A CURE FOR WELLNESS – Rated R

A CURE FOR WELLNESS – Rated R – 2 hrs. 26 mins.

Starring Dane DeHaan, Jason Issacs, Mia Goth, Adrian Schiller and Harry Groener

Director Gore Verbninski has decided to take off his pirate hat & Lone Ranger mask (He Directed 3 Pirates of the Caribbean films and the Lone Ranger too) to take us on an adventure into uncharted territory…as we venture to an elite “wellness center” that keeps its patients indefinitely…this is A CURE FOR WELLNESS!

As the company he works for begins to unravel, ambitious young executive Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), is sent to retrieve their CEO Pembroke (Harry Groener) from his present state of residence ~ a health spa in the Swiss Alps that has amazing cures for whatever might be ailing you.

Hell bent on making a name for himself, Lockhart is determined to bring back Pembroke – and fast – not only to save his company, but to propel his career on to the fast track too.

Once he finally arrives at this place of mystery and magic, a little worse for the wear – it seems that all the patients, including Pembroke, never want to leave.

As the Director of the Facility, Volmer (Jason Isaacs) begins to feel rather uneasy about Lockhart, and his abrasive ways, in order to get Pembroke out of this facility, and back to reality.

So Volmer decides that the only way for Lockhart to truly understand the healing powers that are taking place right before his very eyes, is for Lockhart to experience them himself…

Now lost in all the WELLNESS taking place, along with everyone else, Lockhart must figure out a way to get Pembroke and himself out of all his madness, before its too late…

I give A CURE FOR WELLNESS a rating between MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN OR WAIT AND CATCH THIS FILM ON DVD ~ Verbinski has definitely brought to life writer Justin Haythe’s tale of wellness, madness, and different levels of creep factor, all along the way. The cinematography of this film is spectacular, as the beginning scene entering the Swiss Alps by train is absolutely extraordinary. Many other the other scenes throughout the film are also as enticing as they are foreboding, leaving you to wonder what lies is store for all the patients throughout this film. So with all this incredibleness going on, why the “less than fabulous” review? As intriguing as this storyline is, there are major gaps that seem to go unanswered when it’s all said and done. And the premise of this film, although intriguing from the start, makes a few twists and turns along the way that make absolutely no sense at all, even with the “madness factor” of this film playing throughout. But, if you enjoy films filled with intrigue, mystery and quite a few tinges of creep factor all along the way…then you will want to catch A CURE FOR WELLNESS at a theater near you this weekend. But if you don’t enjoy films that leave you with lots of questions, and for some of us, totally creeped out – both visually and morally – then you just might want to wait and catch this film on DVD– so if your not feeling it in its entirely…you can just stop viewing it, and walk away…

Kathy Kaiser