Writer: Adam Alleca, Stephen King (Screenplay) Stephen King (Novel)
Starring: Owen Teague, Samuel L Jackson, John Cusack, Isabelle Fuhrman, Stacy Keach, Joshua Mikel, Lloyd Kaufman
Plot: When a mysterious cell phone signal causes apocalyptic chaos, an artist is determined to reunite with his young son in New England.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Enjoyable but Far From Perfect
Story: Cell starts as Clay Riddell (Cusack) is arrange his own flight home to see his son, surrounding in airport by people on the cell phones well suddenly everybody on a cell starts going crazy trying to kill each other. Clay finding safety in the basement teams up with Tom McCourt (Jackson) searching for safety.
Planning their next move Clay wants to head to New England to find his son and the two are joined by Alice (Fuhrman) as they see the streets fill with zombies infected by this virus.
Cell is the one of the best zombie style films I have seen in a long time, that is until 1 hour 10 minutes when we fall into stupid decision zone. This really annoys me in horror films but luckily we only really have one moment. For the rest of the film we get a nice fresh spin on the genre think mixing Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Pulse and 28 Days Later you will understand the style of zombies involved. The tension building is all very good but I can see people being disappointed with the final outcome of the film. If you do like a good zombie film this will work as a story though.
Actor Review
John Cusack: Clay is a graphic novelist traveling home to see his son in New England, he finds himself in the middle of a virus spreading through cell phones where he must survive as he continues to search for a way to get to his son. John is good in this role even if the character is your typical generic reluctant hero.
Samuel L Jackson: Tom McCourt is one of the men that joins Clay, he seems to be a man that has struggled in recent years but is good with a firearm. Samuel is solid but his character doesn’t get enough development for my liking.
Isabelle Fuhrman: Alice lives in the same building as Clay and after having killed her own mother she joins Clay and Tom in the quest for survival, proving to be a usefully source of information. Isabelle is good in this role see an older character from a former child horror star.
Owen Teague: Jordan is a student at a private school that the three meet, he is a genius understanding the nature of the zombie like humans which help as he joins the rest on the road to New England. Owen is solid in this role but doesn’t get enough development either.
Support Cast: Cell has a supporting cast that is basically people you meet and then they get killed offering very little to the full outcome of the story.
Director Review: Tod Williams – Tod does really well to create the world and handle the zombie like creatures but I do feel he struggles to develop these characters enough to make you care about them.
Horror: Cell does have good horror moments with the opening reaction and the dream sequence going on throughout.
Sci-Fi: Cell puts us into the middle of a post-apocalyptic world where cell phones have turned people into a zombie like state.
Settings: Cell creates each setting to feel like we have just entered an apocalypse.
Special Effects: Cell uses the effects very well throughout mixing practical with CGI nicely.
Suggestion: Cell is one for all the Stephen King fans to enjoy. (King Fans Watch)
Best Part: Opening sequence.
Worst Part: No real character development.
Action Scene Of The Film: Opening Sequence.
Kill Of The Film: Field of Screams.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Similar Too: Pulse
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
Tagline: When everyone is connected no one is safe
Overall: One that I enjoyed but certainly not up there with the best.
Rating