It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen Gore Verbinski direct a dark genre film. After all, he’s been busy directing the fun Pirates of the Caribbean films and other off-the-wall projects. After several years, Gore Verbinski is back directing a dark film with the psychological thriller, A Cure for Wellness. Is A Cure for Wellness a return to form for the visionary director or does it continue his streak of disappointing films?
Fortunately, A Cure for Wellness doesn’t disappoint because Verbinski is back in his element. Every detail on the production design is on point for maximum dread. However, with a psychological thriller such as this, the enjoyment of the film utterly depends on your view on the twist.
A Cure for Wellness follows Lockhart, a young and upcoming executive that is sent to the Swiss Alps to bring back his company’s CEO from a wellness center. He soon learns that all is not well in this wellness center.
Although A Cure for Wellness has been touted as Gore Verbinski’s return to horror, the film isn’t all that scary. Wellness won’t give you nightmares or make you jump from the various jump scares but it is creepy. What screenwriter Justin Haythe has to say about our society’s hunt to be perfect certainly is a realistically scary subject because of the truthfulness behind it.
But Verbinski has had a recurring problem that’s been happening a lot in some of his recent films. Instead of the swift and tight pacing of his early films, A Cure for Wellness feels really long and is really long. However, it’s understandable that a thriller such as this would employ a slow-burn approach. After all, the tension needs to be built before the rug is pulled out from under you. Yet this only works if the twist pays off, and unfortunately, when the twist is finally revealed, you’re left with a sense of disappointment.
Perceptive audiences will see where the narrative is heading halfway through the movie and once they do then the twist’s shock factor is replaced with an awkward discomfort. Needless to say, it also leaves what follows looking a bit pointless.
It’s to Verbinski’s credit that he keeps up the intrigue with a succession of beautifully constructed set pieces. As Lockhart traverses through the tight, claustrophobic interiors of the wellness center, the tension starts to rise. Verbinski and cinematographer Benjamin Wallfisch have put together one of the most aesthetically haunting films in recent memory. Wallfisch beautifully captures the Swiss Alps and the exterior and interior of the wellness center and is a stark contrast to the unsettling visuals that Verbinski brings to the screen.
Dane DeHaan gives a resilient performance as he delves into the physical and psychological depths of his character. Verbinski knows how to use DeHaan as a prop for his visual sequences and he works well within them. As an actor, though, it’s beginning to feel like he’s recycling past roles. There are not many distinct differences between Lockhart and those he’s played in his past films. That’s not a knock on him because some great actors are the same way, notably Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington. Jason Isaacs and his scary Swiss accent steal the movie in every scene he’s in. He has a certain gravitas that demands and deserves attention. Mia Goth dives deep into the role and perfectly plays that naïve little girl in a woman’s body persona.
Overall, Gore Verbinski doesn’t deliver on a terrifying film but what he does deliver on is a satisfying old-fashioned psychological thriller. The film is high on atmosphere and much of it is due to the visuals and intense performances by the entire cast. Yet when the solution to the mystery is finally revealed, it’s sad that all you’re left with is disappointment.
Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
from Nerd Reactor
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