Spiderhead
Spiderhead
Starring Miles Teller, Chris Hemsworth, Jurnee Smollett, Mark Paguio
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Starring Miles Teller, Chris Hemsworth, Jurnee Smollett, Mark Paguio
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
We've all made mistakes in our past, and we all have moments we regret, and nothing will really totally erase those memories or emotions - but what if there was a drug that could do that? A drug that will give you feelings of euphoria, of love, of forgetfulness, of enhanced speech? What if there's a drug that'll force you to do whatever the administrator wants you to do, even if it seems benign in purpose? Would you do it? While this is the premise of the short story written by George Saunders, its film adaptation is more neutered and watered down, offering a more darkly humorous tone than the source material offers, resulting in a shrug rather than the chills and deep philosophical questions it seemed to want to pose.
Inmates are given an opportunity to live on an island compound known as Spiderhead under the direction of Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), who gives a sympathetic ear and kind words to the inmates who agree to participate in the experiment. This experiment is studying the effects of research chemicals that alter their emotions and changes their view of their surroundings, and they're free to roam the grounds at will. Jeff (Miles Teller) agrees to participate after he drunkenly kills his friend while driving, and undergoes different tests conducted by Steve and his assistant Mark (Mark Paguio), but as the tests become more dangerous, he begins to think that Steve's outward niceness is a front for something more nefarious, and plots a way to escape with fellow inmate Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), whom he's developed feelings for.
Netflix has taken a hit lately in the financial department, and it's probably due to the fact that they'll sponsor any film that comes their way. "Spiderhead" boasts a strong cast and a director that's all the rage nowadays, but its story is so tonally off that it lessens any impact it tries to portray, resulting in a humdrum action sorta-sci-fi film that's easily forgettable once you turn your television off. Instead of lingering in your mind with the deeply philosophical themes, you'll find it hard to remember any vivid details - a film that's great for a viewing, but not one that's memorable, as it is with a lot of Netflix projects lately.
While the film focuses on the effects of different drugs on peoples' emotions, there's an underlying darkness that looms over the project, but once it's revealed, it's met with a "meh" instead of a resounding gasp of shock. That might be due to the writers of the screenplay - Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick, who wrote "Deadpool" - who couldn't get over their Ryan Reynolds obsession and instead tried to make Chris Hemsworth another Reynolds, but not as funny. While the film centers around the dark recesses of our past mistakes, Hemsworth breezes through the film like an unfunny wannabe-funny Mark Zuckerberg type - a polished, intelligent man who uses humor and fake niceties to gloss over more questionable motives. The writing doesn't allow for the true terror to take shape, and instead it relegates itself to simplistic storytelling at its most easiest form, and doesn't require much more thought than that.
Director Joseph Kosinski is riding a wave of much-deserved accolades after directing the long-gestating sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," but here he seems to phone in his work, relying on his past success to carry him to his next big-budget epic. While the setting is beautiful to behold, the premise of it is simply lost in translation, and despite his direction and the performances, everything about this falls flat once you really sit back and think about it - if you want to waste your time doing so.
Chris Hemsworth has proven to be a charismatic person on screen both for good ("Thor") and bad ("Bad Times at the El Royale"), and here he swarms his charm a bit too much, coming off as someone who's insensitivity is blatantly obvious. Whether he's offering backhanded compliments to his assistant or forcing Jeff to do what he wants by bringing up past good things he's done for him, Steve Abnesti is your standard definition of gaslighting villainy clothed in suave suits and a killer smile, and Hemsworth uses his charm to his advantage here - even if it becomes somewhat insufferable near the end.
Miles Teller - who teams with Kosinski again after "Maverick" and "Only the Brave" - also gives it his all as Jeff, who slowly unravels the dark secrets Steve is keeping. He's played this type of role so many times in the past it comes as second nature to him, and again he pulls off more than what the script provides. Jurnee Smollett (who probably wishes there was a forgetfulness drug in real life so people would forget the egregious things her brother - Jussie Smollett - did) also performs admirably against a thin-boned script.
The action in the film isn't as entertaining as you'd expect, and the final sequence is almost a humorous joke than a serious escape, and the only thing missing is the "Yakety Sax" music. There's no tension buildup because everything is so generic you can count the beats before they happen (such as a couple "near misses" where Steve almost discovers what Jeff is doing), and while the setting is beautiful, the story is as plain Jane as it gets, resulting in another bland action Netflix film that proves why the company is tanking.
The Score: B
Inmates are given an opportunity to live on an island compound known as Spiderhead under the direction of Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), who gives a sympathetic ear and kind words to the inmates who agree to participate in the experiment. This experiment is studying the effects of research chemicals that alter their emotions and changes their view of their surroundings, and they're free to roam the grounds at will. Jeff (Miles Teller) agrees to participate after he drunkenly kills his friend while driving, and undergoes different tests conducted by Steve and his assistant Mark (Mark Paguio), but as the tests become more dangerous, he begins to think that Steve's outward niceness is a front for something more nefarious, and plots a way to escape with fellow inmate Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), whom he's developed feelings for.
Netflix has taken a hit lately in the financial department, and it's probably due to the fact that they'll sponsor any film that comes their way. "Spiderhead" boasts a strong cast and a director that's all the rage nowadays, but its story is so tonally off that it lessens any impact it tries to portray, resulting in a humdrum action sorta-sci-fi film that's easily forgettable once you turn your television off. Instead of lingering in your mind with the deeply philosophical themes, you'll find it hard to remember any vivid details - a film that's great for a viewing, but not one that's memorable, as it is with a lot of Netflix projects lately.
While the film focuses on the effects of different drugs on peoples' emotions, there's an underlying darkness that looms over the project, but once it's revealed, it's met with a "meh" instead of a resounding gasp of shock. That might be due to the writers of the screenplay - Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick, who wrote "Deadpool" - who couldn't get over their Ryan Reynolds obsession and instead tried to make Chris Hemsworth another Reynolds, but not as funny. While the film centers around the dark recesses of our past mistakes, Hemsworth breezes through the film like an unfunny wannabe-funny Mark Zuckerberg type - a polished, intelligent man who uses humor and fake niceties to gloss over more questionable motives. The writing doesn't allow for the true terror to take shape, and instead it relegates itself to simplistic storytelling at its most easiest form, and doesn't require much more thought than that.
Director Joseph Kosinski is riding a wave of much-deserved accolades after directing the long-gestating sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," but here he seems to phone in his work, relying on his past success to carry him to his next big-budget epic. While the setting is beautiful to behold, the premise of it is simply lost in translation, and despite his direction and the performances, everything about this falls flat once you really sit back and think about it - if you want to waste your time doing so.
Chris Hemsworth has proven to be a charismatic person on screen both for good ("Thor") and bad ("Bad Times at the El Royale"), and here he swarms his charm a bit too much, coming off as someone who's insensitivity is blatantly obvious. Whether he's offering backhanded compliments to his assistant or forcing Jeff to do what he wants by bringing up past good things he's done for him, Steve Abnesti is your standard definition of gaslighting villainy clothed in suave suits and a killer smile, and Hemsworth uses his charm to his advantage here - even if it becomes somewhat insufferable near the end.
Miles Teller - who teams with Kosinski again after "Maverick" and "Only the Brave" - also gives it his all as Jeff, who slowly unravels the dark secrets Steve is keeping. He's played this type of role so many times in the past it comes as second nature to him, and again he pulls off more than what the script provides. Jurnee Smollett (who probably wishes there was a forgetfulness drug in real life so people would forget the egregious things her brother - Jussie Smollett - did) also performs admirably against a thin-boned script.
The action in the film isn't as entertaining as you'd expect, and the final sequence is almost a humorous joke than a serious escape, and the only thing missing is the "Yakety Sax" music. There's no tension buildup because everything is so generic you can count the beats before they happen (such as a couple "near misses" where Steve almost discovers what Jeff is doing), and while the setting is beautiful, the story is as plain Jane as it gets, resulting in another bland action Netflix film that proves why the company is tanking.
The Score: B
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