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.
Written by Edward Jones – Student Pages Sub Editor
Author: Edward Jones
Edward is the sub-editor for Student Pages. When he’s not writing professionally, he works on his novels and enjoys Music, Film, and Literature.
