Spiderhead

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.