The Cured (2017) User Reviews (93)

The aftermath of a zombie apocalypse explored like rarely before

[LucaMR1991 · 6/10 · 17 May 2018]

The Cured is the third Irish horror film I watched in 2018. And, just like with The Lodgers, I had a blast with this movie!

Directorial debut of David Freyne, The Cured is set in a world were, after a zombie outbreak, 75% of the turned have been cured. While society is trying to go back to normality, welcoming back the so-called cured, scientists are trying to reverse the zombification process for the remaining 25% of infected. The audience follows Senan (Sam Keeley), a cured person who's sent to live with his sister-in-low (Ellen Page) and her kid, as he struggles to deal with the 4 years he spent as an undead. Because, to make matters worse for the cured, they're both welcomed with hostility by people and must deal with the vivid memories from the period when they were zombies.

This is a great concept for a movie, a concept that's smartly developed by Mr Freyne: first and foremost, he decides to narrow down the story. Unlike the majority of zombie flicks, which show the whole world getting affected by the outbreak, here the story unfolds in a small Irish town, providing the film with a sense of authenticity and realism that is pretty much unprecedented in such movies. Very calmly paced, bleak and featuring sort of "human" zombies, The Cured is exceptionally directed: without a doubt, this is the most evenly paced horror film of 2018 - so far - since it presents no dull moments nor sudden and inexplicable switches in tone and vibe. Shot and edited in a somewhat minimalistic fashion - as in, photography and cinematography aren't anything mind-blowing, but they perfectly fit the movie - Freyne's first directorial effort flows seamlessly throughout the 90-minute-long runtime, becoming more and more down-on-earth as the time goes by. Without being pretentious or trying too hard, The Cured showcases an insane amount of competent shot compositions and framing, demonstrating how much effort was put into the project.

The same effort that each of the cast members surely put: Ellen Page and Sam Keeley are fantastic in the movie, displaying mesmerising performances that, at the beginning of the first act, reach a pinnacle with one of the most emotional confrontations I've seen in a while. Even the supporting cast, albeit rather one-note, do an outstanding job that fits their roles. Although The Cured is foremost a drama, the horror elements seamlessly blend in, with a few scenes that stand out as very creepy and impactful. Being fully aware of the budget restraints, the filmmakers rarely went for berserk zombie actions... but when they did, it was loads of fun. Not mindless fun, though, since the audience got invested in the characters, therefore we experience with apprehension these action sequences. A great, fitting grand finale perfectly wraps the movie up, leaving no room for major complaints. Besides, The Cured might have more to tell than meets the eye - I personally, have an interpretation for the movie's meaning that, albeit 100% spoiler-free, might affect your viewing experience, so feel free to skip the next paragraph.

THE CURED - MEANING EXPLAINED. Since the film is set in Ireland, my girlfriend and I figured it seems pretty obvious the story was a metaphor for the long-lasting civil war between Protestants and Catholics. In this scenario, the cured would represent Irish Catholics who are never really accepted as part of the society by the other religious group. Certain scenes in the movie (and other aspects I don't want to spoil), which resemble more terrorist attacks than zombie actions, seem to back up this interpretation.

Oh, welcome back guys! As per usual, I have a few minor complaints with The Cure: for instance, there are a couple of dialogue sequences that seemed very hasty, where the movie switches abruptly from two characters speaking to a completely unrelated scene. There are also one or two fake jump-scares just for the sake of it, I guess...

My biggest issue, which I'm sure bothers only me and 2/3 other viewers and won't be a problem for most of you, revolves around the opening scene: a caption tell the audience everything we need to know about the film (which is what I used as plot description for this review). I, personally, would have preferred a subtler approach, where the viewer is introduced to the story without knowing anything and has to figure out, gradually, what's going on. By doing so, the filmmakers would have enhanced the audience's attention even more, building up a mystery the viewer would have loved to figure out. I know, I'm a nit-picker! In fact, other than these very minute issues, I loved The Cured. I think most people are going to dig the movie as well, but I'm quite positive for some it would be too big of a departure from "traditional" zombie movies. Proceed with caution, and enjoy The Cured!

Check other reviews out at https://horrorworld.reviews/ The Cured 8.5/10

You ate your mother.

[nogodnomasters · 7/10 · 28 June 2018]

This is a post-post zombie apocalypse film that takes place in Ireland. Good news. There is a cure for the zombie/Maze virus. Bad news is it doesn't cure everyone and no one wants a reformed cannibal in their neighborhood, especially one that killed a loved one. The ex-zombies remember what they did. They are treated as third class citizens only allowed to perform menial tasks.

Now what make the film interesting is we discover the infected have a "group think" among themselves and can conspire to kill or change people. And it is Ireland where the Molotov Cocktail is the second most popular drink.

Interesting, but slow moving. Looks at society's prejudices.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

The Cured is a tense, clever movie that asks a lot of questions about humanity. Not one you'll want to miss, if you're at all a fan of zombie movies, especially with an edge

[edwardjones-23192 · 7/10 · 1 December 2017]

A zombie movie like you've never seen before

The premise for The Cured is a post-apocalyptic world, in which seventy-five percent of an infected population are 'cured'. They return to their past selves, save for a little PTSD and social oppression. And herein lies the primary conflict of the movie. The subjugated cured rise up to take back power against an oppressive and unjust society. But the powers that be will do everything they can to stifle the tension.

The premise is an exciting and original hook, and after it reels you in, The Cured delivers in every way. An excellent social commentary-meets-horror-movie, it's a welcome breath of fresh air in a saturated genre.

The movie is set in Ireland. It stars local talent Sam Keeley, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Stuart Graham, alongside Ellen Page. The acting is honest and engaging throughout from all of the main cast. Ellen Page is as good as you'd expect, following her trajectory from adolescent to maturer roles. I liked how she kept her native accent, rather than forcing an Irish one. Weaker accents hold back great performances, and Ellen Page's was unfettered.

The movie clearly doesn't have the budget of big blockbuster horror movies like World War Z. But this works in The Cured's favour. The narrative scale of the movie is limited. It explores a small group of characters, so we have more intimate time with the main cast. We are free to delve into their psyches and explore the human condition, instead of marvelling at an exciting but ultimately insubstantial all-out zombie spectacle. And despite its smaller budget, the production value holds up surprisingly well. With creative use of cinematography, the zombie scenes still pack a punch and their design renders them as terrifying as in big blockbuster movies.

Overall, The Cured is a tense, clever movie that asks a lot of questions about humanity. I wouldn't hold it in quite the esteem of 28 Days Later, but if you're at all a fan of zombie movies, especially with an edge, you'll want to catch this one.

The Last and the Other of us

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 4 July 2018]

An interesting story overall and some neat ideas woven into it. Unfortunately cliche does take over and poor decisions (to say the least) of the main characters make this annoying to borderline unwatchable at times. It's a shame because it does look like you have a good cast, but even they struggle to make their choices seem believable.

Ellen Page has some gravitas to what she is doing, but even she falls victim to doing exactly what you predict any (wrong) thing the others are going to do too. By the way a man of the law showing up completely without any backup should really not be a thing anymore. This is beyond insulting to the viewer and ridiculous at best ...

nice idea, but so-so storytelling

[l-s-rosenblum · 6/10 · 17 May 2018]

So Ireland was devastated by zombies, but 4 years later a cure was found. The cured will not relapse but as they are re-integrated back into society they are largely hated by the never infected and treated very badly There is also a plan to euthanize the uncurable although there may be hope for a better cure. The cured are not unreasonably paranoid that the never infected want to wipe out the cured as well and so the cured plan to violently resist.

So this is an Irish film and I can't help think this is a metaphor for the Catholic vs. Protestant troubles. The story reveals how various characters succumb to fear and hate while a few try to rise above it.

I'm not really sure the film has anything insightful to say - just that fear and hate is poison that only makes things worse.

Not very Original, 'In The Flesh' (2013) did it first and better

[edithp-37476 · 4/10 · 4 March 2018]

So this film is being touted as an 'original' take on the old zombie narrative, but the problem is that this has been done before and better with the superior tv drama 'In the flesh'.

When exploring these themes and ideas it really helps to have the kind of breathing space and ability to take risks that you just don't get in a 95 minute movie.

It's not a bad film, it's just annoying that it's being billed as something it is not. You'd kind of understand if it was a Hollywood take on things, but the writer and director is Irish, meaning that he'll be well aware of the tv drama content of the British Isles and has decided to basically rip it off shamelessly. This wouldn't be so bad if he'd improved upon things, but he really hasn't.

An alright film, passes the time, but do yourself a favour if you like the concept and watch the superior 2013 BBC television drama, 'In the Flesh.'

All-around well-crafted movie

[Lovekrafft · 18 May 2018]

I won't get into the allegorical aspects of how this movie ties zombies into the overall social aspect of, say, immigration or Northern Ireland.

This review is simply to recommend this movie as one that covers all its basis quite well. Acting is spot-on, good pacing, soundtrack isn't overwhelming or distracting.

For zombie fans, The Cured does advance this genre in how it looks at the horror from a different angle - that of the infected's perspective.

A post zombie melodrama.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 16 February 2019]

I'll try to review this without any histrionics about whether or not it's a zombie film, and how I could possibly have enjoyed it after seeing the excellent In the flesh. Enjoy it though I did, it was something a little different, and as someone that is now bored to tears by zombie films, talk about a genre that's been done to death (no pun intended!) this was a slightly different slant. The story was good, the acting was rugged, and the characters each had reasonable motives for their behaviours.

It isn't a movie I'd go back to watch a second time, but as a one of it held my interest well, clearly not big budget, but they made the most of the resources on hand.

Pretty good. 7/10

Not as Fresh as you may think...

[johnnyutah31 · 4/10 · 17 May 2018]

The film itself is ok. It's a bit slow but picks up towards the end. Overall it's rather bland really.

But what I wanted to point out is that this is not a fresh idea. It's been done as a BBC mini series a few years back called "In the Flesh" and a film quite similar as well called "The Returned". And this iteration or spin is the less of the three.

Good idea, but so so story

[851222 · 6/10 · 25 February 2019]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Cured" (2017) had a very good idea, but the story itself was disappointing for me. The idea of bringing back zombies back to life (or "infected" in his case) with them remembering all they did it truly felt fresh and unique take on this so called genre. But the story could have been so much better in this movie. They didn't really dig into deeper - its all your routine execution and outcomes. Ellen Page was the best thing in this movie - i'm a fan of hers and she did the best possible with this material.

Overall, "The Cured" had a very good but i felt disappointing at the end. There could have been a great movie, but they just didn't do it.

Fall asleep

[alexg_xtr · 2/10 · 13 October 2018]

Too damn boring. These days the zombie apocalypse became something worn out.

To call this a zombie movie is a disservice

[jrneptune · 8/10 · 18 November 2018]

I enjoyed watching this movie very much and I can easily see myself watching it multiple times.

This is so much more than a zombie movie. To me it presented bigger questions about our own humanity and how we treat others. Even how some people who strive for power over others will manipulate and use others for their own goals.

The director and the cast did a great job and I loved how some of the back stories behind the main actors were explained if you took the time to watch the movie.

A wannabe not-so-genre post-apocalyptic zombie film...

[clunishouse-95396 · 6/10 · 20 May 2018]

The cast in this post-apocalyptic fare are brilliant... the story itself has so many opportunities to bring itself out of its very mundane direction, but very few are ever exploited.

There are themes of Irish history, innate violence, self destructiveness, delusion, illusion and brutality etc etc, the elemental fibres that channel and should give momentum to the narrative of this 'not-so-genre' piece. They are there, but seem to be more a part of the everyday townscape rather than a juxtaposition against it.

Ellen page is always worth watching (despite comments elsewhere), and it is her work, along with Sam Keeley's, that just pushes this film over the line. They and the rest of this fine cast, work to bring characterisation and depth to a script and direction that is lacking in both.

The slow pace and melancholic palette are not out of place. The rural suburban set is also suitably shambolic, but interesting nonetheless. The costuming and make-up are well crafted, with just enough gore, veins and brains splattered about.

Ultimately the film is not just about zombies and politics, but wants to ask questions about the human condition. But for this to be successful, it needed to have dynamics, it needed to have a directors bag with more experience in it, better production and editing, and above all, an understanding of how to approach and successfully create a narrative that is succinct, self aware and to the subject.

Not an amorphous ball of ideas and body parts rolling aimlessly down the cobble-stones of a provincial Irish road.

The film does work on some levels but not on the ones it needs to. Nevertheless I hope more of this slow-cooking narrative, not served up on a trowel fare, is coming our way...

I rooted for the killing of the Cured.

[badr_shaweesh · 3/10 · 25 August 2018]

Boring, lifeless, grim and frustrating. I actually started rooting for the killing of the cured ones, just half way through the movie. I don't know but I felt as if the makers of this flick actually wanted the viewers NOT to feel any compassion with the Cured! There's also some stereotypical theme specially when the Cured start attacking the military, it's like if you're Irish and feel mistreated then you light up a Molotov cocktail and burn whatever symbols your oppressor!

And really, what kind of an officer goes to make an arrest alone? And how do you keep any number of infected ones within two gates of the open with so little guards?!

This whol movie could have been summed up in 15 minuets of actual events and save everyone a lot of wasted time.

A major letdown.

The Bored (2017)

[dark-01068 · 17 May 2018]

About 40 minutes passed and i was like "WTF, i gonna sleep here", the movie is slow, boring, isn't a good horror movie, and neither a good "zombie movie". Maybe it has some good acting, but... Oh, i almost forgot, the hand shaky camera sometimes is annoying too

Zombies get better

[Dragonborn64 · 7/10 · 8 August 2020]

A bleak look at people who've been afflicted with a zombie virus being cured and trying to integrate back into society which has many obstacles raising questions about segregation, forgiveness and prejudice. Pretty much a downer but not bad. The lead actor is very good.

Pretty impressive post-zombie apocalypse "niche" movie

[slimecity-38663 · 7/10 · 23 June 2018]

Some great acting in this ad of course Ellen Page is great as always. Refreshingly set in Ireland (3,045 kilometres from America, lols), this movie addresses the unanswered questions after a zombie outbreak - what happens if there is a cure - what happens to those to be reintegrated back into society - and how to deal with the community outrage against them? The movie also features 25% of the infected population who cannot be cured -and "humane disposal" is an option that is favoured by the army (who is managing the post-outbreak situation) and a populace who were previously harassed by these zombies. This movie feels like "28 Days Later" - it has a low-budget but oppressively gritty feel to it that brings these issues to the fore, and makes you think about these issues.

yawn

[twirlinmerlin · 3/10 · 3 February 2019]

A torn out groan of a film that simply left me dilapidated.

Intelligent, hence so many bad reviews.

[djsalvador · 7/10 · 16 February 2019]

If you know history, you will know that this isn't set in Ireland by coincidence. This film is cleverly holding a mirror up to the past in an 'intentionally' depressing way. This film is tough in places, slow in places, saddening throughout. So if you just want popcorn cinema, avoid. If you want the brain engaged and don't long for a happy Hollywood ending in everyfilm. Give it a go.

Not since Jaye Leno have ideas been so cleary stolen and touted as totally original

[intrepidami · 5/10 · 4 July 2018]

It's truly pathetic. I watched In The Flesh years ago. In the Flesh was about the Zombie outbreak being cured, but you had to take medication constantly. Supplies started to get low and a very interesting effect of people basically being racist against infected ensued. They didn't tout themselves as being so original as this DIRECT and INFERIOR ripoff does.

And gosh look at how the false claims works! Half the reviews are about how breathtakingly original it is...it's as interesting an effect on the masses as either. People don't bother to look into claims these days, choosing instead to believe things as they're presented. In this case they believe the PR press, so they actually promote it.

These people are the real Zombies.

Go find the original it's called In The Flesh.

Where have I seen this storyline before?

[stevelomas-69401 · 6/10 · 26 January 2019]

I like the central premise, and indeed some of the acting isn't bad, however the whole thing is oddly familiar. The film also manages to make zombies into slightly dubious and sleezy characters (no mean feat I suppose). Ultimately almost everyone is unlikeable and the film descends into low budget unreality.

Dead boring Zombie guiltfest

[chumgriffin · 2/10 · 14 May 2018]

This film did nothing at all that was good for the Zombie genre or Horror genre. It was pretty depressing and boring throughout. It was poorly written and poorly directed. I felt a tinge of sympathy for some of the actors who had to make stupid choices and were obviously directed in that way. I would advise to avoid watching this unless you are a Zombie yourself , and if you are not , then after watching this you will feel a little more dead inside.

Zombie film with braaaains.

[troy-boulton · 8/10 · 26 September 2018]

If you are looking for a purely mindless crimson-sprayed gangrenous brain-gorging splatter-fest, The Cured is almost guaranteed to bore you to tears. Not that it is lacking its share of gore and heart-pounding zombie-runs, but this film is focused on the social and interpersonal dimensions of a post-infection world, rather than running for your life and mashing Zombie brains in order to keep your own grey matter off the menu. As a well-crafted tale about "othering", and the directed and broader impacts of the alienation of one group by a "well meaning" majority, this film, possibly unintentionally, delivers an almost perfect analogy for the impact to the broader gay community of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 90s. The film also maps successfully to the impact of demonising migrant, ethnic and religious groups (very possibly its intent, coming from Northern Ireland); take your resonant flavour of "othering" and insert here. A stark, brutal and effective expository. If you want to cook up extremists, this film delivers the recipe...

As an experimental vehicle for the fabulous Ellen Page, this film didn't get the exposure it deserved - Page once again proves both her versatility and her ability to believably breathe gritty appeal into the characters she inhabits. The other key cast were equally compelling, save maybe for Paula Malcomson, who maybe didn't receive the best treatment from the production - she felt atypically undercooked as Dr Lyons.

A must-see if you want some gore and splatter to go with a massage of your grey matter.

Pretty good

[fishesgotfeelingsto-99240 · 7/10 · 29 July 2018]

I usually never write reviews, but for this movie, I'll make an exception. The bad reviews for this title seems to be almost entirely based on the idea that movies need to be original to be good.

I disagree with this.

The Cured is not a masterpiece, but it deserves more than it's current 5.4 rating. The actors are good. I find some of the characters and their reactions less believable than others, but not enough to bother.

If you haven't seen The Flesh and you enjoy a decent zombie flick, I recommend this movie.

It's alright

[ajhuerm · 4/10 · 2 March 2018]

I mean in the flesh did the same concept. Not super original. It was decent. Wouldn't rewatch later down the road.