Skip to main content

The Cell Movie Review

“Do you believe there is a part of yourself, deep inside your mind, with things you don’t want other people to see?  During a session when I’m inside, I get to see those things.” - Catherine Deane
See the source image
The Cell is a sci-fi thriller that was released in the year 2000.  The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, and Vincent D’Onofrio, and is directed by Tarsem Singh, or as he’s more commonly known, Tarsem.  When serial killer Carl Stargher (D’Onofrio) is found passed out on the floor when the FBI raid his house, Agent Peter Novak (Vaughn) has a dilemma.  Stargher’s latest victim is trapped in a cell in an unknown location, that at the end of the day will be filled up with water, causing her to drown.  But because Stargher is in a coma, he is unable to tell Novak where the victim is located.  The solution he finds is in the form of a psychotherapist named Catherine Deane (Lopez), who can enter Stargher’s mind using a new technology, to find out where the victim is before it’s too late.
The Cell was universally panned by both critics and audiences alike when it came out.  Roger Ebert was seemingly one of the only ones who loved the movie at the time of its release, saying that he thought it was one of the best films of that year.  I couldn’t agree more with him, I think that this movie is criminally underrated.  Most critics hated this movie because they found it pretentious or thought that the film had more style than substance.  I think that the reason people said that was because they had never really seen a movie like The Cell before.  This movie was so different and strange compared to most other films that were coming out at the time, and it was something that most people just were not ready for.  It was far ahead of its time, and sadly, this caused people to not appreciate the film as much as it should be appreciated.  
The style and art direction in The Cell is unlike anything I have ever seen before.  The visuals are amazing, and the sound design is fantastic for the most part.  Howard Shore’s musical score is haunting, and brought feelings of mysticism, dread, and wonder.  The use of lighting and color is eye-popping, and very pretty to look at.  All of the set pieces are wonderful, and the costumes were all meticulously crafted works of art.  
The acting is really impressive overall; Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn both give realistic performances that are full of emotion.  But the real standout here is Vincent D’Onofrio as depraved serial killer Carl Stargher.  He is fantastic in this film.  A lot is asked of him when it comes to the things he has to do for his role, and he does every one of those things with ease.  Not only does he play Stargher himself, but he also plays most of the versions of himself that reside in his mind, too.  This guy has some real talent, and I think he is a truly underrated actor.
When it comes to problems with this film, I have very few.  I had to get really picky when it came to this movie, because there aren’t any major flaws.  The only thing I noticed that I didn’t totally love was that there was one sound effect that was used when a door was opening, that sounded really fake and cheap.  Other than that, this film has pretty much everything going for it.  I loved The Cell, and would put it in my top ten sci-fi films of all time.  If you like sci-fi films such as The Matrix trilogy, or Inception, or even crime thrillers like The Silence Of The Lambs, I highly suggest giving The Cell a chance.
Rating: R
Grade: A

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tenet Movie Review

  “We live in a twilight world.” - The Protagonist         Tenet is the latest film from legendary director Christopher Nolan.  It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Elizabeth Debicki.  The film tells the complicated story of a man known simply as the Protagonist, as he and a group of others attempt to stop a Russian oligarch from destroying the world using a process known as inversion.  From there, the characters are led to different locations across the globe as they grapple with enemies both in the future and the past. Tenet was one of my most anticipated films of this year.  It was supposed to release over the summer, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was delayed multiple times.  I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to see the film in a theater setting as opposed to watching it at home like so many other people have been doing for films t...
3 comments
Read more

Ralph Breaks The Internet Movie Review

“There’s no law saying best friends have to have the same dreams.” - Shank Ralph Breaks The Internet is directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, and stars John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot and Taraji P. Henson.  The story takes place six years after the events of Wreck-It Ralph, where Ralph and Vanellope find themselves in the internet, trying to find a replacement steering wheel for Vanellope’s game, Sugar Rush. I was a little nervous going into this movie, because I really loved the the first one, and didn’t want to be disappointed by a mediocre sequel.  Thankfully, this movie was not a disappointment at all. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise in more ways than one. To start out, the animation is truly something to behold.  It’s so crisp and clean, and it is very pleasing to the eye. The colors really seem to pop out at you, and the set pieces and characters look very nice. This is a very beautiful looking film.  Besides just looking good, i...
3 comments
Read more

Meet Joe Black Movie Review

“Be deliriously happy or at least leave yourself open to be.” - William Parrish Meet Joe Black is an inventive romance directed by Martin Brest.  It stars Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt. To start off, this film has really good music from Thomas Newman, and a very cool concept about a woman who falls in love with death. Both Pitt and Hopkins are excellent in this film.  However, there is some very poor acting on display from Marcia Gay Harden, Jake Weber, and Jeffrey Tambor. Speaking of Tambor, his character, while fun, bumbling, and humorous, is ridiculously, unbelievably stupid. There are many things in this film that just do not work.  There are painfully awkward moments in the script, and the dialogue is very poorly written, and sloppy at times. They tried to cram as many subplots into the story as they could to keep it interesting, but it was all a convoluted mess. It would’ve greatly benefited the film if the writers and the director simply realized that s...
2 comments
Read more