Medicine matters can no longer be taken for granted because modern humans now seem to have significantly depended on this factor. The consumption of drugs and deviant practices to generate profits for both individuals and companies are familiar in medium film. Spiderhead explores this a little further through the perspective of how drugs relate to human nature (trauma), even though the main reason is still the same (profit).
Spiderhead is a sci-fi drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski, who is now a massive success with Tom Cruise through Top Gun: Maverick. This Netflix release stars two big stars, Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller. The film’s script is adapted from a short story entitled Escape from Spiderhead written by George Saunders. With the above theme and packaging in a modern setting, plus top stars and filmmakers, it seems this film will be promising.
Steve Abnesty (Hemsworth) runs an isolated modern health facility to test various variants of his drug (sedatives). The volunteers, who must be paid handsomely, where their bodies are fitted with a device that can inject different variants of medicines at once through remote control. How does this drug work? For example, two people of the opposite sex who have not known each other for a long time and have no physical attraction, well, this drug variant can give the opposite effect spontaneously. A bad panorama can be turned into something wonderful. In short, this drug can solve problems/traumas/anxiety and others by injecting a “love” potion. But the side effects are also extraordinary, and one volunteer named Jeff (Teller) finds this out in an unpleasant way.
The premise is intriguing, even though the final message is simple, and we know it. The beginning of the confusing story gradually turned into a clear one, and it was even too easy to anticipate the story’s direction. With an extraordinary modern setting, the plot should be processed more by a few surprises. The players’ characters who are processed should be broader, not only those figures. If you want to dig deeper, many things don’t make sense in the plot. Except for Jeff, the weak exposition leaves many unanswered questions. Let’s say the volunteers are paid a lot of money, but what risk of life makes it worth it? There is no explanation of any guarantees in this testing process. They are all like lab rats. Steve’s assistant knew this from the start; how could he last that long if it all ended in a moral dilemma?
With great setting and casting, Spiderhead cannot lift its predictable and shallow plot. No medicine on this earth can defeat human instincts, which are fragile. That’s why they are called humans, and only our minds can control them. I laughed a little when Jeff’s voice-over clearly explained everything at the end of the film. One thing that shouldn’t be done. Netflix’s recent releases feature films of poor quality, and this can backfire on those who have lost a lot of subscribers.
