Spiderhead

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1:59

Spiderhead

R

2022

1h 47m

Sci-Fi

Action

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

154 Reviews

30%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

In a state-of-the-art penitentiary run by brilliant visionary Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), inmates wear a surgically attached device that administers dosages of mind-altering drugs in exchange for commuted sentences. There are no bars, no cells, or orange jumpsuits. In Spiderhead, incarcerated volunteers are free to be themselves. Until they're not. At times, they're a better version. Need to lighten up? There's a drug for that. At a loss for words? There's a drug for that, too. But when two subjects, Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), form a connection, their path to redemption take a twistier turn, as Abnesti's experiments start to push the limits of free will altogether.

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Critics Consensus

Spiderhead's top-shelf cast and well-written source material are almost enough to compensate for its frequent failure to live up to its potential.

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Audience Says

Spiderhead's strong start and big stars only deepen the disappointment after the end credits roll on this poorly written thriller.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Does it work? Not really, but due to Kosinski’s skills behind the camera and Hemsworth’s smarmily sweaty paranoiac charm in front of it the thriller comes awfully close to being a success.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 24, 2022

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Victoria Luxford

BBC.com

While (Teller) and Hemsworth have a lot of screen presence together, there’s only so much you can do without a decent plot or script…

Rated: 2/5

Jun 24, 2022

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

It's part comedy, part thriller, part message movie about our pill-popping culture.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jun 23, 2022

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Bhuvanesh Chandar

The Hindu

This dystopian sci-fi thriller has everything in its arsenal to pull off something great, but doesn't.

Nov 21, 2023

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Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

Where evident in the film, Saunders tone and vision stand out as highpoints in an otherwise muddled extrapolation of the intriguing concepts he explored in his short story. Sadly, not enough of his influence remains to save Kosinski’s adaptation.

Oct 31, 2023

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Manuel São Bento

FirstShowing.net

Chris Hemsworth proves again that he's one of the most underrated actors working today.

Rated: B-

Jul 25, 2023

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Igor S

I actually enjoyed this, despite being a bit repetitive. Right before the ending tho, things turn a bit silly tho. In the end, i enjoyed it while it lasted. But there was potential for a much more impactful story. This could have been an Ex Machina type movie. Which is a shame, because i actually feel that the plot about the drug and why they use it/want it is much more important to our current society than it seems. There's a few lines that Chris Hemsworth's character delivers near the end that made me think whether this was just a movie script or a messsage of truth that someone very powerful wanted to convey. Kind of like when someone tells you who they are in reality, but through a disguise, like art.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/02/25

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Downriver R

I thought this was a great movie. Underrated for sure. A must watch thriller with some comedy and drama

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/25

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Sebastian D

A Predictable Sci-Fi Letdown. Spiderhead is a sterile sci-fi thriller that squanders its intriguing premise with a predictable plot and shallow characters, turning potential moral horror into forgettable procedural drudgery. Chris Hemsworth’s Abnesti hints at menace, but the script flattens him into a generic experimenter, while Miles Teller’s Jeff and Jurnee Smollett’s Verónica are passive pawns in endless trials. The sleek facility visuals tease claustrophobia, but the pacing crawls through repetitive scenes, and twists land with thudding obviousness. What could have been a chilling dive into consent and humanity devolves into a glossy slog, wasting Saunders’ satirical bite on unearned pathos and flat dialogue. It’s a middling misfire that traps its talented cast in a narrative as confining as its prison, offering no escape from tedium.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/09/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Good idea! Worst ending ever, booring and not locigal. Unfun movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

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Mirocko B

Great setup. Great execution. Shoddy writing. Fire the writer. Give the rest of them an high five for trying. Actually a pretty good film. Just until it completely gives up on its own premises, and tries to suddenly, without the time or budget for it, to become something it clearly is not.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/12/25

Full Review

Heather B

WORST MOVIE EVERrrrr

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

Full Review

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Joseph Kosinski

Director

Chris Hemsworth

Steve Abnesti

Miles Teller

Jeff

Jurnee Smollett

Lizzy

Mark Paguio

Verlaine

Tess Haubrich

Actor

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Spiderhead: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In a state-of-the-art penitentiary run by brilliant visionary Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), inmates wear a surgically attached device that administers dosages of mind-altering drugs in exchange for commuted sentences. There are no bars, no cells, or orange jumpsuits. In Spiderhead, incarcerated volunteers are free to be themselves. Until they're not. At times, they're a better version. Need to lighten up? There's a drug for that. At a loss for words? There's a drug for that, too. But when two subjects, Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), form a connection, their path to redemption take a twistier turn, as Abnesti's experiments start to push the limits of free will altogether.

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Producer: Eric Newman, Chris Hemsworth, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Agnes Chu, Geneva Wasserman, Tommy Harper, Jeremy Steckler
Screenwriter: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Production Co: The Rebel Fleet , Reese Wernick Productions, Conde Nast Entertainment, Grand Electric, Screen Arcade, The New Yorker
Rating: R (Violent Content|Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 17, 2022
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos

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