Spiderhead - 💥💥

Director: Joseph Kosinski 

Writers: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (screenplay by); George Saunders (based on the short story by) 
Release Date: 11th June 2022

Hot Rating: 💥💥

Too underdeveloped for a feature film, too robust for a short, this latest Netflix original fails to find its footing. Even with the help of its star power - Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller in the leading roles - Spiderhead promises way too much that it never delivers on. On a remote, Bond Villain-esque island, Steve Abnesti (Hemsworth) leads a group of convict patients through drug trials, where the most basic human emotions such as laughter, passion and fear are manipulated. Jeff (Teller) is Abnesti’s star pupil, and the two share a relationship that is ostensible and off-kilter. What could be an elaborate story about the ethics of modern pharmacy and technology turns into something a lot sillier and less interesting as the film moves from one bombastic experiment to another. Glazed in a soft rock soundtrack, the film feels like a bloated SNL skit that parodies this type of satirical sci-fi. 

Image: YouTube