A Cure for Life

This film feels like a Black Mirror episode - but one that treads water for almost two and a half hours without ever reaching its main idea. 250% longer, but only a fraction of the satisfaction.

I really wanted to immerse myself in its atmosphere and ideas, the idea of a David Lynch/Cronenberg style Shining/Shutter Island film seems great. But the film really tests your patience. The main character is icy and unlikable, the other characters are similarly distant. Stuff happens, a lot of stuff, some of it great looking, but with nothing to tie it together or the any character depth to engage with, it ends up feeling like you're being taken through a film students visual exhibition that doesn't end soon enough.

It really doesn't live up to the amazing film that the trailer suggests, a pattern that seems to be more and more common with films these days. Similar to Passengers, I wonder if moments were shot just to make the trailer more powerful in selling the film.

Gore Verbinski has created a visually splendid thriller/horror film, which creates a wonderfully foreboding atmosphere. However, what could have been a great film is marred by a convoluted screenplay that falls to pieces in its final act, and is riddled with plot holes. I waited patiently for all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place (and with the running time approaching 2 and a half hours, it's quite a wait), yet ultimately I was left somewhat confused and underwhelmed by how it all played out.

I still recommend it for the wonderful cinematography and chilling atmosphere. But with some liberal editing and a tighter screenplay we could have had a real classic on our hands. Shame.

Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) is a corrupted young executive. The board is pushing for a merger and they send Lockhart to retrieve CEO Pembroke from a mysterious wellness center in remote Swiss Alps. Both the board and Lockhart agree to pin his indiscretion on Pembroke. Upon arriving, Lockhart senses some strangeness from Dr. Volmer (Jason Isaacs) and the various people. He gets into a car accident with a deer and wakes up with a cast on his leg being cared for in the wellness center. He is taken with strange beauty Hannah.

I find the brooding moodiness intriguing. I love the body horror aspects. It could have stayed a simple horror which would be much better. It goes off into some slightly questionable directions. It should be much harder for Lockhart to leave the hospital. The tension would be higher if he's forced to stay. Trying to escape is a great way to raise the intensity. The movie plays with the reliability of Lockhart's perception but that could be sharper. DeHaan as a lead continues to struggle with a tinge of personal demon. Overall, I love the mood and the style but the story could be improved.

I was really excited about this movie when the trailer came out, I could not wait to see it. But after reading multiple bad comments about the film, I got worried.

But I must say, nothing to worry about. The movie is kinda weird maybe, but if you watch the trailer you know what you're settling in for, I suppose.

The story develops itself kinda slow, but that didn't bother me cause I was intrigued by the story. The movie has good actors, a great setting and atmosphere.

It kinda reminded me of Shutter Island, I think because of the whole "mystery island with a weird cure-institution"-thing.

I'll never understand why some movies end up rated the way they are. This is one of those movies. It's not groundbreaking. It's not mind blowing. But it is a great example of what a quality movie is. The acting is good to excellent. The cinematography and visuals are exceptional. The story is a little odd, but so what? Since when does a movie plot have to be within the realm of "Normal"? It is what it is, and this one actually all comes together relatively well. The pacing, although a long movie, is actually pretty good. You'd think 2-1/2 hours is too long. After watching this movie, I'd have to disagree considering the fact that everything that happened contributes to the story and slowly builds suspense. I can see why some people don't like that, but it's unfair to rate a movie poorly simply because you don't like the style. It's not a frantic seat-of-your-pants thriller horror movie. Why do people insist on rating movies how they think they ought to be, or how they thought it was going to be, and not simply how it is?

I sit here and can't help but think I might be completely crazy. I just finished watching "Transformers: The Last Knight" before this movie. That movie was incredibly bad. I mean, literally the only thing going for it was special effects and, a few of dozens of attempts at humor that were actually funny. How on Earth is the aggregate user score only 1 point lower than this movie? That blows my mind. Or how about "Get Out"? I liked that one too, but I cannot fathom how it's better than this movie in any way! They are both "it's not what it seems" type thrillers. Is it because of the racial element or something? I'm sorry folks, but "A Cure for Wellness" is a far better movie in every way.

I implore you to watch this one if you enjoy "it's not what it seems" type movies. I can't remember enjoying one like this since "shutter Island" with Leonardo DiCaprio. Don't believe the 1/10 reviews on this. It's a shame people have to be so shallow and misuse the rating system. If people rate this movie anything less than 6/10, it's because they have no idea how to judge elements of a film. The only legitimate gripes about this one are the length and the slightly bizarre plot. But those are elements that worked for it IMO.

After using IMDb for years to get my reviews, I just now decided to make an account. Because I can't stand seeing a very good movie like this rated so low. It's a 8.5/10 movie and nothing about it is bad at all. You may not like it, but you can at least try to be objective about it and give it a rating it deserves... I mean, come on people. Captain America is 8/10 and this is 6/10!? Give me a break...