Load of rubbish!!

Excellent, smart action film.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This story would be much better without any FBI investigations. If they just showed this beautiful outer world of imagination. May be with some love plot: a monster and a girl. But trying to bring some sceince and law enforcement into the picture hurts its value.

Good visuals can save a bad movie. Film is a visual medium and the story isn't really all that important - I think that much of a movie's worth is in its rewatchability, and when rewatching you already know the story. What matters is the sensory experience. Pretty pictures, good music - those are the things that make or break the movie.'The Cell' is strong on the visuals. Tarsem Singh is a master of production design: he brings to life visions, paintings, dreams. 'The Cell' has a wide array of color, exuberant costumes, imaginative settings, unsettling situations. It's got a horse that is sliced into five-inch steaks, it's got a man bound in golden chains, it's got a rendition of an Odd Nerdrum painting, it's got a Geisha costume in a desert with cherry blossoms raining.Unfortunately it's also got Jennifer Lopez in the lead role, wooden as ever. The surreal sequences present themselves as a look inside a serial killer's twisted psyche, okay, so they're loaded with symbolism, but it rings somehow untrue, like it's too grandiose to be somebody's mind, especially somebody with no artistic ambitions or interests. It didn't feel personal, more like a collection of art with no connection or theme.

Wonderful film. I had to make a review about this to address an argument a lot of people are making: that it lacks substance and it's all about the atmosphere. Words are not the only way in which you can learn about a character. This film is deep. It requires you to sit back and think about it for quite a long time. The answers are there; it was just made by artists who have different methods at storytelling. So yes, it is a visual experience over an oral one. "The Cell" seems like a bunch of artists worked together with psychoanalysts. They try to illustrate madness and emotions. What's more, they try to explain the madness. Be prepared for mass symbolism.This is a new favorite film. I gave it 10 points not just for creativity, but also because I knew it must have taken a lot of work to play the mental aspect into the film, as well. Definitely underrated.Similar films? I kept thinking of "What Dreams May Come". It also reminded me of the books, "When Rabbit Howls" and "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Let's just get this out of the way: I absolutely loved The Cell. I loved it in my first viewing and have continued to love it in subsequent viewings. Why? Well, visually speaking, it was ahead of its time, and by today's standards, its imagery has remained unmatched. A film like this would have never been able to get made today, one in which a studio would put millions of dollars into an R rated film that could turn the audience off due to its perverse visuals. Only Tarsem Singh could have created such beauty and disturbing imagery in a directorial debut. But what about the story, you might ask. Yes, I have to admit the story may be secondary, reminding one of The Silence of the Lambs, but remember, this film did dream heists before Inception did.With all this talk about the film's visual execution, some may say that The Cell is merely style over substance. However, I'd argue the style *is* the substance. The film is like an empty canvas where we can witness Tarsem's crazy and absolutely beautiful imagination. Still 15 years later, the visuals hold up incredibly well, provided without some dated CGI, but those are easily forgiven with the many things the film gets right with visual storytelling. Even scenes that take place outside the dream world are shot meticulously, every frame a painting (thanks Tony Zhou for the phrase). The film's cinematographer, Paul Laufer, should be given some recognition as well, providing some of the film's unconventional camera movements. It's a surprise to learn Laufer hasn't shot a film since The Cell, only working on music videos. Sadly, he's a talent untapped by Hollywood.The soundtrack by Howard Shore nicely complements the look of the film, providing a necessary momentum that slowly builds towards an explosive finale that is emotionally compelling as much as it is visually stunning. Despite the flack she gets, Jennifer Lopez is quite good in the film, who gives her character enough layers to be engaging. A young Vince Vaughn is also very good in his role as the FBI agent with an intriguing past the film doesn't delve too deep into. Lastly, Vincent D'Onofrio is outstanding as the film's complex antagonist, effectively playing the different facets of what could have been a forgettable, two dimensional villain. Overall, The Cell is an incredible film, unforgettable in its visual execution. Although the story is familiar, it is nonetheless involving with good performances from the actors who carry it. One wonders whether the film would work better today due to the vast progress of technology, but for now, The Cell is irreplaceable, with no other films that can rival it. At least, visually speaking.