User Reviews

OK, well, this is going to be a tricky review, folks, because this is a weird movie, very weird. A Cure For Wellness has the great merit of being different, and to reward the movie goer with something that stands out from the crowd; but, once you have appreciated this aspect, you might also want to be rewarded with a kind of content that gives the form some substance. And here is where A Cure For Wellness lets you down. I thought the first part of the movie was very good (rating: 8): you are simply smashed by the oneiric, hypnotic power of the images, by the stunning photography, by a breathtaking use of the camera, pretty good acting; and the intrigue created by the plot is such that you just keep asking yourself where this can reasonably go. That should have been the job of the second part (rating: 2) , where instead most of the potential built in the first half is wasted: the story, from intriguing, turns silly; the mysterious plot turns into a surreal Dracula movie which just does not make justice to itself.

Prepare yourself for something very special! And some harsh scenes... You will feel the ghost of Hitchcock in it but it's different. The film is very good until Volmer, The Chief Doctor(Jason Isaacs) takes his mask off. From that moment, it's completely another film, with a cheesy stupid end(there are about 2 good hours before that). The actors are all good, specially Mia Goth(very special) and Dane DeHaan. Music is cool, especially the theme with that girl voice which repeats obsessively. The cinematography is also very special. It would have been a perfect movie, if it were shorter and with a clever ending. The end is ruining the whole movie.

What can I say about this odd movie, other than that I was absolutely captivated for the first hour or so. Visually stunning, images that will live in the memory for some time, great editing, superb camera work, stunning scenery and background, and a plot that captivates and keeps you guessing.

But what a letdown the ending was! It was like the director chickened out, and went for the boy-gets-girl, American apple pie conclusion, instead of creating a Gothic masterpiece. I would have sooner left some of the plot threads unresolved than to have inflicted on me such a silly and B-grade alternative, that ultimately left a bad taste in my mouth. If that sounds harsh, it is only because the rest of the movie was so mind-blowingly stunning, at least an 8 or 9.

One reviewer called anyone who didn't like this movie a moron. We can do without patronising opinions like that. I'm not a moron, just disappointed. Go and see the movie? Yes. The visual elements are worth it. Will you experience the catharsis of a great movie experience afterwards? I doubt it.

I just knew it was going to end badly. After such a build-up how could there be a resolution that would be totally satisfying.

I enjoyed the first 80 per cent of this movie. Although I didn't know much about it, the trailer hooked me. It looked like a dark twist on Alan Parker's "The Road to Wellville".

Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), a young executive from a New York financial firm is sent to retrieve a senior executive from a seemingly idyllic wellness centre in Switzerland run by Dr. Heinreich Volmer (Jason Isaacs). When Lockhart is involved in a car accident, he ends up as a patient at the centre. Then things get weird.

He meets a mysterious girl, Hannah von Reichmerl (Mia Goth), and there are events that make him wonder if he's losing his mind. You know a horror movie is on track when a live, healthy tooth is drilled without anaesthetic. So far, so good.

Now being a devotee of this kind of movie, I thought the story could have gone in a number of directions. There was the possibility Lockhart was killed in the car accident and just didn't know it: "Carnival of Souls", "The Sixth Sense, and "November". He could have been having a schizophrenic episode à la "A Beautiful Mind", "Mulholland Dr.", "Woman in the Fifth" etc. Or it could have been an elaborate sci-fi set up as in "Vanilla Sky". Mind you, I would have been disappointed if it had been any of those; I was hoping for something original.

There was some business about the suicide of Lockhart's father, which could have provided an avenue for the filmmakers, but nothing came of it. That's where I think the opportunity was missed to bring this baby home.

Writer/director Gore Verbinski gave us an ending straight out of the Roger Corman horror movie manual 1964. Except for the sex, Dr. Volmer could have been played by Vincent Price.

I also think Mia Goth could have been treated better. Nudity is still a little iffy in mainstream movies and it's not handled well here. It comes in late and is a bit shocking, but not in a good way.

I don't consider this to be a total turkey, visually and stylistically it is stunning; I like movies that have intriguing build-ups and play with your head. "A Cure for Wellness" falters before the fade-out, however there are still things to appreciate before it topples over the edge.

God, what a beautiful, visually stunning, stuttering mess. I haven't seen a movie this gorgeously mediocre in a long time, and I've seen every major release this year. I don't even know where to begin, sweet Christ Almighty. Alright, first of all, this movie looks freaking amazing, like jaw- droppingly amazing. Imagine the most attractive person you've ever seen, multiply that by ten, and that's what every frame, every shot, and every scene of this movie looks like; when the movie started I literally said out loud "this is why I love movies!" and then as the film went on I proceeded to moan audibly, worrying my parents, as my eyes lapped up the visuals. If Nicolas Winding Refn watched this movie, I have no doubt he probably climaxed numerous times because "A Cure for Wellness" looks this good; it's an eyeball stimulating movie, I'll tell you that much. Seriously, it felt like me eyes were making gentle love to the screen while watching this film, and I haven't had a good eye ******* in a long time.

That's about where my praise for this movie ends. You see, some people have praised this movie for being original, and I disagree completely. Yes, this movie is weird af, it's very bizarre but at the same time it's a story we've seen done, and done better, numerous times before. I will not spoil anything about the plot, but let's just say what starts off intriguing gradually turns into a ridiculous, and I mean RIDICULOUS, farce. And the last 20 minutes? You won't believe how stupid this movie becomes. It's still gorgeous, but it's so stupid, almost as if the studio was like "yeah we need a big fight scene, a villain, and a damsel in distress, Gore you can give us that, right?"

The acting isn't much better. It's not awful by any means, but like the rest of the movie, it's just mediocre. Dane DeHaan, who I loved in "Chronicle" and "The Place Beyond the Pines" and "Lawless" gives an adequate but "ehh" performance here. In fact, the main reason I wanted to see this movie was because Dane DeHaan was in it, but I'm not sure if he was miscast or trying too hard or what because his performance was almost comedic. He's not bad by any means, he's just so average that it hurts, and we know that he can do better, which makes watching his acting all the more painful.

On one level "A Cure for Wellness" is a movie that you will enjoy watching solely because of how visually stunning it is, but on another level you'll hate it because of how convoluted and ridiculous its plot it. If you want to spend 2 and a half hours feeling like someone is pleasuring your eyeballs, than by all means watch this movie because you definitely won't regret it, but just don't be alarmed when afterwards, when you're smoking a cigarette in bed, you end up feeling unfilled, disappointed, and a little bit shameful for spending your time with something that doesn't want to love you back, something that is gorgeous on the outside but boring on the inside.

It's technically a spoiler to observe the obvious: You know going into the genre that the hero should probably not hang around a weird hospital to "see what happens" but should call home and then leave. Immediately. The plot holes and "stupid" moments of this film are so numerous that I lost count and found myself enjoying it. We know the head of the institute is a mad scientist so why doesn't the hero see it? Why is the most significant room in the whole place secured with a lock that a shovel can remove in seconds? Why does the mad scientist allow the hero to wander around and get into trouble, again and again and again? Why doesn't anyone EVER investigate a Frankenstein castle-on-a-hill even as wealthy people that are sure to be missed are going there and disappearing? How does such a place exist in modern day Switzerland in the middle of one of the most busy tourist regions in the world? Wouldn't Samantha Brown and her Travel Channel camera crew have stumbled onto this place by now? If you're a hero and just escaped a madhouse, wouldn't you at least go a few villages over before trusting local law enforcement? If you're visiting someone and given a 3 page document to sign, wouldn't at least a few people bother to check out what it says before signing?

Aside from the dozens of plot holes, there's the awkward perverted sexual scenes in the film sure to make audience members wince. I suppose it's like a horror version of 50 Shades of Grey where the viewer will be ashamed to admit they watched the scenes and perhaps that's part of the appeal?

All of this combined made the moviegoers I watched this with laugh as they were thinking: "What the heck did I just watch?" Perhaps that was the point in which case, Bravo!

One of the many films that I personally forgot to see in the cinema when it was released earlier in the year, oh how much I regret missing this film now.

Lets set one thing straight this film is not for everyone, this is not your everyday thriller or mystery or soft horror for that matter. I can completely understand people absolutely hating the film or completely loving this experience, and that's exactly what it is......an experience.

Directing - Gore Verbinski has made a very well put together film the camera work in the film is seamless and shows off his talent as a film maker. He doesn't put a foot or shot wrong in the film very good job from start to finish.

Dane DeHaan is, in my opinion, a very talented actor its just unfortunate that "Hollywood" has tried and failed many times to make him the next best thing. A Cure for Wellness is the type of film where DeHaan belongs and he his brilliant in the film, as the audience you can really get behind him in his struggle. Even though he starts of the film as not a nice guy to put it nicely his character arc in the film is strong and delivered brilliant by DeHaan, he is at the top of his game in this film. The other stand out of the film for me is Mia Goth who plays a really interesting a mysterious character which we don't know a lot about in the beginning, however as the film grows so does her character. She is innocent but slightly peculiar at the same time and is the victim of the whole film her delivery throughout the film is really good. These are the two standouts there is nothing bad to say about the rest they are all good as well Jason Issacs is also really good in the film also.

Another positive of the film is the cinematography which is really striking and bold, it sets the tone of the film really early and makes the film haunting but beautiful to look at which is a interesting contrast. Production design especially of the hospital is also really good in a strange way, it is eerily perfect which makes us as the audience doubt its authenticity, well it did for me.

The final positive of the film is the most important and that is the story of the film which is brilliantly simple but with a lot of hidden messages and undertones that are striking and woven into the story perfectly. On the surface a film about some off beat "wellness" centre in the Swiss alps is strange in its self, couple that together with the main theme of the the film water and the "cure" it is elevated to a new level. Everything that as the audience and Dane DeHaan's character is told is put into doubt straight away because nothing adds up about the place. Talking of water the use of the substance throughout the film is so well done that you start to fear it, how is that possible something so innocent turned into something so sinister so easily. The story of this film and depths it reaches changes every time you watch the film.

On the other hand there are only two negatives of the film, number one is the pace of the film which is very slow. This is by no means a easy film to watch and it shouldn't be either but you feel as if the end of the film is much quicker than the beginning or the middle, the pace feels slow and uneven. The other negative is the re-watchability of the which could be difficult knowing the pace and length of the film however knowing the enjoyment that can be had watching the film could out balance it.

Overall this film is a psychological soft horror thriller that is full of surprises it uses great film making techniques, a incredibly interesting story with great characters and will definitely make you not want to drink water straight after, very creepy and effectively use of water. 80% out of 100 or 8 out of 10 this film is a truly great film and one of the best of the year a real gem, I'm so disappointed I missed it in the cinema. Hopefully this film gets the recognition it deserves as well as audiences time, it will definitely make you uncomfortable!

Gore Verbinski has a terrific visual sense and yet he is always susceptible to losing track of the script and storytelling. This was evident to an extent with the 'Pirates' sequels, and it's here as well. A Cure for Wellness is filled with a weirdness in its approach to this castle-hospital that makes it like Dracula crossed with Shutter Island (to an extent). It's a filmmaker so in love with his Gothic sensibilities, even down to having an actress in Mia Goth who seems plucked out of Central Tim Burton Casting. But as you're watching it and especially after it ends, a lot of the essential things in this story and the plot make no sense. Some of this is spoilery, and some of it is not.

Dane Dehaan is working for some nondescript firm who, in place of serving jail time for some scheming with an account, has to go to this Sanitorium in Germany or some such place in the mountains (like Dracula, there's a castle on the hill with the townspeople down below who are distrusting of the castle people and doctors), and he's there to simply bring another wall st businessman home with him. However this is easier said than done as this young man gets into a car accident, breaks his leg, and while he's healing he is privvy to the rest of the sanitorium... which turns out to have many, many dark secrets. Perhaps too many.

This is Verbinski indulging in his love for the deranged sights of doctors in coats doing creepy s*** to people with things like eels and the patterns of people doing things in repetition. He has a massive talent (Rango is among the great animated films of the past 20 years), but his talent overwhelms his better judgment. The script by Justin Haythe (from a story by him and Verbinski) explains some things so slightly that we're supposed to understand what's what, but the logic doesn't add up, and the movie is too long to have so many logic gaps.

Chief among them, for example, is how this hospital works itself: old rich people go to this hospital in the mountains to get well. Okay, fair enough... but then they never leave and eventually these eels (okay, spoiler) sap out their life essence so that it can be bottled up (reminded me of a story element of Dark Crystal, only here they somehow manage to make it crazier, but OK, maybe). But this isn't a period piece, despite the origins of this castle and this 'Baron' as well as the doctor (Jason Isaacs) who may also be this Baron as aged 200/300 years without any slip-up.

This isn't a period piece where suspension could be disbelieved; it's 2017, and people who go off to such a place, even if they're reviled by people who love them or are close to them, might, I don't know, be declared missing? What about their estates? They never come back - the eels make these rich people old-people compost - but then how does this hospital get better business? What does the Yelp review look like for this hospital? It isn't until Dane Dehaan goes to search for Pembroke that someone from the outside world is going to this place, or at least that's what we're lead to think. Wouldn't this story perhaps gain in some intensity if, I dunno, a few other people were there who came to get relatives and never came back? Again, this is clearly an homage to Dracula, but it's done in such a way where it becomes convoluted - I haven't even gotten to how Hannah (Goth) figures into all of this, and how her aging works and her backstory is even more complex, needlessly so - and it ultimately makes the story too little while also being stretched out to an interminable length (there's also one final bit near the end, involving the Wall st bankers, that was laughable and inane, a pure 'loose end' tie-up).

The fact that Verbinski got over 100 million for this reportedly and had (what I presume was) final cut is impressive. He took a chance on something original in an age of properties and sequels-reboots-et-al, but it nevertheless doesn't make it immune to criticism of its created mythology a mess, or how long the mystery and intrigue mount for Lockhart when it could have been condensed; by the time he discovers the *real* dirty secrets of this place, the film is at the two-hour mark. It's a shame, since A Cure for Wellness is spectacular looking, but a shame nonetheless.

A visual feast and beautifully filmed. Intriguing first hour with a dip in the last half. Ended predictably... I think a far more interesting ending would have been one where "some devil's are angels in disguise. In that in the end it would become clear that post car accident the main guy had suffered a head injury and was trapped in a cycle of mania and psychosis... Imagining the hospital was evil when infact it wasn't.... But the final scene would leave a subtle question mark over this hinting that a exquisite evil may lay behind it all.

I saw clips and trailers for this film about two months before its release, then it was reviewed on the programme Film 2017, it was definitely the sort of film I couldn't miss, directed by Gore Verbinski (Mousehunt, The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger). Basically in New York City, at a large financial services firm, a man named Morris (Craig Wroe) has died of a fatal heart attack, ambitious young executive Lockhart (Chronicle's Dane DeHaan) takes his place. Lockhart's superiors Hank Green (David Bishins), Hollis (Lisa Banes) and Wilson (Carl Lumbly) inform him that the company's CEO, Roland Pembroke (Harry Groener), has not returned from a trip to a "wellness center" somewhere in the Swiss Alps, and a note suggests he may have suffered a breakdown. Lockhart is sent to the remote spa to retrieve Pembroke, the company need him to sign for a merger with another company, in fact the firm is covering up unsightly business deals, several of the partners hope to pin the blame on Pembroke. Lockhart finds the idyllic but mysterious spa,he is met by some resistance by the staff when he wishes to talk to Pembroke, particularly by the director, Dr. Heinreich Volmer (Jason Isaacs). When leaving the wellness center, a deer runs out into the road and causes driver Enrico (Ivo Nandi) and Lockhart to crash, Lockhart wakes up in the spa with his leg in a cast, he is forced to stay at the spa until his broken leg is heeled. During his time at the spa, Lockhart meets a mysterious young girl named Hannah (Nymphomaniac: Vol. II's Mia Goth), she says that Volmer is claiming she is a "special case", like him she drinks a strange fluid kept in a cobalt bottle. Lockhart finds out from another patient, Victoria Watkins (Celia Imrie), that the spa is built on the ruins of a castle, that was burnt down 200 years ago. The baron that once owned the castle wanted an heir of pure blood, he married his sister, but finding out she was infertile he began performing hellish experiments on the peasants, they eventually rose up and burned down the castle, they captured the baron's wife and cut the baby from the womb, Watkins claims that despite it being thrown in water and being fragile, the baby survived. Lockhart has his suspicions about what is really going on at the spa, including the staff not contacting his firm about his accident, something that may be in the drinking water, and the ailments of the other guests, he discovers a transfusion wing. The spa is a front for macabre medical experiments, eels are being filtered through human bodies to produce the "cure" Volmer and Hannah are ingesting, it is also causing the strange behaviours of the guests as they drink the water. Lockhart is captured by Volmer, he is subjected to nightmarish treatments and torture that warp his mind like Pembroke, making him question whether he himself is sick or not. Lockhart writes a letter to his employer saying he intends to remain at the spa, but one night he has a moment of clarity, he cuts open his leg cast and finds that his leg is not broken at all, and he finds Pembroke is dead, he goes in search of Hannah. Around this time, Hannah has had her first period, meaning she is fertile, a party to celebrate is organised by Volmer, he leads Hannah into a secret room, built from the ruins of the castle, he intends to rape and impregnate her. Lockhart realises that Volmer is actually the centuries-old baron, and Hannah is his daughter, during the confrontation and fight, Volmer's face is revealed to be a mask that hides his hideously burnt baron face. Lockhart sets Volmer on fire, the heated sparks blow through the ventilation and cause the whole castle and spa to burn down, Volmer overpowers Lockhart and is about to feed him to the carnivorous eels, but Hannah kills him, lodging a shovel into his head, he falls into the pit and is devoured by the eels. Hannah and Lockhart escape the castle on a bicycle as the whole place burns to the ground, on the way however Lockhart's employers from New York arrive in car to retrieve him and Pembroke, he is ordered to get in the car, they want to pin all corporate wrongdoings on him, but Lockhart chooses to run away with Hannah. Also starring Adrian Schiller as Deputy Director, Magnus Krepper as Pieter the Vet and Susanne Wuest as Volmer Institute Staff. DeHaan gives a good icy lead performance, as the film goes on you really question whether he is sick or going mad, Goth is wonderfully strange but fascinating, and Isaacs is almost pantomime but a reasonable villain. It is not the most original story, you could argue similarities to Shutter Island, but the style of the film, with its supernatural fantasy elements and dark nightmarish atmosphere throughout, feels like a classic Hammer Horror, the most disturbing visuals are the first eels in the large immersion tank, and the nasty gory dental torture scene, it may be a little long and uncertain in its direction at times, but it is very likely to become a cult classic, a worthwhile psychological horror thriller. Good!