The Cell
By Nell Minow,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
A movie with no plot, no logic, no meaning.

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Based on 2 parent reviews
Excellent plot! This is not for the faint of heart though...
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What's the Story?
A serial killer is in some sort of irreversible catatonia, and the police need to find where he has hidden his last victim, who may still be alive. So they turn to Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), who has developed a means to communicate with comatose patients by entering their dreams. The police decide to allow her to see if she can make any progress with the serial killer.
Is It Any Good?
I think the idea here was to cross The Silence of the Lambs with The Matrix. THE CELL's so-called plot seems to be just an excuse for lots and lots of stunning but often gruesome surreal visual effects that fall somewhere between the hyper-clarity of a nightmare and the claustrophobic grotesquery of a bad acid trip.
The movie is all sensation, no plot, no logic, no meaning, no effort to explore or illuminate. It is filled with juxtapositions that seem more meaningful than they are, creating an illusion of profundity that dissolves before your eyes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it would be like to enter someone else's mind and about the differences in the ways individuals think. They may also want to talk about mental illness, its causes and treatments.
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 18, 2000
- On DVD or streaming: December 19, 2000
- Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio
- Director: Tarsem Singh
- Inclusion Information: Latinx actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Run time: 107 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: bizarre violence and sexual images, nudity and language
- Last updated: March 30, 2022
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