Fresh off the record-breaking success of Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski is back for his second film of the summer, Netflix's Spiderhead. Shot in late 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the thriller is a much smaller and more contained work than Kosinski's blockbuster legacy sequel. Still, with a cast that includes big names like Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller, there are enough pieces in play to have Spiderhead stand out from the gluttony of Netflix original releases. And this film mostly gets there. Spiderhead blends interesting concepts with strong performances from the cast to craft a fascinating, if thin, sci-fi thriller.
Teller stars in Spiderhead as Jeff, an inmate serving his sentence in the special Spiderhead facility, where prison head Steve Abneti (Hemsworth) conducts tests on drugs designed to alter human behavior. The convicts take part in the experiments under the impression their work will help benefit society in the long run, but Jeff has his suspicions about what's really going on. Becoming disillusioned with the program, Jeff attempts to find a way to break free of Steve and escape Spiderhead.
The script by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick is different in style and tone from the meta comedies they're best known for. Spiderhead goes for more heady, thought-provoking material that explores ideas such as free will and humanity's desire to control all aspects of life. It admittedly is familiar territory for a title such as this, but Spiderhead is still able to make it work for the most part, particularly due to its willingness to delve into the characters' past traumas (which is a big part of Jeff's arc). The individual stories tie into Spiderhead's themes and help flesh the screenplay out. At the same time, it is apparent Reese and Wernick are adapting a short story. The premise, while fascinating, is spread a little thin over a feature-length runtime, and Spiderhead doesn't necessarily dive deep enough into what it's going for. On the page, it might have been better as an episode of television, or even a short film.
Spiderhead is elevated by its performances, with Hemsworth and Teller doing much of the legwork. The former sheds his heroic MCU persona to play a shady billionaire, showcasing a side of his range that rarely gets the spotlight. Hemsworth is clearly having fun with the role, weaponizing his screen presence to make Steve seem charming, yet unsettling. He is very much the antagonist figure in Spiderhead, but thanks to details about Steve's backstory, he comes off as a well-rounded character. Teller does an excellent job playing Jeff, a man who's clearly troubled by his past and has become jaded with Spiderhead. His plight is sympathetic and it's easy for the audience to root for Jeff thanks to the everyman qualities he brings to the part. The supporting cast in Spiderhead is small, but still has noteworthy players like Jurnee Smollett as Lizzy, an inmate Jeff develops romantic feelings for, and Mark Paguio as Verlaine, Steve's assistant who starts to question the Spiderhead program.
In contrast from the death-defying set pieces of Top Gun: Maverick, Spiderhead sees Kosinski take a much more subdued approach, and he demonstrates this kind of material is within his wheelhouse as well. He makes the most of the pandemic-related restrictions of production (there are usually no more than a few actors together in each scene), which enhances the movie in some ways. It gives the feeling Spiderhead is truly a remote facility far removed from the mainland and the watch of authorities, creating a sense of dread and isolation that underscores Jeff and Lizzy's struggles. Spiderhead becomes a more immersive film as a result, dropping the viewer into the middle of this strange, different world.
Despite the high-profile talent attached, Spiderhead is flying a bit under the radar as it hits Netflix, and streaming is the best home for it. It's the kind of film that would easily get lost in the shuffle with a traditional theatrical release, dwarfed by the major studio tentpoles (including Kosinski's last movie) that are dominating the multiplex right now. Spiderhead will likely find an audience, as it's worth the watch for fans of the genre or the actors involved. It may not do anything particularly innovative from either a storytelling or filmmaking perspective, but Spiderhead is proof there's still material to be mined from well-known ground when talented people are bringing the narrative to life.
Spiderhead begins streaming on Netflix June 17, 2022. The film is 107 minutes long and is rated R for violent content, language, and sexual content.