Cell

"When everyone is connected no one is safe."

2016 1h 38m EN

💀

4.7

SKIP

🥫

11%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

4.5

IMDB

★4.7TMDB · 1,178🥫11%Rotten Tomatoes●38Metacritic★4.5IMDB · 33,389

HorrorScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a strange signal pulsates through all cell phone networks worldwide, it starts a murderous epidemic of epic proportions when users become bloodthirsty creatures, and a group of people in New England are among the survivors to deal with the ensuing chaos after.

“When everyone is connected no one is safe.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

John Cusack
Clayton 'Clay' Riddell
Samuel L. Jackson
Thomas 'Tom' McCourt
Isabelle Fuhrman
Alice Maxwell
Owen Teague
Jordan
Clark Sarullo
Sharon Riddell
Anthony Reynolds
Ray
Erin Elizabeth Burns
Denise
Stacy Keach
Charles Ardai

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tod Williams
Writers: Adam Alleca, Stephen King, Craig Gilmore
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tod Williams, shot by Michael Simmonds. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marcelo Zarvos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacob Craycroft shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When everyone is connected no one is safe.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0775440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tod Williams directs. Michael Simmonds behind the camera. Marcelo Zarvos scores. Jacob Craycroft cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 10 years ago.
2Directed by Tod Williams, shot by Michael Simmonds. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Marcelo Zarvos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jacob Craycroft shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson and Isabelle Fuhrman carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "When everyone is connected no one is safe.".
7IMDB entry: tt0775440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 16 themes, including "suicide", "airport", "based on novel or book", "boston, massachusetts".

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Simmonds
Original score: Marcelo Zarvos
Editing: Jacob Craycroft
Production design: John Collins
Costume design: Lorraine Coppin
Makeup / hair: Forrest Hill
VFX supervisor: Tammy Sutton
Sound: Michael Barry
Stunt coordinator: Russell Towery
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,133,031
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Cell (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 11% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 38/100
IMDB rating: 4.5/10 · 33,389 votes
MPAA: R

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Tod Williams

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Community reviews

What people are saying

iamnotapixel2016-06-11
This is another example of a Stephen King novel that has not translated well into film. It's the usual 'bogey man' from nowhere who gets inside you head and dreams, sent to create mayhem and destruction against the human race, who are being turned into crazed killers by a mysterious signal from their mobile phones! One man (Cusack) in search of his son, thinks he can save humanity! The story line seems random and the ending has to be one of the worst I've ever seen.
Gimly2017-02-06
★ 3/10
I've never read Cell, so I'm not sure if this is an accurate adaptation of a bad Stephen King book, or just another inaccurate adaptation of a Stephen King book. But either way, it's bad. For a decent Cusack/Jackson team up in a King adaptation, just watch 1408. Final rating:★½: - Boring/disappointing. Avoid if possible.
John Chard2017-02-21
★ 3/10
Brain Cell or Brain Drain? Well I haven't read the book but I like Stephen King, I like John Cusack and I like Samuel Jackson, so Cell seemed like a good choice for a late night cerebral chiller. How far off was I? As it happens, very! Suddenly cell phones are turning the populace into crazed homicidal maniacs, a small band of survivors try to stay alive and figure out what is going on... It starts off promisingly, with whirls of chaotic violence and blood, but it then turns into a travelogue movie where everybody either looks bored or is clearly doing it for the money. There's some good ideas at work but the film never delivers on its promise, even serving up an ending that defies patience as well as logic. Being vague is a good thing if the pay off is worth the wait, unfortunately that isn't the case here. Epic fail and the actors and audience deserve better. 3/10