Filmology Rating: 2.5 out of 4

 

Lockhart, played by Dane DeHaan, is an ambitious smug young executive who will do anything to rise higher at his company.  Lockhart soon realizes that he cannot rise any higher in the company unless he brings back the CEO Pembroke, played by Harry Groener, from a wellness center in the Swiss Alps.  Lockhart arrives at the center and meets with Dr. Vomer, played by Jason Isaacs, who convinces Lockhart that Pembroke doesn’t want to leave and go back to the normal world because he has found the Cure.    

I feel completely conflicted about this film.  The film is easily a half hour too long and with a running length of 146 minutes you feel that extra time creep by.  During the first hour of the film I’m left with a slight feeling of boredom.  I think that must come because I’m not attached to any of the characters.  I’m a huge fan of Dane DeHaan, I loved his performances in Chronicle, Kill Your Darlings, and Life, so I was hoping to add yet another performance to the list.  The performance is good during the last act of the film when all the mysteries are revealed and the camp starts to roll.  As for the other leading man, Jason Isaacs, who was fantastic in the Harry Potter series, seemed to be sleepwalking through his role.  Isaacs should bring a sense of gravitas to the role yet he makes me want to fall asleep every time he opens his mouth.

Gore Verbinski has had an interesting and mostly entertaining career.  His first film was the family film Mouse Hunt, which I still have never seen nor have I heard anything about but the film must have something to it because he would eventually go on to direct the American horror adaptation The Ring in 2002.  It must have been while making The Ring that Verbinski developed the horror bug and had the concept for A Cure for Wellness stirring in his brain for years.    

The heroes of A Cure for Wellness are the cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, who worked with Verbinski previously on The Ring and The Lone Ranger, who captures every image with a sense of purpose that can either make your skin crawl or make your mind wander to its darkest corners, and Eve Stewart the production designer, who also did the production design for Muppets Most Wanted and The King’s Speech.  Stewart creates rooms and contraptions that should send chills down the spines of any person with fears.  Bazelli uses muted colors and long shots to help create a sense of tension and mystery that would make Hitchcock proud.   

Most of the time I wouldn’t recommend a film that is overlong and has rather bland acting but the visuals and the craziness of the third act make this film worth watching.  You will need to find a cure for the human condition after watching this thriller.

Rating: Rent It

-Jonny G