“Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres (I’ve actually recently started claiming to prefer thrillers over action as it is), but I’ve seen so many of them that I feel I can get a pretty accurate read from the trailer. My take on the trailer for A Cure For Wellness was that it looked really cool, but was probably very confusing (a standard pitfall for the genre), and that the story might stretch a little thin. Oh and I got a total Shutter Island vibe from it.
Turns out, I was dead on. There was a bit more of a solid mystery to bite into, which was a pleasant surprise, but I really had no idea what was going on for most of the movie. But it looked really dang cool. Most of it eventually came together in a way that I could live with, but it wasn’t nearly as satisfiying as a really well crafted psycho-thriller can be (see again: Shutter Island).
I did appreciate seeing Dane DeHaan take the lead here, and starting off with an unlikeable character was a bold choice. I’m torn now between never needing to see it again, and wanting to untangle it further knowing what I know now. But given that it’s a two and a half hour run time, I think I’m just gonna leave this little movie locked away in the secluded location where it all takes place.
A Cure for Wellness – \m/ \m/ \n”