A CURE FOR WELLNESS
Gore Verbinski (2016)
3 STARS
Slowly turning the screws as it creeps towards it’s much prophesied conclusion, A Cure for Wellness is a slow burn that successfully navigates the necessities of a mystery horror.
Dane DeHaan’s solid leading performance is matched, for the most part, by the supporting cast. Jason Isaacs, as the antagonist, offers his ever-authoritative presence which lends itself perfectly to the underhand goings on of the narrative.
Excellent cinematography, including a handful of truly beautiful shots sprinkled throughout, add a depth to the picture which signifies that the filmmakers truly care for what this film has to say and how it goes about it.
It is unfortunate that multiple cases of over explanation beg the question; do the filmmakers think the audience are idiots, or do they truly believe the mystery of the plot to be so well constructed that no one could predict the finale? The ‘big reveal’ is so sign-posted that one just wishes the film to get on with it.
A Cure for Wellness is an eerie thriller that on the whole succeeds in what it sets out to do, but in the process, shoots itself in the foot with over explanation and self praising dialogue that allow the values of the production to slip.