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Reviews Counted:147
Fresh:79
Rotten:68
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Contrived but energetic B-movie.
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: The very definition of a "taut" thriller, this suspense yarn scripted by Larry Cohen (PHONE BOOTH) aims straight for the adrenaline glands and never lets go. A lazy beach bum named Ryan (Chris... [More]
Starring: Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, William H. Macy
Director: David R. Ellis
If thrills and spills like the ones in Cellular have been the stuff of melodrama since Pauline was tied to the tracks, mobile phones give a filmmaker more opportunities for cross-cutting and more weird hurdles to jump.
The fast-paced Cellular is an amalgam of familiar elements with one original plot device thrown together into a very entertaining stew.
The sort of swift, entertaining nonsense that's perfect for the drive-in.
More entertaining than it has a right to be.
Ellis crafts an impressive procession of car chases, fight scenes and things going boom. And he keeps things moving at such a rip-roaring pace that all the ways in which this movie just doesn't make any sense whatsoever blur into the background.
It's an honest, unpretentious, well-made B picture with a clever, silly premise, a handful of sly, unassuming performances and enough car chases, decent jokes and swervy plot complications to make the price of the ticket seem like a decent bargain.
Top CriticRather schlocky but well-organized and mostly very entertaining.
We here at New Line Cellular...have the plan for you!...92 inflexible real-time minutes that are sure to pump up your fast-paced, action-packed lifestyle.
Dilutes any suspense by cramming its plot with contrivances.
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Too inept to work as what it seems to be, and not clever enough to work as a spoof -- which, if you're feeling charitable, is what you assume they intended.
A satisfying marriage of Hitchcockian suspense and brash B-movie energy.
Unfortunately, Cellular fails fairly miserably as a thriller because we soon learn that any jam Ryan finds himself in will easily get resolved in his favor.
Ninety of your anytime minutes that you'll never get back.
This serviceable little thriller makes satisfyingly clever use of some of today's most universal annoyances and benefits from the always-watchable William H. Macy.
When director David R. Ellis does nail the perfect popcorn-fest pacing for the script by Chris Morgan and the story by Larry Cohen ... the whole thing skims along on suspension of disbelief.
It's like the madly busy climax of an action film stretched out to feature length.
Another outlandishly cliched L.A.-set movie thriller -- high on action, low on sense.
Interestingly, Phone Booth was an over-hyped bust, while this scrappy little B-movie zips along rather entertainingly. Maybe it's a matter of lowered expectations -- and keep them low, because Cellular is no buried treasure.
Isn't just wireless--it's also brainless and virtually suspense-less...a chain of recycled cliches. As Barbara Stanwyck might have said, 'Sorry, Wrong Number.'
July 20, 2007:
Larry Cohen Plans Remakes of It's Alive, Black Caesar, and The Stuff
Long before he wrote movies like "Phone Booth," "Cellular," and (ugh) "Captivity," filmmaker Larry Cohen was making horror movies about killer babies. And (guess what?) he just... More...
February 14, 2007:
This Can't Be the Plot Synopsis for "Jaws 5," Can It?
I'll advise you to take this whole story with a few grains of salt, but let's just dive right in: There just might be a direct-to-video "Jaws" sequel on the way -- and... More...
September 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Jackass" Kicks; "King" Is Dethroned; "Fearless" Is Action-Packed; "Flyboys" Is Grounded
This week at the movies, we've got antisocial behavior ("Jackass: Number Two," with Johnny Knoxville and the gang), hell-raising politicos ("All The King's... More...
June 27, 2006:
Snakes on a TV Clip!
It's not exactly a full-blown trailer, but if you're down with the "Snakes on a Plane" thing, then this 30-second TV spot should be a fun way to spend ... 30 seconds. More...
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