THE CELL (2000)
4 stars
Arrow Video. Limited Edition 4K and Limited Edition Blu Ray. Out now
In THE CELL, Tarsem Singh’s visually striking sf thriller, Jennifer Lopez plays child psychologist Catherine Deane, who is using an experimental system created by two scientists, that allows her to enter the mind of the comatose, locked in, young Edward Baines (Colton James) to try and bring him back to consciousness, as he has a rare form of schizophrenia. The tech is funded by his understandably anxious parents.
Meanwhile FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughan) and his men, are on the track of a vicious serial killer, one Rudolph Starger (Vincent D’Onofrio). He kidnaps his female victims and locks them in a glass cell, which automatically fills with water after a certain time and drowns them. He then gets his rocks off by suspending himself above their dead bodies and watching video of their watery deaths. Not weird at all!
When the authorities finally arrest him, he falls into the same kind of comatose state as the youngster. Catherine is persuaded to enter his mind, as it is a race against time to try and find, and save, his latest victim. What will she find within the ‘dreamscape’ of this twisted individual?
This was helmer Singh’s feature directorial debut, and whilst it could be accused of being style over substance, the often surreal imagery makes the film stand out from just being a police procedural about tracking down a mass murderer, even if it does get weirder and slightly silly as the plot progresses. This is the kind of movie that looks fantastic in 4K. No surprise that the director made commercials and music videos before turning his hand to longer form works. The cinematography by Paul Laufer and production design by Tom Fodon are well represented on this UHD release. You get two versions on the disc — Director’s cut and theatrical. With the rise of tech like AR and VR, the pseudo science presented here seems less like mumbo jumbo than perhaps it did when originally released.
EXTRAS
4 stars
Four audio commentaries – film scholars Josh Nelson & Alexandra Heller-Nicholas/S/Screenwriter Mark Protosevich & film critic Kay Lynch/Director Tarsem Singh/Director of photography Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Foden, makeup supervisor Michèle Burke, costume designer April Napier, visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug, and composer Howard Shore
Projection of the Mind’s Eye, a feature-length interview with director Tarsem Singh (89 mins)
Between Two Worlds, interview with director of photography Paul Laufer (43 mins)
On the Blu ray bonus disc:
Previously unreleased version of the Theatrical Cut of the film, presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with alternate grading, from a 2K master created by director of photography Paul Laufer
Director of photography Paul Laufer Illuminates, a new interview about this alternate version (10 mins)
Visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (12 mins) and one by film critic Abbey Bender (10 mins)
Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem, an archive featurette with interviews of cast and crew (11 mins)
A bunch of deleted/extended scenes with optional audio commentary by director Tarsem Singh
Six multi-angle archive shorts on the visual effects.
Theatrical trailers and Image gallery
Plus an illustrated collector’s book containing new writing on the film by critics Heather Drain, Marc Edward Heuck, Josh Hurtado, and Virat Nehru and limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Savieri
