Top Gun: Maverick aces, director Joseph Kosinski and star Miles Teller, fly high again in the twisted psychotropic thriller. Based on The New Yorker short story by George Saunders, Spiderhead has a cunning scientist testing mind-altering drugs in a remote prison facility. It’s a place with no cells or locked doors. The prisoners are free to wander and mix up with each other. Except that they sign up for clinical trials. Ready to be filled with lust, laugh at nonsense things and get aggressive just at the touch of a button. Thus Spiderhead destroys the ability for self-control and free will. This is a disturbingly hilarious trip to the head set against an 80s rock soundtrack.
As he speeds his boat towards Spiderhead compound Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth) smiles broadly across his face while seated on it. His favorite prisoner Jeff (Teller) is waiting in the stark white observation room outside there. Steve hates it when Jeff calls him “Mr Abnesti.” He wants open communication during these tests. Jeff says that he will take the drug “acknowledging” it like everyone else before him did Steve’s dutiful assistant (Mark Paguio) turns on MobiPak attached to Jeff’s lower back The numbered drug dispenses with a flash.
Steve cannot hide his joy about the latest results He brings Jeff over to the observation room along side Heather(Tess Haubrich). They both acknowledge so they receive doses via MobiPak Steve can hardly believe how fast their sexual responses occur N-40 could be revolutionary Disheveled, Heather slowly gets off of me floors Both agree that Jeff should have another dose administered through someone else this time.
He cannot forget what landed him in Spiderhead; instead, those crimes haunt him day and night He confesses to Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett) over snack time The entire prison reverberates with the sound of Steve’s playlist He shuffles his legs with a sense of accomplishment Tomorrow’s tests take a sinister turn Steve wants Jeff to pick who will be injected. He remembers the nightmare of I-16 too well. Jeff simply does not “acknowledge” what Steve has said.
Spiderhead turns humans into Guinea pigs with a backslapping nod and wink. The prisoners are all convicted murderers. Rather than rotting away in some jail cell inside a prison, they live relatively carefree lives. Every moment reminds that every person in there is just an inmate by choice, for each one opted to take part in these experiments as payment for their sins, as freedom of thought should not matter anyway. Find yourself somewhere in prison reflecting on its grayness This is the Faustian deal which gnaws at Jeff’s soul.
The production design of Spiderhead successfully drives the narrative across its run-time Most of the action takes place in the observation room and shared common areas. Heather had to sit next to Jeff while he was eating after their drug induced trysts The inmates cannot avoid each other There is no better opportunity for Steve to monitor them further except now when they are forced to live together and share same rooms What is left behind any research .Are these experiments making any changes?
Hemsworth delights in playing against type as the villain He tears up his image through this prancing and grinning performance Hemsworth epitomizes cold reason behind cruelty for good The movie reveals a tragic backstory that led him into chemical manipulation Hemsworth stands for a diabolic kind of personage which has been going on throughout history Development driven by suffering “extra” people at large!
Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy) adds a frivolous touch to exacerbate the bizarre circumstances. His upbeat choice of eighties pop classics helps escalate tension as the situation deteriorates. For two-thirds of its running time, Spiderhead strikes an interesting tone. I had expected a smart climax but was disappointed until the end. The sudden finale unfortunately falls prey to standard action tropes.
Watch free movies on Fmovies
