The Cell

R

Released Aug 18, 2000

1h 47m

Mystery & Thriller

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for

List

45%

Tomatometer

166 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

"The Cell" takes a shocking, riveting mind trip into the dark and dangerous corridors of a serial killer's psyche -- a psyche that holds the key to saving the killer's final, trapped victim who remains alive. Making this journey into the recesses of a killer's nightmarish fantasy world is Catherine Deane, a psychologist who has been experimenting with a radical new therapy. Through a new transcendental science, Catherine can experience what is happening in another person's unconscious mind.

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Critics Consensus

The Cell offers disturbing, stunning eye candy, but its visual pleasures are no match for a confused storyline that undermines the movie's inventive aesthetic.

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Jazzy photography and fancy design in no way compensate for a dull, suspense-free screenplay and unwise casting.

Apr 1, 2019

Full Review

Andrew Sarris

Observer

Ultimately, the reliance on a dream world tends to reduce suspense and even narrative logic. Thus, everything is possible and nothing is necessary.

Apr 1, 2019

Full Review

David Edelstein

Slate

The Cell is pretty silly. But I admired its cinematic ambition until the final scenes.

Apr 1, 2019

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The Cell is a beautiful picture, which, should the viewer opt to disconnect themselves from its run-of-the-mill formula, will bring a sense of wonderment.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

The nightmarish visuals are undeniably effective but nothing else in the film manages to match the atmospheric experience.

Rated: 2/5

May 12, 2023

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Tarsem Singh's vision in The Cell is unparalleled. It's a truly stunning and gnarly piece of work.

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 30, 2020

Full Review

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Meghan K. L

One of the most underrated movies from 2000. The creativity, cinematography, and uniqueness of this film is a must! The cast alone (yes, giving JLo credit too). Still one of my favs!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/19/24

Full Review

Twiggy H

Fantastic cinematics and costumes! Shame it was wasted on horrific film writing with terrible choice of *cough* actress for the main character. Would of paid off very well to have gotten true talent instead of riding on the gimmick-pony, like some sort of sloppy 'queen of the damned' weak formula, that only worked out well because of the soundtrack of great musicians, not the pop-performer playing dress-up for a film.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

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Kathy M

Gorgeous! Watch it for the Beauty if nothing else ❤️ The Images Stay with you 💓

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/25/24

Full Review

R A U

I saw the movie at an SF/Fantasy con some years back playing in the movie room. I found the movie both breath-taking and disturbing, but the latter for all the right reasons with the horror scenes and the ultimate situation with Carl. Child abuse is a horror that needs to end. They often find life to be a maze they can't seem to navigate. No surprise to me that so many use drugs as an escape. Beyond this, I found the cast incredible, especially JLo as Catherine. But Vincent D was spectacular. Read the negative and positive reviews, then ignore them all and watch it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/24/24

Full Review

AB U

The movie is precious not only for meticulously visualized trauma of a psychopath, but also carries a message of compassion that seems impossible to experience. It’s on my absolute must-see list.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

BigD J

This film gets a lot of reviews claiming it's heinous, disturbing, vile, etc. Trust me, there are plenty of films out there that are much more difficult to stomach. Probably a bunch of J-Lo fans not used to horror. I've found many films on the topic of schizophrenia fascinating. The film was definitely sadistic. Kinda Silence of the Lambs meets Inception. It had mostly dark undertones with moments of peace, calm, and empathy for the proverbial serial killer who was badly abused, as a child. Visuals were stunning, acting was pretty good. D'Onofrio plays the ultimate psychotic villain in many roles he plays in, throughout his career. The plot itself is kinda meh. I'd say the ratings on this film are pretty accurate. Not spectacular by a long shot, but respectable and entertaining.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/24

Full Review

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Tarsem Singh

Director

Jennifer Lopez

Catherine Deane

Vince Vaughn

FBI Agent Peter Novak

Vincent D'Onofrio

Carl Stargher

Jake Weber

FBI Agent Gordon Ramsey

Dylan Baker

Henry West

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The Cell: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

"The Cell" takes a shocking, riveting mind trip into the dark and dangerous corridors of a serial killer's psyche -- a psyche that holds the key to saving the killer's final, trapped victim who remains alive. Making this journey into the recesses of a killer's nightmarish fantasy world is Catherine Deane, a psychologist who has been experimenting with a radical new therapy. Through a new transcendental science, Catherine can experience what is happening in another person's unconscious mind.

Director: Tarsem Singh
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Namibia Film Commission, Katira Productions GmbH & Co. KG, New Line Cinema, Radical Media, Avery Pix, Caro-McLeod
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 18, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.3M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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