The Cured Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Cured Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 5, 2018

There’s a lot of competition out there for the zombie lover’s dollar, inspiring filmmakers to find new and interesting ways to refresh genre particulars, refusing to submit the same old stomp to moviegoers demanding a little more from their flesh-chewing entertainment. Making his directorial debut for “The Cured” is David Freyne (who also scripts), who twists the subgenre in a more allegorical fashion, using the menace of “infected” types to explore political history in Ireland and the violent extremism that plagues all corners of the world today. “The Cured” isn’t light, bloody fun, retaining an impressively curated heaviness about it, with Freyne laboring to making something different with familiar working parts, coming up with an impressively forbidding tone and emotional urgency to reach beyond expectations.

The world has been wrecked by the Maze Virus, with Ireland particularly hit hard by the plague, which turns the infected into cannibalistic monsters bent on terrorizing the healthy. A cure has been found, but it’s only effective for 75% of the population, and those healed are stuck with memories of murder. Senan (Sam Keely) has been cured and newly freed from a hospital, but he’s reluctant to rejoin society, electing to stay on as staff and assist those trying to return as many of the sick to full consciousness. Senan also finds his way to Abbie (Ellen Page), a single mother who lost her husband, Luke, during the pandemic, finding comfort in his friend, who slowly becomes part of her life. Standing in the way of potential peacefulness after years in Hell is Connor (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), who previously joined Senan as a zombified terror and now preaches revolution as Ireland prepares to exterminate the 25% infected who can’t be saved.

Freyne doesn’t have a lot of money to bring the downfall of humanity to life, but he makes his moments count. “The Cured” tries to avoid most zombie movie clichés, resembling “28 Days Later” in its approach to viral fury, with the infected turned into seemingly mindless monsters who immediately seek murderous satisfaction, tearing into anything warm and near. The twist here is awareness, with the cure restoring patients to their old selves, but memories of cannibalistic behavior remains, providing a prison of guilt and horror to go with their reentry into everyday life, where they’re ostracized, challenging their already anxious ways. By taking a look at this newfound realization, Freyne manages to reawaken worn clichés when it comes to the undead. Snarling, biting ghoulishness remains, but “The Cured” aims to inspect the trauma that comes with health, with Senan especially troubled by his vicious actions while under the influence of the Maze Virus.

“The Cured” is inventive and, at times, chilling, and Freyne does a fine job getting into the folds of torment as Senan is faced with restarting his old life, forever changed by his past experiences. The story is set in Ireland, and the screenplay uses Maze Virus anarchy and simmering hostilities in a manner that recalls the country’s issues with The Troubles, watching Connor emerge as a force of fiery revolt, determined to disrupt the government’s plans to step beyond their duty and kill off those they label as a lost cause (a.k.a. “The Elimination”). Frenye offers a subplot concerning a doctor with a special attachment to a doomed patient, but he’s primarily focused on rising tensions between Connor and Senan, with the meek man growing comfortable with Abbie, creating a sense of domesticity and parental protection, but the underground prophet won’t permit stability after all they’ve been through.

The Cured Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Cured" remains comfortable with shadows, finding the darker cinematography (which favors a lot of natural light) keeping frame information for monstrous encounters. Clarity is satisfactory, offering sharpness with facial surfaces as they volley between the infected and the healthy, and signage around town is easy to spot, adding to the atmosphere. Costuming stays fibrous. Colors are intact, supplying stable primaries for Dublin tours, showcasing lush greenery, while makeup work is appropriately ghoulish, offering distinction for cursed characters. Skintones are natural.

The Cured Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't a hugely immersive event, using the surrounds sparingly but effectively, with some appealing movement behind walls, while crowd panic remains lively and detailed. It's more of a frontal listening experience, and a great one, with strong dialogue exchanges that preserve thespian choices, juggling accents and intensity with ease. Scoring selections come through with strength. The feature uses a lot of loud shocks to achieve some scares, and those moments remain powerful, and low-end captures explosions and stampeding with a compelling rumble.

The Cured Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes (6:17, HD) is a brief summary of production achievements, sitting down with cast and crew to discuss the creation of "The Cured." Emphasis remains on character and themes, getting into motivations and atmosphere that guide the story. And some talk of the Dublin shoot is encountered, with star Ellen Page showing a sense of humor about the intensity of it all.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:26, HD) is included.

The Cured Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Much like last year's "The Girl with All the Gifts," "The Cured" locates a fresh way to manage old business, and the pressure on Senan to resolve his tortured past and expose secrets leads to some uniquely charged scenes, brought to life through feeling performances from Keely and Page, who's rarely this vulnerable onscreen. Freyne has a good grip on visual needs and apocalyptic escalation, and while the feature isn't interested in arranging truly terrifying encounters, it does well with unease, discovering intimate areas of remorse to examine. For this kind of film, such patience with psychological details is welcome, with Freyne generating a dire environment where threat not only emerges from physical frights, but the power of memories collected while completely out of control.