Spiderhead

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Spiderhead
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Spiderhead is a mature sci-fi drama based on a dystopian short story by George Saunders. A scientist tests a series of drugs on prisoners, controlling their moods and behaviors (he seems dependent on one of the drugs himself). Sometimes the substances lead to sexual acts, other times to violence, including two suicide attempts shown on-screen (one of which ends in a bloody death). Additional violence involves fist- and knife fights, discussion of murder, a graphic fatal car accident, and a plane crash. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "goddamn it," "bitch," "Jesus," and more. The story raises interesting questions about human behavior, since it has both good people who've done bad things and are now grappling with shame and regret and people who manipulate and hurt others under the guise of kind intentions. Miles Teller and Chris Hemsworth co-star.
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What's the Story?
Jeff (Miles Teller) is an inmate at a swanky facility known as SPIDERHEAD. In exchange for comfortable living quarters, freedom to roam the building, and upscale cuisine, prisoners agree to participate in drug testing. Overseen by scientist Steve (Chris Hemsworth) and his loyal assistant, Mark (Mark Paguio), the testing involves controlling the subjects' emotions and behavior. The substances can make people feel violent or loving, or even see the world in new ways. As Jeff and fellow inmate/love interest Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett) begin to question their own willing participation in the testing, they also start to question Steve's methods and motives, ultimately unraveling the foundations of the entire project.
Is It Any Good?
The short story-inspired concept for this film turns out to be too thin to carry a whole movie, but it still mostly works thanks to engaging performances from stars Hemsworth and Teller. The two convincingly display the wide range of emotions brought on by both powerful drugs and extreme circumstances. Spiderhead is ultimately a story about human behavior: what people are capable of, what inspires good and bad deeds, how we each come to terms with our actions, and the age-old question of whether the world would be a better place if we could control the actions of others.
Of course, a movie can't fully answer questions like these, but it can raise them in interesting ways. While Steve's motives seem to boil down to childhood abandonment issues, the prisoners' questioning of why they keep consenting to being experimented on opens up a lot to think about. Unfortunately, this is left largely unexplored, and the film comes to a somewhat abrupt closure. The laboratory setting in a vast concrete building contrasts with the warm, feel-good '70s and '80s tunes and the occasional views of a gorgeous surrounding landscape. That tonal confusion, paralleled in Hemsworth's smarmy salesman-slash-evil-mastermind performance, could unsettle viewers (as it's likely meant to). Or it could leave them indifferent, somewhere right in the middle of the story's swinging moods.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why the inmates in Spiderhead continually agree to the drug testing, even though they know it changes their behavior and can lead to feelings of violence or shame. What do you think drives their decision?
Talk about the movie's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What does the term "Spiderhead" refer to?
How would you describe the mood of the music in this film? Does it contrast with the setting and subject matter?
What are Steve's motives with his testing facility? Do they justify his actions, in your opinion?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 17, 2022
- Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett
- Director: Joseph Kosinski
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Run time: 107 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: violent content, language and sexual content
- Last updated: June 23, 2022
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