Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Haven't been here for years... all new and shiny these days.
Member since:31.10.2000
Reviews:148
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The initial hype surrounding this movie on its cinema release was considerable, mixed reviews followed, along with reasonable box office success ($100m world-wide). Reviews ranged from
“From the first frame to the last, The Cell is a visually striking film, as gorgeous as it is grotesque, at times virtually unwatchable, yet impossible not to watch."
To the slightly more sobering…
“A little pretentious by the half-hour mark. An hour beyond that, medication begins to sound like an attractive option.”
Sadly I was unable to watch the cinema release but have been eagerly anticipating the recent video release to make up my own mind.
For those that don’t know The Cell marks the return of Jennifer Lopez to the world of mainstream movies having been lured away from her mediocre pop career. It is a shame that she has taken such a long sojourn since her fantastic performance in the hugely under watched
and rated Soderburgh classic Out of Sight where co-starring with Clooney they achieved an almost frightening chemistry.
The Cell starts with two parallel stories that give us little more than background for their inevitable collision. In one Jennifer Lopez is a psychologist, who thanks to some blithely explained technology is able to enter the mind of her patient,a young coma victim, in an attempt to coax him back to reality. The second story follows the FBI, lead by Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan), who are trying to track down serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio). The two stories lead to the easily predictable necessity for Catherine to enter Carl’s mind in order to find out where his latest victim is hidden.
The potential behind the idea is vast, I was wondering whether or not we'd be taken into a David Cronenberg -esque Existenz or Matrixy blurring of the lines between reality and imagination, or perhaps a novel twist in the increasingly predictable thriller genre... the possibilities seemed endless.
Unfortunately the project was helmed by Tarsem Singh, mastermind of several critically acclaimed adverts, who is clearly in favour of style over substance. The trip onto the mind of Carl is visually astounding, at times disturbing, always imaginative and ground-breakingly stylish, sadly at great expense. The story is takes a back seat, along with character development and also the pacing of the film, which is thrown totally off kilter.
Whilst Catherine is off on her 'acid trips' through the psychopaths mind, the hunt for the latest victim is still on but builds up neither suspense nor excitement due to some thoughtless editing. In addition to the lacklustre pacing, the crux of the film, the fact that the audience is literally getting into the mind of a psychopath, delivers very little in terms of meaning. The travel into the depths of the killers mind use thinly vailed pop-psychology to explain the reasons for his nature and add very little much needed gravitas. I was very much left feeling what was the point in that scene, why show us that, what’s on TV tonight? Etc etc.
So to the acting, sadly very little to say on this front, Lopez is as visually appealing as the rest of the film but her character shares the lack of substance. To be fair this is not her fault as the relentless pursuit of new imagery and the poor cohesion of the film prevent any of the characters from seeming much more than speaking props. As the FBI lead Vaughan tries to shine but again is left with little opportunity. Vincent D'Onofrio is at least disturbing as the killer but is only just more than a cliché and pales into insignificance when compared with Lecter from Silence of the Lambs.
Admittedly this is a short opinion compared to normal but whilst I could wax lyrically about the sumptuous visual qualities of the film, it will not make up for the fact that this was disappointing on almost every other level. In many ways the fault lies with the director who has failed to combine the serial killer thriller with the more Existenz and Matrix alternate reality element, with any cohesion. This has lead to a watchable but ultimately shallow film. I’ll leave you with another quote from a review that best encapsulated my feelings.
“The movie impresses more than it entertains, conjuring up a head full of evocative images that don't really evoke all that much."
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Horror - Director: Zack Snyder - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer
I would probably have given it a miss due to Jennifer Lopez being in it, now I'll definately give it a miss!
marsden 25.07.2001 00:37
I was going to comment, read this, and decided you'd read my mind so won't bother! I did really like the film as cinematogrophy and imagery really appeal to me on their own - and you do get plenty of that in this film.
GrUnGe_GaL 09.04.2001 16:26
all i can say is that....that was one brilliantly written and excellant review! well done!
Schizoid serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) has been captured at last, but a ... more
neurological seizure has rendered him comatose, and FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan) has no way to determine the location of Stargher's latest and still-livi...
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Schizoid serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) has been captured at last, but a ... more
neurological seizure has rendered him comatose, and FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan) has no way to determine the location of Stargher's latest and still-livi...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Jennifer Lopez takes a terrifying journey into the mind of a killer in this chilling ... more
critically acclaimed psychological thriller. When serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio) falls into a coma before his last victim can be found a chi...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Jennifer Lopez ('Out Of Sight', 'Selena') takes a terrifying journey into the mind of a ... more
killer in this chilling, critically acclaimed psychological thriller.When a serial killer Vincent D'Onofrio ('The Thirteenth Floor', 'Men In Black') falls into a co...
Advantages: Surreality, Jennifer Lopez, Truly original film-making. Disadvantages: The subject matter clearly makes some people uncomfortable, and it's quite scary in parts.
VincentM-M 13.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Cell (DVD)
Advantages: Surreality, Jennifer Lopez, Truly original film-making. Disadvantages: The subject matter clearly makes some people uncomfortable, and it's quite scary in parts.
VincentM-M 13.11.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Cell (DVD)
![The Cell [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78539574.jpg "The Cell [DVD] [2000]")
Mar 20th, 2001
(Apr 9th, 2001)
very helpful by (100%):
