The Cell

An under-rated atmospheric film that is Silence of the Lambs but inside the mind of a serial killer.

Surprisingly good sci-fi thriller with Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn in the lead rolls: after kidnapping another of his victims, a serial killer has fallen into a coma. Since he's the only one who knows were he hid the woman, a desperate FBI agent (Vaughn) uses a new technology with which one can connect two minds together. One of the few people who can use this machine is a child therapist (Lopez) and so the two of them venture into the serial killer's mind to find out the hiding place of the latest victim. The question behind this movie is "What's going on inside a serial killers mind?".

The Cell has an interesting premise and I like the science fiction elements to the serial killer storyline. Its execution leaves something to be desired. The problem is that I struggle to point to exactly what. Sure, the performances aren't stellar butI think it's something about the focus on the visuals, which are pretty twisted, that hurt the outcome more than it helps. It made me feel a little gross and left a lot of questions on how the mind works that no one can answer with certainty, least of which is this movie.

>*"Naughty worm."*

Here we are, J.Lo is now a psychotherapist entering the mind of a serial killer in order to save his next victim... such an odd casting choice and honestly I was never sold on her, she wasn't terrible but I still wonder why she's acting at all and what this would be like with a better lead.

I wasn't too sure about this movie at first but once the *Zodiac* storyline and the sci-fi concept meet is when I was sold, for a while. A life is at stake and I was right there along with them to try and save it. The concept is good. Vincent D'Onofrio plays a twisted villain and I wish we saw more of him (without the ridiculous costumes, just normal) because he truly stole the show whenever he was on-screen. The flashback scenes were so brutal.

Where this movie truly excels though is in the visuals, the odd sets and costumes are certainly creative and I think i'll remember them for a while. What i'll remember even more are the twisted visuals, stuff you would see in a *Saw* movie, I looked away in the guts scene. Though I have to say there's some questionnable choices in here... sometimes (especially in the third act) it looks like a drag queen stage play and the acting doesn't help. Wasn't a fan of the third act. The psychedelic effects when they enter the virtual reality are atrocious, it looks like what I can only describe as an animated Froot Loops commercial.

some nice visuals can't save this movie from being meh.

The Cell could've been a great movie, but for a disappointing lack in the script department, it unfortunately wasn't.

It could've been at least an hour longer, taking the time to develop the characters and their relations to each other way greater than the very few 5 minutes that they actually did it, for instance. And it could've had way more insightful and meaningful dialogues that better delve into the themes of the movie, too.

However, one can see that the movie was clearly made with this idea of a device that one could use to insert themselves in somebody else's mind and they didn't care to write more than the basics to revolve the movie around this single idea - which was kinda of typical for other sci-fi movies of the time: it was usually mostly about novelty than actual storytelling.

The Cell has some very clear themes, such as the relation of water and the unconscious, but they never scratch them past the surface level.

I gotta say, though, the movie is visually STUNNING. The dream scenarios, the costume design, and the visual effects were out of this world. The cinematography was very much on point, too. It was stunning and sometimes actually horrifying. On top of that, it has that early 00's sci-fi/horror weird still, static vibe that I love, so it's a movie I'll be definitely watching again, but mostly because it's the type of movie that has a special place in my heart.

It’s a unique film that I wanted to like more than I actually do. The broad concept and environments are somewhat appealing however it doesn’t actually play out as interesting as it’s premise. The characters were a bit bland and some of the plot devices were weak.

>"Do you believe there is a part of yourself, deep inside in 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."

Another movie I have heard a lot about, and right after the end I looked at my fiancé and said "What did I just watch?" Visuals are pretty insane for 2000, just curious how this movie came to be in general. Tarsem Singh has some really good ideas, and I wish he got more chances because I really enjoyed The Fall and Immortals, but this movie will haunt my dreams from time to time, I can tell.

+ some great visuals and transitions
- very annoying/unfitting soundtrack

pip/aiwa/1.30

Seven, Dreamscape, Silence of the Lambs, the Corbjin music video for Nirvana, and some more - all wrapped up in one shitty ripoff. Everything is exactly like you'd expect. Funny how it was times almost expects the viewer to know those movies to fill in the gaps.