Spiderhead (2022) User Reviews

Gets the minimum out of the concept

[jtindahouse · 6/10 · 17 June 2022]

Your enjoyment levels of 'Spiderhead' are going to require some suspensions of disbelief. You're going to have to accept Chris Hemsworth as a scientist, you're going to have to accept Miles Teller as a prisoner and you're going to have to accept possibly the most unrealistic prison environment ever put to screen. If you can get past those things you should have a decent time.

The premise was a bit of a let down for me. In theory there are some interesting concepts stemming from it that they could've explored, but they seemed intent on not straying too far. The script really does get the bare minimum out of the idea.

Teller and Hemsworth are what keep this afloat. Even if their casting may seem a little silly, their charisma makes up for it. At least one of the them is on screen in every scene. I can see this film totally falling flat without their star-power in the lead roles.

I didn't hate this film, I just wanted more. There was a point where I thought it was actually setting itself up nicely to have a dark and twisted turn. But it never came and what played out was pretty forgettable and uninspired. It's not a terrible watch but don't go in expecting anything game-changing. 6/10.

Almost a Black Mirror Episode.

[visionandyouth · 6/10 · 17 June 2022]

Colorful cinematography and spirited editing contrast with the characters' tragic backstories. In the end its a morality tale, one that goes too far and too fast.

Ok, but...

[PedroPires90 · 6/10 · 18 June 2022]

The premise is great but it could have done much more with these themes, being very predictable on his structure. Chris Hemsworth is great on this one and there is a fantastic soundtrack to listen. However, it feels much longer than it is, being a bit repetitive at times. There is a reasonable number of fun and inspired moments though.

A wasted premise

[baheibayram-64134 · 17 June 2022]

It was a good premise but it was executed in the wrong genre. I feel that this should have been a psychological horror.

It felt like the idea and the tone of the movie weren't pulling in the same direction.

The actors' performances were ... Fine. They did the job but this wasn't a career defining role for anyone.

The final confrontation was emotionally lacking, I didn't feel danger for the "heroes" or any menace from the "villain". Maybe if the bad guy had any menacing vibes it would have elevated that third act .

I'm sad to see this movie, I'm sad to see the huge potential of the premise, the star power, the great production go to waste. It was a fun 2 hours but it left me with no desire to watch it again. It would have been a great black mirror episode.

An alright film, but seems they didnt know what they wanted this film to be.

[BenW1999 · 7/10 · 17 June 2022]

Firstly, flawless acting performances from the main cast, you can see the emotions switch with the most subtle of facial changes. This film was just, okay. Not terrible, not amazing, just okay for Friday night viewing. But the makers seemingly didn't know what genre of film they were creating. It starts off all light hearted and you're lured into believing its a comedy, then you're fixed within a drama/thriller through the middle, only for it to end as a light hearted comedy in its climax?

Another, cough, Netflix gem.

[Horror_Flick_Fanatic · 5/10 · 19 June 2022]

I can say it is worth a watch. I do like Chris Hemsworth's charismatic personality and it's nice to see him do something other than Thor outside of the Marvel comic book films. I almost didn't recognize Miles Teller. Although I think this was a missed opportunity to have these two guys work together in a much better film. But the film wasn't remarkable, and I don't think anyone will remember it a year from now. As for a sci-fi film, it wasn't a good one. It could have been, but it wasn't.

Never really amounts to much

[cardsrock · 6/10 · 26 August 2022]

An intriguing premise alone isn't enough to push this film into "good" territory. You keep waiting for something really interesting to happen, but it just sort of fizzles out near the end without ever reaching a satisfying crescendo.

Hemsworth's charm is on display and is the highlight for sure. Teller is fine, as are most of the other cast members. The story seems to be building towards some big twist or crazy moment, and while there isn't nothing, I feel it didn't quite justify the two hour expenditure.

Doesn't make the most of its riveting premise! [+52%]

[arungeorge13 · 5/10 · 17 June 2022]

Spiderhead banks heavily on its lead performers, and both Hemsworth and Teller deliver the goods when the plot struggles to. Very early on, you smell a lighter version of Ex-Machina (replace the robot with mind-control drugs), with several random tonal shifts. The writers (Rhett Rheese & Paul Wernick) are known for tickling the funny bone, but I think this film would have benefited from a more serious, psychological approach - which, credit where it's due - it did to some extent. The romantic subplot, while nice to see, ended up being exploited (such a cliché) as expected. The conclusion isn't all that exciting, because by then, Spiderhead has fully embraced its weirdness and is unfortunately stuck between making viewers care and giving closure to the plot.

Why all the negative reviews?

[NicoleCorrin · 6/10 · 18 June 2022]

I found this movie keeps you guessing and has ups and downs in a different way then you would expect. The actors all fit their roles and played them well. If you like a movie with a story leading to a moral judgment with some twists and a bit of comedy, try this one. It's not a gold star but it's almost.

Catching way more crap than it deserves

[jackgdemoss · 8/10 · 19 June 2022]

Spiderhead was a delightful surprise on a Saturday night when I sat down to pick a movie at random on Netflix with my relatives. It is dystopian but familiar, dramatic with some goofiness, and tense without taking itself too seriously. All contradictory statements, sure, but maybe I was just given too much Verbulance and am rambling.

Chris Hemsworth is miscast in Netflix's botched drugs experiment

[Zeus-pro · 4/10 · 17 June 2022]

The result is a movie that is less thought-provoking and more aggressively lame. Hemsworth's charismatic persona and Teller's dramatic performance are not enough to keep this film afloat. Everything culminates in a bonkers final act that's surprisingly awful. Once again, the tone is all over the place as the film ends with a jarring shift to a needle-drop action sequence that feels all over the place in a so-bad-it's-good way. What had the potential to be a darkly funny, suspenseful, claustrophobic sci-fi story amounts to none of that, leading to a colossal miscalculation that you won't care for once the credits roll.

Pretty decent actually. Miles Teller really shines here

[satin-48250 · 7/10 · 17 June 2022]

Parsing some comments, I couldn't help thinking that they were part of a staged anti-Netflix campaign. Sure, some must be sincere but the flood is just too much.

The story is far from perfect, especially the annoying uber-American ending.

What made me enjoy the movie is the acting. Hemsworth is quite good here, far from the MCU. But most of all, Miles Teller really shines here. I hope he gets more characters like this, more complexity than what he got in the movies where I saw him.

Amazing soundtrack. Chris Hemsworth in a risky role and he have fun

[HorrorFan6969 · 6/10 · 17 June 2022]

I had no expectations watching this. But Chris Hemsworth is stealing every time he is on screen. He is so over the top funny and seems to have the fun of his life. It's a risky project and a risky role. But he is good in it. Miles Teller as usual very good. Don't expect the most original story but it's a good adaptation and well acted. A good way to spent 2h and for a Netflix film. It's a good one for a change !

Boring

[Waedliman · 3/10 · 20 June 2022]

No, nothing is right here. After 40 minutes, nothing has actually happened. Spiderhead is advertised as a thriller, but it is not. The story, wherever it wants to go, is uninspiredly told, no tension is built up and Hemsworth is clearly miscast. Whatever Netflix was trying to achieve with its recent productions, I don't know, but Spiderhead joins the ranks of tired and cheaply produced films that should simply be ignored.

Black Mirror

[teagueandrew · 6/10 · 19 June 2022]

This would have been better presented as a Black Mirror special and trimmed down to make more punchy.

Some intetesting concepts but I was left with a feeling that so much was left unexplored.

Solid enough sci-fi

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 22 June 2022]

In the not too distant future Steve Abnesti runs a special prison; those who volunteer to serve their sentences there have a far easier life than they would in an ordinary prison and will be released sooner... the catch is that they also volunteer to take part in a series of drug tests. There mood altering drugs can induce, hysterical amusement, utter despair and pain and even one that causes test subjects to instantly fall in love. One of those being tested is Jeff; he goes along with the proceedings until one day he is asked to give the despair drug to one of two women. When something goes wrong with a test he learns more about Steve and the facility; perhaps Steve isn't the friend of the inmates he claims to be. Before the film ends more truths will be revealed.

When I started watching this I had no real idea what to expect. It didn't take long to get me interested. The major characters are quickly introduced but we are also drip fed facts about them throughout the film. The location is impressive; a concrete facility that doesn't look like a typical prison creates a modern and different feel, the fact that it is on an island adds a sense of separation. The main characters are interesting with the cast doing a solid job; most obviously Chris Hemsworth as Steve, Miles Teller as Jeff and Jurnee Smollett as Lizzy. The more we learn about Steve's experiments the more interesting things get. Unfortunately the ending is a bit of a let-down as it feels cliché and melodramatic. Still overall I rather enjoyed it so would recommend giving it a go.

Predictable and BORING

[bencrea · 1/10 · 17 June 2022]

Nice sets, that's about it.

For some reason this film just didn't work, cramming a bunch of classic songs for the soundtrack with meaningless montages only prolonged the lag and pain.

Incredibly boring film. I kinda wish I gave it a miss.

Bloody brilliant

[hev-44288 · 10/10 · 7 October 2022]

Loved it from start to finish. Forget all concepts of normality, take it for the story that it is. Too many people expect to much reality from movies, but sometimes it is just that, a story to enjoy, so sit back and enjoy. Chris Hemsworth plays a his role well. Compassionate and caring, and then as the plot thickens, his character flawlessly changes. Miles Teller, plays his role with Compassion and you find you do actually care about him and Jurnee Smollett, who you find yourself fully sympathising with. Both are stunning. Mark Paguio plays his role well. It's clear from the outset that he does not agree with the experiments. Overall... very watch and enjoyable.

High concept goodness!

[wonderdez · 7/10 · 3 September 2022]

I don't understand the bad reviews int he 1-2 range come on! How? Lets not act like this is a student film -- those scores should be reserved for bad technical and terrible acting and none of that is present here.... NONE -- it was a story about human relationships and big Pharma and for some reason every time you have a story everyone thinks its "woke" what in the world do you want movies to be? Hot white guy --hot white girl ...random villain and then shoot em up bang -- credits... internet era has spoiled peoples idea of creativity...but what can you expect when everyone is famous for reacting to other people eating or dancing...

Another Netflix movie fail

[FeastMode · 3/10 · 28 June 2022]

Me: "Netflix makes terrible movies."

Netflix: "Here is another movie with a star-studded cast."

Me: "I guess I'll give it a try"

Rinse and repeat. Streaming services are ruining movies.

Spiderhead has a cool premise that goes almost nowhere. We've already seen the main concept in Westworld, explored much more thoroughly and amazingly. It's very boring with little intrigue. And as a movie, it does not feel cinematic at all. I continue to wonder why streaming services are not able to capture the cinematic feel.

The best part of this movie is the performances by the three leads. But the one I want to single out is Jurnee Smollett. After seeing her in Lovecraft Country, I continue to be impressed as she holds her own with (if not surpasses) her two highly talented costars. I look forward to seeing more from her. (1 viewing, 6/27/2022)

Hell of a concept, but mediocre execution

[dgassman-74217 · 6/10 · 17 October 2022]

Great acting performances by Teller and Hemsworth. A really intriguing concept with some charming scenes. Overall, not enough character development to really stir a lot of attachment. A relatively quick watch with decent returns.

You can tell this was adapted from a short story. At times, felt like a high school student meeting a words requirement for an essay.

The subject matter was intriguing and leverages several key human urges. It's easy to relate to in some ways, and the surrealistic backdrop provides nice entertainment.

I did like the tasteful tinge of humor. Just wish there was more meat to this meal.

Great concept, but needed more meat on the bones.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 7/10 · 19 June 2022]

There really wasn't anything wrong with this film - great directing by "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski, excellent cinematography, locations and sets, amazing throw-back soundtrack, and perfect casting and performances, especially Hemsworth.

But the downfall to this film, is that for the prime material it had to offer, the 106 runtime was too long, even with the fairly decent pacing. It would've been a perfect short film - almost like a Black Mirror length episode, or, it needed much more drama and conflict. There were many repetitive scenes in basically the only three rooms on set. Everything else felt like filler. It's a shame, because I did enjoy it, but I wanted more, and thus was left unsatisfied with what had much more potential to be added to the screenplay. Nevertheless, the critics went too hard on this one. It's a very deserving of at least my 7/10.

snooze fest

[ssr2000 · 3/10 · 17 June 2022]

A boring movie, and some ham perfomance from Hemsworth made it sure this movie won't be a good one.the concept is decent ,but the execution is quite simple but doesn't really create the impact needed for the movie to take off.

Much more enjoyable than the rating suggests

[danielmanson · 7/10 · 25 June 2022]

To be honest, judging from reviews and the rating this film is currently sitting at (5.4). I thought this would be a dire film. But, I actually enjoyed my time watching this. I got massive Black Mirror vibes throughout, so if that's your sort of thing this is a must watch.

For me, the stand out for this film are the actors. Miles Teller and Chris Hemsworth were really good, Chris in particular. The characters they both portrayed were really good, had great depth they could get stuck into and the arc of them both was really interesting.

The plot was pretty good, not amazing. I read a review saying that it got the bare minimum out of the concept and I completely agree with that. There was many other avenues it could have gone down, but didn't. However, the plot given was interesting enough to keep you going and it held a good amount of suspense and interest throughout. I thought the ending was really well done and it finalised character arcs brilliantly also.

My negative thoughts are that outside of the main 2/3 characters, all the other ones were really bland. Served little to no purpose and just generally dead forgettable. I thought that the first 20 minutes or so wasn't done well at all to be honest. It felt rushed and felt far too keen to jump into it all so it had this feel that you were missing scenes. Honestly felt like it started 15 mins in off the bat.

But if you get past that, you're left with this pretty enjoyable film with great performances, interesting plot and suspense to keep you wondering. It's a pretty solid 7/10 from me.

MK-Ultra..... the movie.

[LordCommandar · 4/10 · 20 June 2022]

Good modern-day sci-fi watch of experimenting on certain subjects in a remote facility the effects of mind control. The study goes predictably south and certain subjects trying to escape after the big reveal. Watchable and forgettable..