User reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 !

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.

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.

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)

I enjoyed this movie, More so than others and was quite surprised by the ratings. Chris plays the perfect psychotic narcissist scientist. Miles Teller is easy to empathize with and did amazing as usual. The music is on point. The whole premise of this movie is believable, just look into the CIA's past on experimenting with acid on people that had no idea what they were given. There is no length unprincipled scientists will go to get the exact results desired in their hypothesis. Give this movie a shot.

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.

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.

I'm not sure why people are giving this such bad reviews. The movie is actually quite original, the acting is superb, the cinematography and set design is clean and classic, and it's put together quite nicely. Even though people are saying that it's predictable I was actually quite surprised by the ending. It got pretty intense a few times throughout the movie. It's not a traditional thriller but it had its moments. Worth a watch. How is my review still so short?? IMDB is getting out of control. Also let's not forget the eye candy in this film is top notch. I mean who doesn't like seeing Thor get emotional....