluttony of Netflix original releases . And this film mostly father there . Spiderheadblends interesting construct with strong performances from the hurl to craft a fascinating , if tenuous , sci - fi thriller .
bank clerk star inSpiderheadas Jeff , an inmate serving his sentence in the special Spiderhead readiness , where prison house head Steve Abneti ( Hemsworth ) impart tests on drug design to alter human behavior . The yard bird take part in the experiment under the impression their work will serve do good order in the retentive run , but Jeff has his suspicions about what ’s really depart on . Becoming disillusioned with the program , Jeff assay to find a way to break free of Steve and escape Spiderhead .
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The book byDeadpoolwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is dissimilar in fashion and tone of voice from the meta comedies they ’re best know for . Spiderheadgoes for more heady , thought - provoke material that explore ideas such as barren will and humanity ’s desire to control all facet of life . It admittedly is familiar dominion for a title such as this , butSpiderheadis still able to make it work for the most part , peculiarly due to its willingness to dig into the characters ' past traumas ( which is a magnanimous part of Jeff ’s arc ) . The individual story link up intoSpiderhead’sthemes and aid flesh the screenplay out . At the same time , it is apparent Reese and Wernick are adapt a forgetful story . The premiss , while fascinating , is spread out a slight slender over a characteristic - distance runtime , andSpiderheaddoesn’t necessarily dive deep enough into what it ’s going for . On the page , it might have been better as an installment of television , or even a short photographic film .
Spiderheadis elevated by its performances , with Hemsworth and Teller doing much of the legwork . The former sheds his grand MCU persona to trifle a umbrageous billionaire , showcasing a side of his compass that seldom gets the spotlight . Hemsworth is clearly having playfulness with the role , weaponizing his screen presence to make Steve seem wizardly , yet unsettling . He is very much the antagonist figure inSpiderhead , but thanks to details about Steve ’s backstory , he comes off as a well - rounded fictional character . Teller does an first-class line of work play Jeff , a mankind who ’s clearly troubled by his past and has become pall with Spiderhead . His plight is sympathetic and it ’s easy for the audience to root for Jeff thanks to the everyman quality he brings to the part . The stand cast inSpiderheadis small , but still has noteworthy participant like Jurnee Smollett as Lizzy , an inmate Jeff develops romantic feelings for , and Mark Paguio as Verlaine , Steve ’s assistant who start to interview the Spiderhead program .
In line from thedeath - defying set up pieces ofTop Gun : Maverick , Spiderheadsees Kosinski take a much more subdued approach , and he demonstrate this kind of textile is within his wheelhouse as well . He makes the most of the pandemic - related restrictions of production ( there are unremarkably no more than a few actors together in each scene ) , which enhances the movie in some ways . It gives the tone Spiderhead is unfeignedly a distant facility far removed from the mainland and the watch of authorization , creating a sense of dread and isolation that underscores Jeff and Lizzy ’s struggles . Spiderheadbecomes a more immersive film as a result , dropping the viewer into the midriff of this strange , unlike world .
Despite the high - profile endowment attached , Spiderheadis flying a act under the radio detection and ranging as it hits Netflix , and streaming is the best home for it . It ’s the sort of film that would easily get lost in the shuffle with a traditional theatrical release , overshadow by the major studio apartment tentpoles ( including Kosinski ’s last picture show ) that are dominating the multiplex right now . Spiderheadwill likely notice an hearing , as it ’s worth the watch for fan of the literary genre or the doer involved . It may not do anything specially modern from either a storytelling or filmmaking perspective , butSpiderheadis proof there ’s still substantial to be mine from well - jazz ground when talented hoi polloi are get the narrative to life .
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Spiderheadbegins cyclosis on Netflix June 17 , 2022 . The film is 107 minutes long and is rated R for violent content , language , and sexual mental object .
Chris Hemsworth as Steve in Spiderhead
Spiderhead be Jeff , an inmate at the Spiderhead prison , where he ’s at the mercy of the head of the prison house ’s medical stave , who experiments on the inmates there . While the inmates undergo this experimental drug process , Jeff start to distrust the truth about the task and its forbidding effects on the inmate ' free will .
Chris Hemsworth as Steve in Spiderhead
