The Cell 2000

Critics score:
46 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Ebert & Roeper: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: The trippy, highly mannered, widely referential imagery is certainly its strongest selling point, despite wonderfully grounding (and, on the rides, bizarre) work by Lopez. Read more

Mark Rahner, Seattle Times: This is one beautifully surreal and unsettling thriller, with astounding visuals that will lurk in the crawlspaces of your brain after you've left the theater. Read more

Tom Sime, Dallas Morning News: Often- spectacular visuals that recall the work of the creepily eccentric British animation team the Brothers Quay. Read more

Elvis Mitchell, New York Times: As the movie pops in and out of distinct scenarios, The Cell feels like a new video game. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The major problem is that The Cell continuously echoes The Silence of the Lambs, only minus the intricate character interplay, Jonathan Demme's direction and the taut storyline. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: All torture, all the time, all photographed (by Paul Laufer) and production designed (by Tom Foden) as if it were a TV spot for Chanel. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: You can question the worthiness of [the filmmakers'] subject and vision, but you can't really argue with the way they executed it. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Had Tarsem stuck a Chanel bag or bottle of Calvin Klein perfume into the picture, he'd have ruined nothing. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The Cell is remarkably well made, which makes it all the more alarming and disturbing. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The Cell becomes the first serial killer feature in a long time to take the genre in a new direction. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: One of the best films of the year. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: But for all the opulence of its visual display, this movie has no vision. Read more

Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle: There is an emotional vacuum at the center of this picture. Read more

Nick Funnell, Time Out: Lopez is hard to take as the empathetic psychologist who uses a synaptic transfer machine to penetrate the comatose killer's tortured psyche in hopes of finding his latest victim. Read more

Emanuel Levy, Variety: A feast to the eye but not much for the intellect. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: The movie is riveting in its low way. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: An original and stylish vision of insanity. Read more