“Wellness” needs a cure

“The Ring” director Gore Verbinski made his return to film with “A Cure for Wellness” in September 2016; however, this movie serves merely as a cure for boredom at most.

While some aspects of the film are impressive, its excessive length and predictable plotline cause it to drag on without reason. Its run time of over two hours is overkill for the main point the film attempts to get across, resulting in an array of superfluous scenes that serve no purpose other than to confuse the viewer or reiterate already clarified plot points.

Aside from its length, another issue this movie faces is the predictability of its plot. After watching just an hour of the film, I had already guessed at the big reveal that was to come. Even worse than this foreseeable conclusion was the fact that the writers of this movie apparently did not realize that the ending was so predictable. The revelation is treated like an enormous, unexpected plot twist, even though it is exactly the opposite.

Although the structure of the movie is less than stellar, its talented cast still shines through. Dane Dehaan leads the cast and delivers a brilliant portrayal of the film’s protagonist, Lockhart. I may be biased because I would literally die for him, but Dehaan’s mere appearance in this movie almost makes up for the mess that is its plot. Mia Goth, who starred as Hannah, also gives a great performance in the film. I only wish that this cast had been given a better script to work with, because with their talent, they could have made this movie a masterpiece.

Another stunning aspect of this film is the set design, along with the special effects used to enhance the set. This movie was obviously trying to fit a certain aesthetic, a combination of stiff, stark-white medical institutions and Renaissance-esque tragedy and scandal, and it mastered that visual concept spectacularly. However, some of the scenes in this film took visuals way too far. Between incestuous near-rape and eels being forced down the throats of patients, the self-proclaimed horror movie comes through more on the disturbing side than terrifying.

“I thought the movie was good because it had a very unique storyline and ending,” Gabby Warner, 11, said.

While “A Cure for Wellness” served to be visually appealing and interesting to an extent, its predictable and messy plotlines prevent it from bringing anything new or groundbreaking to the table of thrillers.