The Cell (2000) | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

45%

Tomatometer

166 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

The Cell takes a shocking, riveting mind trip into the dark and dangerous corridors of a serial killer's psyche -- a psyche that holds the key to saving the killer's final, trapped victim who remains alive. Making this journey into the recesses of a killer's nightmarish fantasy world is Catherine Deane, a psychologist who has been experimenting with a radical new therapy. Through a new transcendental science, Catherine can experience what is happening in another person's unconscious mind.

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The Cell

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Critics Consensus

The Cell offers disturbing, stunning eye candy, but its visual pleasures are no match for a confused storyline that undermines the movie's inventive aesthetic.

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Critics Reviews

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Jazzy photography and fancy design in no way compensate for a dull, suspense-free screenplay and unwise casting.

Apr 1, 2019

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Andrew Sarris

Observer

Ultimately, the reliance on a dream world tends to reduce suspense and even narrative logic. Thus, everything is possible and nothing is necessary.

Apr 1, 2019

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David Edelstein

Slate

The Cell is pretty silly. But I admired its cinematic ambition until the final scenes.

Apr 1, 2019

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The Cell is a beautiful picture, which, should the viewer opt to disconnect themselves from its run-of-the-mill formula, will bring a sense of wonderment.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2023

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

The nightmarish visuals are undeniably effective but nothing else in the film manages to match the atmospheric experience.

Rated: 2/5

May 12, 2023

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Tarsem Singh's vision in The Cell is unparalleled. It's a truly stunning and gnarly piece of work.

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 30, 2020

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Audience Reviews

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A.L.Jude P Wasted potential by adding too much Suriel scenes. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Meghan K. L One of the most underrated movies from 2000. The creativity, cinematography, and uniqueness of this film is a must! The cast alone (yes, giving JLo credit too). Still one of my favs! Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/19/24 Full Review Twiggy H Fantastic cinematics and costumes! Shame it was wasted on horrific film writing with terrible choice of *cough* actress for the main character. Would of paid off very well to have gotten true talent instead of riding on the gimmick-pony, like some sort of sloppy 'queen of the damned' weak formula, that only worked out well because of the soundtrack of great musicians, not the pop-performer playing dress-up for a film. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/18/24 Full Review Kathy M Gorgeous! Watch it for the Beauty if nothing else ❤️ The Images Stay with you 💓 Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/25/24 Full Review R A U I saw the movie at an SF/Fantasy con some years back playing in the movie room. I found the movie both breath-taking and disturbing, but the latter for all the right reasons with the horror scenes and the ultimate situation with Carl. Child abuse is a horror that needs to end. They often find life to be a maze they can't seem to navigate. No surprise to me that so many use drugs as an escape. Beyond this, I found the cast incredible, especially JLo as Catherine. But Vincent D was spectacular. Read the negative and positive reviews, then ignore them all and watch it. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/24/24 Full Review AB U The movie is precious not only for meticulously visualized trauma of a psychopath, but also carries a message of compassion that seems impossible to experience. It’s on my absolute must-see list. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews

The Cell

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Cast & Crew

Tarsem Singh Director Jennifer Lopez Catherine Deane Vince Vaughn FBI Agent Peter Novak Vincent D'Onofrio Carl Stargher Jake Weber FBI Agent Gordon Ramsey Dylan Baker Henry West

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Synopsis The Cell takes a shocking, riveting mind trip into the dark and dangerous corridors of a serial killer's psyche -- a psyche that holds the key to saving the killer's final, trapped victim who remains alive. Making this journey into the recesses of a killer's nightmarish fantasy world is Catherine Deane, a psychologist who has been experimenting with a radical new therapy. Through a new transcendental science, Catherine can experience what is happening in another person's unconscious mind.

Director: Tarsem Singh
Screenwriter: Mark Protosevich
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Namibia Film Commission, Katira Productions GmbH & Co. KG, New Line Cinema, Radical Media, Avery Pix, Caro-McLeod
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 18, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.3M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)