Film Review: A Cure for Wellness (2017)

*This Review is SPOLER FREE*

A Cure for Wellness is a 2017 horror/suspense film, directed by Gore Verbinsky, and starts Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth and Jason Issacs.

The film begins with Lockhart, plays by Dane DeHaan, being sent to a mysterious wellness facility, run by Issacs, in Switzerland, to retrieve a colleague who is needed back in New York. But once there he finds himself trapped after breaking his leg in a car accident, and there is something not right about this “wellness” facility.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of horror, in any sense of the word. I get scared very easily, and I don’t enjoy it. However, I do enjoy Dane DeHaan, and I was willing to make this sacrifice (in broad daylight, of course).

So, let’s talk plot for a minute, shall we? I’ve seen reviews that criticise the plot quite a bit, but, and I’m talking as a horror virgin here, I love the plot. It’s the perfects amount of horror for me, with the majority just building, and building, and building the suspense. When we did reach the climax, it’s then that we get to the real horror, and even that I really, surprisingly enjoyed. It’s very, very 1890s gothic, once of my favourite periods, and draws on staples of classic horror. You could see the allusions to other films, that I won’t mention, just in case they’re too spoilery, but I did notice them, and I love it when films do that.

There was very little exposition, and you really learn about the background of this institution by following the breadcrumbs alongside our protagonist. I would be very surprised if someone worked it out before it’s revealed, and I don’t mean the little wings, i men the plot as a whole. It was almost frustrating because you knew that there was some sort of mystery, and you have all these clues laid out in front of you, but I just could not find them together properly. Believe me, some of the theories that I were spinning were absolutely crazy! But because of this, you identified so much with Lockhart, because you are right next to him, exploring this centre.

Before I go on to talk about the acting, I also have to stress just how gorgeous this film is. I wouldn’t say that Verbinksy chose style over substance, but boy does this film have lashings of style. This is a beautiful film, and there’s really no getting away from that. From shots so beautiful that you can see them as stills, to the use of close-ups, and wide shots. I am a sucker for beautiful cinematography, and this film has it.

As I said before, I love Dane DeHaan. I loved him in Kill Your Darling, I loved him in True Blood, I loved him in Valerian (I don’t care what everyone else says, it a great film) and he did an amazing job carrying A Cure For Wellness. From what I’ve seen the boy can do no wrong! His character, Lockhart, was great, he had depth which made you want to root for him, unlike a lot of other horror-film characters.

While DeHaan did carry the film, he was the protagonist, and these’s only a handful of scenes without him, I can’t not mention Jason Issacs and Mia Goth. Issacs I knew would be great, he’s a fantastic actor and definitely pulled off his character, as the head of the centre. Mia Goth I’d never heard of, but really impressed me, and I’d love to see her in other things.

As a first time film reviewer, I’m not sure what my rating system is, I guess we’ll just go for an easy peasy 5 star rating system.

I am going to give A Cure For Wellness…

🌟🌟🌟🌟

All in all, this is an original film, beautiful shot, with super talented actors, but it did not quite get me where I wanted to be by the end of this film.

Have you see A Cure for Wellness, and if so, what did you think? What’s your favourite Dane DeHaan film? Or what’s your favourite classic horror? Let me know down in the comments!

Hope you liked this review! It’s my very first movie review, so be nice, but if you have any pointers, I would definitely appreciate them!

Thanks for reading!

Victoria