A
Cure For Wellness
(2017/Fox Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B+/B Sound: B+/B Extras: B Film: B
Director
Gore Verbinski is arguably one of the best visual storytellers in
Hollywood, whom doesn't get as much credit as he deserves. After
making his mark with the American remake of The
Ring
(2002), he went on to make the first three Pirates
films, the animated Johnny Depp vehicle Rango
(2011) and the box office flop The
Lone Ranger
(2013). Now, Verbinski is back to his thriller/suspense roots with A
Cure For Wellness
(2017). Similar in some regards to Scorsese's Shutter
Island
(2010), Cure
has strikingly good visual style and some interesting performances
but a narrative that's a bit lacking.
The
film has a solid cast which includes Dane DeHaan (The
Amazing Spider-Man 2),
Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter), Mia Goth (Everest),
Celia Imrie (Highlander),
and Ivo Nandi (Sons
of Anarchy).
An
ambitious young executive named Lockhart (DeHaan) is sent to retrieve
his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness
center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. While the
property is beautiful and full of patients, Lockhart quickly notices
that things aren't quite as they seem and encounters a young girl
named Hannah (Mia Goth) who is oddly similar in appearance to a
porcelain piece that his elderly mother gave him. After a freak car
accident, Lockhart finds himself waking up in a bed and treated like
a patient and things start to get more and more bizarre from there.
This
is arguably one of the best looking Blu-ray discs I've seen lately
with great character detail and vivid colors that compliment the
film's green toned color correction well. Presented in 1080p high
definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a great
sounding DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 7.1 lossless track, this film would
be a great candidate for 4K UHD and plays very effectively here too.
Along with this is a DVD copy of the film in standard definition and
an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 track. The comparisons between both discs are pretty
drastic, with the HD version obviously the victor.
A
digital UV copy is also included.
Special
Features...
-
Deleted Sequence: "It's Wonderful Here"
-
Meditations - Featurette
-
Water is the Cure
-
Air is the Cure
-
Earth is the Cure
-
The Score
-
Original Trailers including a Theatrical trailer, Red Band trailer,
and an International trailer
During
its initial theatrical run, A
Cure For Wellness
was sandwiched between too many other bigger budgeted films and got
kind of lost in the mix. Now that it's on disc with this fantastic
looking transfer, there's little to complain about this release.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
