A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

The Cell

The perplexingly controversial movie, “The Cell,” had tongues, pierced and not pierced, wagging all over the net and Hollywood. Why? If you have not seen the movie, do yourself a favor and check it out. If you are a run of the mill, garden variety, top 40 style of moviegoer, or a cynical “I have seen it all” type, then prepare to have your horizons broadened.

The move stars Jennifer Lopez, as the character Catherine Deane, in a surprisingly good performance. I have, for the most part, been very indifferent in regards to Lopez as an actress, dancer, and especially a singer. When I saw that Lopez was in this movie I put up one of those walls of resistance we all put up when we see a movie with an actor we feel nothing for. That was a barrier for me to deal with in the first part of “The Cell.”

This movie wasted no time in capturing my attention. It not only used a fairly unique plot that combined plot elements we’ve seen before, but also utilized a much more compelling manner with the aid of some very original and captivating visuals.

Honestly, I do not make complete judgments based upon the “look” of a movie. I can think of one other movie, lately, that I thought had a great look that actually contributed to moving the plot along and that was “The Matrix.” With “The Cell,” I was nearly, immediately, enraptured by this movie. The “look” of the movie had a great deal to do with it.

The story actually starts out with three plots. The first involves a serial killer, played by Vincent D’onofrio, who had a fairly novel and complicated way of doing in his victims and of disposing with the body. We do not get to see the truly twisted and eccentric mind and the crux of where it may have all gone wrong for this man made monster until the two remaining plots culminate enough to cross paths.

The second plot involves Lopez’s character, a research scientist. With the help of some sophisticated technology, she can enter the minds of coma victims. While in the coma victim’s dreams, she can interact with the dreaming victim to facilitate a recovery by gaining insights to the victim’s trauma. Lopez’s character in the beginning of the movie is attempting to help a little boy who has no conventional medical hope for recovery and so is the main subject of Lopez’s efforts. Though this facility is well funded and managed, it is still highly experimental and a little controversial. Having not produced any tangible recovery for the boy, results in the obligatory “pulling the plug” plot device. Then along comes the FBI.

The serial killer is finally caught after, much discussion about the intelligence, cleverness, and motivations of serial killers. During this process, we are introduced to the third main character FBI agent Ramsey, played by Jake Weber. While being apprehended, our twisted killer falls into a coma in which there is no medical hope for recovery. This is a real problem, because the FBI believes there is another victim whose life is hanging in the balance. They believe she is being held prisoner in a secret location, awaiting the killer’s contrived execution device, “The Cell,” to reap another victim.

A doctor explains the hopelessness of recovery from the coma to a desperate Agent Ramsey. He gives an impassioned explanation of their predicament and pleads for any kind of suggestion. He is told about the controversial research of Lopez and her facility.

The three key elements come together as the serial killer is rushed to the research facility. After a quick exchange between all involved parties about concerns, and “how it works”, we’re off. I mean “Off, “ like lift off to a different world or dimension unlike anything I have ever seen. As Lopez enters the mind of the serial killer, we are treated to some pretty fantastic and intense looking scenes. I had a few moments where I was truly creeped out by the dream sequences. There is some really visually interesting stuff going on here but I do not want to give away anything and ruin this for potential viewers.

I do want to say it’s not only the super intense and incredible dream imagery that is so unique and original, but also the non-dream scenes of the FBI in its investigation. Her character’s life and the research facility are treated to the wonderful, imaginative eye of newcomer director, Tarsem. The camera angles, imagery, subtly, over-the-top visions, and scene-to-scene transitions are great. I can think of very few movies that even comes close to the originality of this movie.