Spiderhead

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.