Spiderhead

Ein seltsames und nicht besonderes glaubhaftes Thema, das zwar mit einer prima Idee arbeitet, aber unbeantwortete Fragen und verlegene Eindrücke von WTF-Szenen und dem völlig unpassenden humorvollen Unterton hervorruft. Ich habe mir den Film noch einmal angeschaut, um sicherzugehen, dass es nicht an meiner momentanen Laune lag und dass es von Kosinski wirklich ein Fail war. Und es lag wirklich nicht an mir. Die Musik ist hier auch schlecht. Am Anfang ist ein prima Schlager zu hören, die späteren Songs sind aber schlimm. (23.06.2022)

Escape from Spiderhead hat ein ausgezeichnetes Thema, das so viele Möglichkeiten für einen soliden Science-Fiction-Thriller und möglicherweise eine Comedy Satire bietet, aber am Ende landet es irgendwo auf halbem Weg. Der Schuldige ist nicht der Regisseur Joseph Kosinski, sondern die Drehbuchautoren von albernen Action-Komödien wie Deadpool, Zombieland und 6 Underground, die es nicht schaffen, das anregende Ausgangsmaterial zu lenken und stattdessen versuchen, eine pseudo-coole, dumme Show mit attraktiven Haken anzubieten. Das vereitelte Potenzial ist offensichtlich, trotzdem funktioniert Spiderhead zumindest teilweise als solider Non-Brainer B-Movie, der sich am Ende leider in eine lächerliche Mischung aus Unsinn auflöst. (26.06.2022)

I never thought Netflix could ruin a film from a director I had high hopes for, but here we are. The trailer looked promising, but the reality is a letdown. Great concept, strong cast, but the execution and script are embarrassing. I kept waiting for a scene to turn things around and inject some real tension. When it finally happened, the events that followed just turned the movie into a mess — a mess with A-list Hollywood actors. (22.06.2022)

Spiderhead had the potential to be a big hit, but unfortunately remained a mediocre film, which is a wonder considering who is behind it. When Joseph Kosinski, who blew everyone away with Maverick, the writer of both Deadpool movies, Hemsworth and Teller, plus an original premise come together on set, it's almost hard to believe that the final product is a bit of an easy skip. The film takes place in probably the least realistic prison (there are some nice interiors), where there are no rules at work, nothing is explained properly, there's just a scientist testing drugs on prisoners, which in itself sounds fine because drugs are fun, but what might have been the most fun thing about the film is kind of boring in places. I was quite bothered by the lack of test subjects (there are about three people being tested?), the lack of any significant intensity. I was expecting some sort of trippy prison massacre, but I would have taken an uncomfortable stuffiness in the air. None of that happens, there is only one suspenseful scene (everyone probably can guess which one it is), and the finale is very much off the mark. On the other hand, I liked the music, it is is excellent, the actors do their thing and there are a few minor twists and turns, so it managed to serve as a one-off, but expectations were much different. Untapped potential, but it wasn't a waste of time for me. Story 3/5. Action 2/5, Humour 2/5, Violence 1/5, Fun 3/5 Music 4/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 3/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 3/5. 5.5/10 (19.06.2022)

The very relevant topic of human submissiveness and what controls us, but in inconsistent packaging and, unfortunately, with rather a bland ending. The screenplay chose a cheap, escaping ending, instead of trying anything bolder. Which is strange - it was so promising for so long. Hemsworth really enjoys this, for him untraditional, role. Kosinski has made an attractive movie here, with a wonderfully designed jail and surrounding countryside. Beautiful. Rather naively, I had originally thought that he would experiment more in this minor production for Netflix, but no. (17.06.2022)

Incredibly boring and a huge misstep by Joseph Kosinski. It takes talent to screw up such a perfect theme of controlling the emotions of human guinea pigs and exploring their reactions after being given a substance. The substance in question could have been handled to perfection, but instead it's a superficial piece of tripe that comes across as a boring B-movie. The premise is unexploited, the ideas are nil, there is no suspense to speak of, the visuals fail to impress and even the two A-list names in the lead roles can salvage it as their acting is appalling, if B-movie no-names were cast here, the result would have been the same. By the end I was unable to handle it anymore and had to fast-forward. Catastrophic. (17.06.2022)