I remember the time I sat down and watched another episode of ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000.’ It was about a director who was taking a group of women to an island for a photo shoot and in the process they made a crash landing elsewhere. It was in Black & White, the sound was off with the movements on screen by about a quarter of a second and it was of course, a lousy movie. That was Spider Island, but THIS is “Spiderhead” and it is about as far apart from the aforementioned film as one can possibly imagine… thankfully!

Netflix has been on a roll and does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. This is not the first time I have seen Chris Hemsworth (“Extraction”) star in a Netflix original, either, though I was not all that impressed with what I previously saw. However, the present time takes priority and I am open to that.

So, what is the story with “Spiderhead?” Well, it is based on the short story, ‘Escape From Spiderhead,’ written by George Saunders (‘Lincoln in the Bardo’). The screenplay was adapted by Rhett Reese (“Deadpool 2”) and Paul Wernick (“Zombieland 2: Double Tap”), who have worked together in this capacity several times before. They are also listed on a long line of producers for the movie. At the directorial helm is Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”) who is having quite a year, thus far, to say the least. By the way, if you liked “Ex Machina” or “The Lobster,” I think there is a chance you will enjoy this one, too.

Steve Abnesti, played by Hemsworth, is a scientist of sorts. He is manning an experiment at an undisclosed location which is inhabited by violent offenders. Joining him from the all-seeing chamber is Mark Verlaine, played by Mark Paguio. He is mostly subservient and basically just does whatever Steve tells him to do. They soon encounter one Jeff, played by Miles Teller (“Thank You for Your Service”). As time goes on, his back story unravels and we get a glimpse of what brought him to this place and why he is responding in the way that he does.

Jeff is acquainted, above all else, with Lizzy, played by Jurnee Smollett (“Birds of Prey”). She, too, has a dark past, which brought her to Spiderhead, but the details are not explored all that much. At some point, Jeff has to decide if her obvious flaws are worth it to him or not, but in the meantime, he is trying on some new pharmaceutical drugs, which all got their names from a Bingo card. Each prisoner has a device hooked up to their body, which injects the different drugs upon command from a computer. 20 or 30 years ago, this kind of thing would have seemed far fetched for reality, but scarily enough, it does not seem that way today. Is it possible that it is already going on in select facilities already? Do I sound naïve for even asking that as though I am unsure of it?

Things get hot and heavy, in more ways than one, once Jeff engages in sex with multiple partners and is forced to make a decision that impacts he AND the women he has just been with. The greatest scene in the entire movie takes place around this time. It is intense and poignant, so do not look away if you can help it. Jeff also discovers the truth about the faculty and how it is being run, which quickly puts him at odds with Steve. Steve, as you can probably guess, has also been through some dark times, but much like with Lizzy, the film does not explore any of that too much. The choice was to bring Jeff’s back story into focus and no one else, at the same level. It makes me wonder if “Spiderhead” would have been better off as a miniseries, instead of a feature-length movie.

With all that being said, I mostly enjoyed this film. There was not anything that I truly disliked, but not too much that I loved, either. It was good, or could be deemed as very good, depending on your own experience. To be reminded of the other movies that I mentioned before is in no way a bad thing, especially “Ex Machina.” I would say that I liked this more than “The Lobster,” but not as much as “Ex Machina,” which means I am willing to rate it higher than most other critics have so far.

I hope that Netflix continues to gain ground on its overall quality of films. I was always impressed with their level of cinematography and technical capabilities, but they had been lacking in great stories and suitable performances. That is not the case any longer from where I sit and view these matters. Take that for what it is worth and enjoy the show.

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Screenwriters: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Based on: ‘Escape From Spiderhead,’ by George Saunders
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett, Tess Haubrich as Heather, Angie Millikan as Sarah, BeBe Bettencourt as Emma and Nathan Jones as Rogan
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: June 11th, 2022 (Australia) and June 17th, 2022 (United States)