Spiderhead (2022) review

Instead of going to regular prison like a normal convict, Jeff (Miles Teller) volunteers to be a subject in a study being done by researcher Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth) in his supervillain-like fortress where drugs are being tested as to whether they can make people more talkative (Verbaluce), fall in love (N-40) or go insane (Darkenfloxx) - eventually, there's a rebellion.  Perhaps the reason why it seems kind of limp and draggy is that it's based on a short story by George Saunders and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick pad it in all the wrong ways: it does a terrible job explaining its own premise and whiffs on an opportunity to make a larger statement about the role of pharmaceuticals in controlling the population (especially when it feels like we're living at a time where mental illness is an unaddressed societal crisis).  But do yourself a favor: find the actual story on The New Yorker, read it, and tell me you wouldn't have gone with the original conclusion (that is, unless the executives demanded something more upbeat).