The movie looks so good that its dazzling appearance hides some shortcomings.
The Cell (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:63
Rotten:76
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: The Cell offers disturbing, stunning eye candy, but it is undermined by a weak and shallow plotline that offers nothing new.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Synopsis: A wild ride inside the mind of a serial killer, THE CELL is a movie that leads viewers on a strange visual and psychological journey. Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is a child therapist working... A wild ride inside the mind of a serial killer, THE CELL is a movie that leads viewers on a strange visual and psychological journey. Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is a child therapist working on an experimental new technology that allows for direct access into someone else's mind. However, the benefits of the technology are still unproven. Meanwhile FBI Agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) is hard at work tracking down a serial killer who encloses women in a small glass cell and drowns them. Novak is able to identify the killer as Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), but before he can be arrested, he goes into a coma. The only way to rescue his most recent victim is for Catherine to enter his mind using the experimental technology. However, Stargher's mind is so warped and frightening, there's no way to know what Deane will encounter inside of it. THE CELL is the feature film debut of Tarsem Singh, a renowned commercial and video director who overloads his film with visual splendor and horror, while sticking to a simple story of innocence lost and innocent victims saved. A must-see for fans of dark psychological thrillers, THE CELL features some controversial violence and sexual content along with amazing special effects. A chilling yet strangely elegant thriller, THE CELL is a stunning cinematic experience. [More]
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dylan Baker, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jake Weber, Patrick Bauchau, James Gammon, Tara Subkoff, Jake Thomas
Director: Tarsem Singh
Director: Tarsem Singh
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich
Producer: Julio Caro, Eric McLeod
Composer: Howard Shore
Reviews for The Cell
In the end, maybe The Cell isn't about much, and it could have been deeper and all but as it stands, it's still a must-see.
The plot is a formulaic ditty where the cop uses a beautiful woman as bait to trap the killer. It has very little to do with surrealism or desert photography.
The Cell is not just another serial killer flick. Despite its horrific theme and graphic violence, it’s a stunning work of art.
Starting off as a lurid rip-off of "Silence of the Lambs," the movie eventually ...becomes a sometimes startling parade of nightmare sequences, most of which involve Lopez sashaying around in costumes designed to show off her well-toned physique.
Gives imaginative and visual shape to as it were the very soul of misogynism, perversion, depravity, sadism, and the supreme nihilism and egotism of the damned.
The film's visuals are stunning, even lovely at times, as long as you can ignore their depravity.
There are those who will hate it, but hating it is a reaction to its subject matter -- not its accomplishment as a step into an adventurous movie landscape.
…it reminds one of the works of Clive Barker: strange, horrible and utterly unnerving.
OK, class...again. 'Visually cool, but a really weak script.' Very good!
There's much to criticize, even despise, about this movie. But there's no disputing the mesmerizing power of the images.
as flashy and visually inventive as the film is, its greater importance lies in the way it explores the duality of serial killers in a way most films won't dare.
I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by a film as seriously flawed as The Cell.
Once in a while a movie comes along that is so visually stunning it tends to carry you away with it, even if the story and the acting don't measure up to those amazing pictures. The Cell is just such a movie.
Latest News for The Cell
October 03, 2008:
Exclusive: The Fall - Tarsem's Visual Companion - Part 1
Its otherworldly story split critics down the middle, but none can argue with the power of its imagery. Opening in the UK this week, Tarsem's The Fall is one of the year's most... More...
June 14, 2007:
Another Superhero Movie! "Thor" is Coming!
He's a Norse god with a giant hammer. Bring on the bad guys! More...
December 01, 2006:
The Weekly Ketchup: A Third "Starship Troopers," Jack Black Collaborates With Michel Gondry, Tension Between Fox And Marvel Over "X-Men," And More!
In this week's Ketchup, the campy classic "Starship Troopers" may finally get a proper successor with Casper Van Dien returning for "Starship Troopers 3"... More...
September 25, 2006:
Toronto Wrapup: Senh, Jen And Tim's Raves And Rants From The Festival
We saw some great movies, some of them big ("Babel") and some tiny ("The Patterns Trilogy"). We saw some interesting failures ("The Banquet") and... More...
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