Spiderhead ★★½

CHRIS Hemsworth’s association with Netflix hasn’t amounted to anything special so far.

Extraction was a well-made, sometimes exciting actioner, but Interceptor, which he co-produced, was a dud.

The latest offering, sci-fi thriller Spiderhead also fails to reach any heights, despite being based on a popular dystopian short story by George Saunders.

Typical of the type of story, it’s a warning about the dangers of tampering with nature and the power of the State.

The Spiderhead of the title is an unique prison complex on an isolated island where the inmates are able to mix freely, coming and going from their rooms.

There is minimal security and the staff and prisoners regularly interact like any other people in a different social setting would do.

The catch to earning these privileges is that the prisoners have agreed to participating in advanced drug testing programs aimed at controlling human urges and emotions.

Each prisoner has an injection pack loaded with several chemicals attached to the base of their spine with the releases centrally controlled.

The lead characters are both seemingly likeable and trying to make the most of the situation. Hemsworth plays Steve Abnesti, who is overseeing the drug testing program, while Miles Teller plays Jeff, one of the prisoners taking part.

The set-up is interesting and some of the experiment sequences create tension, the cast and ideas run out of steam and we limp to an expected final act.

The main problem is the lack of focus in the tone of the film, sometimes wanting to steer into early comin territory when it shouldn’t.

Most of the blame can be laid at the feet of director Joseph Kosinski and his writers, but both Hemsworth and Teller also fail to make any strong impression.

Largely a wasted opportunity.