Review of Cell, The

Introduction

Latino lovely Jennifer Lopez stars in this suspenseful and arty thriller that centres on the search for a vicious serial killer. Child therapist Catherine Deane (Lopez) tries to help troubled children by entering their minds via a sort of high-tech mind link. When asked by the FBI to help locate a missing woman (believed held captive by evil serial killer Stargher), Deane agrees to enter his mind and look for any hint as to where the captive may be held. What follows is a roller coaster ride of dark terror as Deane confronts the killer on his own turf while time runs out for his next victim…

Video

No faults at all with this reference-quality 2.40:1 anamorphic presentation. Marvellously detailed imagery combined with superb colouration produce a veritable feast for eye-candy fans. It is difficult to take in all the visual delights during the first sitting, so it is just as well that this movie stands up well to repeat viewings. Some of the CG images are almost hypnotic in their appearance and although some of their impact is lost on the small screen, they are still very impressive.

Audio

Rich DD5.1 sound provides a feast for the ears and is more than a match for the high quality of the visuals. Varied ambient effects fill the viewing room and the involving soundstage is detailed and enveloping. Vocals are clear and lucid and the musical track is suitably imposing.

Features

There are some good quality extras included here. Starting with the director’s commentary, Singh proves to be interesting enough, with only a few occasions where silence prevails. He gives some useful insight into the movie’s creation and offers some enlightening behind-the-scenes gossip.

Another audio commentary from the production team is equally as interesting with more detail being given here on the movie’s special effect sequences and how the impressive sets were planned and constructed.

A collection of deleted scenes is enhanced by a director’s commentary, but these prove to be fairly throwaway and worthy of only a single viewing. It soon becomes apparent why these scenes were excluded from the final cut.

A tribute to director Tarsem Singh comes in the form of documentary ‘Style as Substance’. Here various friends and colleagues wax lyrical about Singh’s past works and actually makes quite interesting viewing. Again, probably to be viewed only the once.

The most original and fun extra comes in the form of a special effects laden feature entitled ‘Visual Effects Vignettes’. The multi-angle capability of your player comes into play here with the movie’s visual effects supervisor, make-up designer and digital animator taking the viewer on a tour of six scenes. At any time the viewer can switch between a standard shot or behind-the-scenes footage and storyboard close-ups.

A couple of novel items come next in the shape of the ‘Empathy Test’ and ‘Interactive Brain Map’. The former is a fun sort of questionnaire and the latter a more sensible and interesting feature on the complexities of the human brain.

Finally, we have the obligatory Theatrical and International Teaser trailers and a fairly detailed crew/cast biography.

It is also worth mentioning here about the DVD menus. They are very impressive indeed and a good match to the overall feel and look of the movie.

Conclusion

Looking more like a 2-hour glitzy TV advert than a movie, “The Cell” features some incredibly dramatic CG effects, stunning makeup and really impressive costumes. The danger with this sort of arrangement, of course, is that all the budget goes on the flashy effects, leaving little for the plot or character development. I am pleased to report, however, that first-time director Tarsem Singh injects great enthusiasm into the movie and coaxes some great acting performances out of the talented cast.

After watching this movie, I felt that my senses had been dragged through a hedge backwards - thanks largely to the technically impressive and highly intense visuals. There are some rough edges to this movie, but the plot is good enough and will satisfy those looking for a modern, stylish psychological thriller.

And besides, it’s always great to see Lopez in a tight leather suit!