Cell, The (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: May 13, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Tarsem Singh

Release Date(s)

2000 (January 21, 2025)

Studio(s)

RadicalMedia/New Line Cinema (Arrow Video)

Film/Program Grade: B
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: A+
Extras Grade: A+

https://www.arrowvideo.com/

Review

[Editor’s Note: The initial release of Arrow Video’s 4K UHD of The Cell contained an error in the Director’s Cut, which had some missing frames and a repeated shot between 15:15 and 15:50 minutes into the film. New shipments now contain the corrected disc, which features “V2” on the front of the disc along the edge. However, if you somehow purchase or have already purchased The Cell containing the incorrect disc, follow this link to contact Arrow directly about receiving a replacement, which is readily available.]

The 1990s saw a spate of psychosexual, film noir-inspired, police procedural thrillers and horror films, mostly due to the success of The Silence of the Lambs and Basic Instinct, but none were ever as high in concept and artistically-driven as 2000’s The Cell. It somehow fit in with the other provocative crime-based thrillers of the era which also had supernatural or science fiction bent to them, but rose above them entirely in terms of technique and composition. Seeing as director Tarsem Singh and cinematographer Paul Laufer had spent their careers up to that point working exclusively in music videos and commercials, they brought their aesthetics with them, putting their own authorial stamp on a somewhat stale but plentiful genre. Even if you remember nothing about The Cell’s plot or characters, you won’t soon forget its visuals.

Dr. Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) is a psychologist attempting to treat coma patients neurologically by entering their minds using experimental technology with the help of doctors West (Dylan Baker) and Kent (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). Concurrently, a serial killer, Carl Stargher (Vincent D’Onofrio), tortures his victims by slowly drowning them before bleaching their corpses solid white. FBI agents Novak (Vince Vaughn) and Ramsey (Jake Weber) eventually track him down, whereupon they find him comatose after having a schizophrenic episode. Since his latest potential victim has yet to be found and may not have long before she too drowns, they convince Catherine to enter Stargher’s mind and coax him into revealing her location. Once she’s in, she finds the thoroughly demonic part of Stargher’s mind, as well as his frightened and abused younger self, and must come back to reality without the demon taking full control.

Just on the surface, The Cell isn’t much of a thriller. Neither its director, nor its cinematographer, were fans of the serial killer-based genre at the time. Both were aiming their sights squarely at the fantastic elements of Mark Protosevich’s script, and not necessarily the real world material. In truth, the dialogue is almost satiric in how obvious and clichéd it comes across, which perhaps was the goal Tarsem had in mind. But once you get into the mind-based sequences, you’re blown away by the craftsmanship and the scope of them, which includes the set design, the cinematography, and the costumes. Some of the computer generated imagery doesn’t hold up all that well (it stood out even then), but since it’s all based in fantasy with multiple textures, shadows, and uses of color, it’s more forgivable. This isn’t reality, and it looks it.

There are also some disturbing moments sprinkled throughout, as well, both in reality and in the mind of Stargher, but there’s an odd beauty to it all. I would argue that the film takes most of its inspiration from David Fincher’s Se7en and Mark Romanek’s music video for Nine Inch Nails’ Closer, among other sources. The ticking clock element of the script in which Julia Hickson (Tara Subkoff), Stargher’s last potential victim, has less than forty-eight hours before her cell slowly fills up, gives the film some stakes, and much-needed urgency. We’re told early on that everything that transpires in the mind-based sequences doesn’t have real-life consequences outside of Catherine, whose mind could be potentially corrupted if she allows Stargher inside it. Catherine seems less concerned with Hickson than Novak, who will do anything and everything to save her, but this scenario in which Hickson dies if Catherine fails strengthens our investment.

Upon its release, The Cell was a minor box office success, mostly due to Jennifer Lopez’s involvement as her star had just taken off. Critics didn’t entirely know what to make of it, though Roger Ebert championed it as one of the best of the films of the year. It was also a substantial hit on home video when it was released on VHS and DVD. The film fell by the wayside a bit over the years, despite its fan base and its late appearance on Blu-ray in 2015. However, fans of serial killer-based thrillers continue to keep in rotation, as do fans of aggressive cinematography and art design. And any film in which the lead character lies in bed nonchalantly watching La Planète sauvage (Fantastic Planet) is worth anyone’s time.

The Cell was shot by cinematographer Paul Laufer on Super 35mm film (Kodak Vision 200T 5274) spherically with Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras and Panavision Primo lenses for exteriors (highlights), and Arriflex 35-III, Arriflex 535B, and Arriflex 435 cameras with Cooke S4 lenses for interiors (low light). The film was then finished both digitally and photochemically, and presented in theaters anamorphically in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Arrow Video presents both the 107-minute Theatrical Cut and 109-minute Director’s Cut on Ultra HD for the first time from a 4K 16-bit scan of the “original camera negative” (more on that in a minute), mixed with 4K scans of “other film elements” containing footage exclusive to the Director’s Cut. The results are presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc, and approved by director Tarsem Singh and cinematographer Paul Laufer. Included on a separate Blu-ray is an alternate version of the Theatrical Cut, presented open matte at the aspect ratio of 1.78:1, filling the screen entirely. It’s sourced from an HD-D5 master created in 2000 by Paul Laufer, newly-graded for this release in Standard Dynamic Range, and encoded on a dual-layered BD-50 disc.

To say that The Cell’s visual palette is complex, and how it got that way in the first place is complicated, is an understatement. Because of the way it was photographed and finished in post-production, it has some inherent flaws that don’t necessarily lend themselves to higher resolutions. The “original camera negative” used for this presentation is not what you would think of as a traditional OCN, meaning that it did not come straight out of the camera. Because cinematographer Paul Laufer wanted to give the real-world scenes and dream sequences distinct visual qualities, he ultimately had to go through what was then considered unorthodox channels and make some visual sacrifices in order to achieve them. However, he was never happy with the final results, which is why an alternate version is provided for comparison.

During post-production, the film was first put through a bleach bypass process. It was then scanned into a digital realm by the visual effects company Toybox, who would make color, contrast, and other adjustments to Laufer’s specifications. The results were digitally squeezed for anamorphic and printed back out onto film with an Arri film scanner. Since the resulting images didn’t match the rest of the body of the film, which had not been squeezed for anamorphic, and because the high-speed printers used to make film prints could only handle a single, continuous strip of film, the real-world scenes had to be contact-duped twice, losing two additional generations in the process, in order to have a single master negative. By the time the film reached theaters, it was five generations away from the original camera negative, losing an enormous amount of detail in the image, giving it a softer, thinner appearance. As such, the “original camera negative” is more of a master interpositive, as detailed by Laufer himself on this release. But since he wasn’t happy with what went to theaters, he was given permission during production on the film’s original DVD release to do an HD scan of the full original camera negative in 16:9 format at Laser-Pacific. He also kept a back-up copy of that scan, which has been utilized and included on the Blu-ray in this release, taking full advantage of the missing detail from the OCN, as well as opening up the top and bottom edges of the frame.

The main UHD presentation obviously suffers from generational loss of detail, which gives it a flawed but very distinct look. Without rebuilding the film completely from scratch, which would include re-scanning the camera negative and redoing or even uprezzing the visual effects (a very lengthy and expensive process), this is the best that The Cell is ever going to look in 4K. Nevertheless, it retains a strong organic quality. The bitrate is a tad variable, but mostly sits between 70 and 100Mbps.” A more consistent bitrate probably wouldn’t do much for the film’s imperfections, but even multiple generations away from the original negative, grain is more even-keeled than you would expect, which says a lot for the lenses and film stocks that were used at the time. There’s much less nuance in the darkest areas of the frame, but the HDR grades do manage to bring out the lushness in the colors, especially the more vivid uses of red, blue, purple, gold, and green. Flesh tones are natural, as well, and the overall image is stable and clean from beginning to end. It’s certainly not revelatory, but represents the film’s intended theatrical look dutifully.

As for the alternate presentation, this is a case where the Blu-ray can actually be more ideal than the UHD due mostly to the level of fine detail, which is far more abundant. It’s brighter and more nuanced, as to be expected. There’s an argument to be made that 16:9 was not the intended look for the film since its makers were aiming for scope, but the edges aren’t necessarily wasted space. They add height and additional detail without feeling burdensome or unnecessary. Grain isn’t as refined as a fresh 4K scan, but there’s a fairly solid bitrate that sits mostly between 30 and 40Mbps at any given time. There are clearly going to be those that prefer one presentation over the other, yet I find that both presentations have their own set of clearly-defined pros and cons. In other words, your mileage is definitely going to vary on this one.

Audio is presented in English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Both tracks offer highly dynamic audio experiences with enormous depth, though the 5.1 has more room to breathe with added channel space for the various sound effects and vocalizations to take place in. It also further opens up Howard Shore’s wonderful score, rattling the speakers with authority. Dialogue exchanges are mostly low-key, even whispers at times, but they’re mixed in well with the other elements. These are rock solid audio options.

The Limited Edition 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of The Cell sits in a black Amaray case alongside a Region A/B 1080p Blu-ray with a double-sided insert that features new artwork by Peter Savieri on the front and artwork from one of the theatrical posters on the reverse. Also included is a double-sided poster, each side featuring new artwork by Peter Savieri, and a 44-page insert booklet containing cast and crew information, the essays It Was Empathy Killed the Beast: How Jennifer Lopez Redefines Genre Film Heroism Through Radical Understanding by Josh Hurtado, Remember... It’s Not Real: Music Video DNA in The Cell by Heather Drain, Between Worlds: Why Style Is Substance in Tarsem’s The Cell by Virat Nerhru, A Criminal Conscience by Marc Edward Heuck, the September 2000 American Cinematographer article Mind Games by Jean Oppenheimer, presentation information, production credits, and special thanks. Everything is housed in a slipcover featuring one of the new artworks by Peter Savieri. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: DIRECTOR’S CUT & THEATRICAL CUT (UHD)

Audio Commentaries:
- Audio Commentary with Josh Nelson and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- Audio Commentary with Mark Protosevich and Kay Lynch
- Audio Commentary with Tarsem Singh
- Audio Commentary with Paul Laufer, Tom Foden, Michèle Burke, April Napier, Kevin Tod Haug, and Howard Shore
Projection of the Mind’s Eye: Director Tarsem Singh on Making The Cell (HD – 89:39)
Between Two Worlds: Paul Laefer Sheds Light on The Cell (HD – 43:16)

DISC TWO: ALTERNATE THEATRICAL CUT & EXTRAS (BD)

Paul Laufer Illuminates: A Tale of Two Masters (HD – 10:24)
Art Is Where You Find It: The Art Culture of Tarsem Singh’s The Cell (HD – 12:32)
The Costuming Auteur: The Cell and the Extravagant Work of Eiko Ishioka (HD – 10:37)
Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem (SD – 11:50)
Deleted and Extended Scenes w/Optional Commentary by Tarsem Singh:
- Trapped in the Cell (Upscaled SD – 1:00)
- Despair in the Cell (Upscaled SD – :39)
- Extended Raid (Upscaled SD – 3:26)
- Early Exit (Upscaled SD – 1:56)
- Novak and Ramsey (Upscaled SD – 1:29)
- Stargher’s Room (Upscaled SD – 3:20)
- Extended Confrontation with Carl (Upscaled SD – 4:14)
- Extended Carl with Victim (Upscaled SD – 3:32)
Special Effects – Six Multi-Angle Vignettes:
- The Hoist (SD – 9:44)
- First Entry (SD – 17:01)
- Second Entry (SD – 18:48)
- Novak’s Entry (SD – 11:26)
- Catherine’s World (SD – 9:57)
- Edward’s World (SD – 1:58)
Theatrical Trailers:
- US Trailer (HD – 2:25)
- International Trailer (HD – 1:24)
Image Gallery (HD – 340 in all)

The Director’s Cut of the film features a total of four exhaustive audio commentaries. The first new track features film scholars Josh Nelson and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and the second features screenwriter Mark Protosevich and film critic Kay Lynch. Carried over from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film is an audio commentary with director Tarsem Singh, and another with cinematographer Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Foden, make-up supervisor Michèle Burke, costume designer April Napier, visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug, and composer Howard Shore.

In Projection of the Mind’s Eye, director Tarsem Singh discusses his attraction to architecture and art, his exposure to television and film, his interpretations of the script, his various ideas and designs for the film, why he made a film about a serial killer, the challenges in working with the cast, Stargher’s look in comparison to No Country for Old Men, working with costume designer Eiko Ishioka and cinematographer Paul Laufer, making alterations before the film’s release, making enemies at New Line, battles over content, shooting on locations for the first time, solving problems in various scenes, various references in scenes, being blown away by Howard Shore’s score, his retrospective feelings on the experience, and making films today. In Between Two Worlds, cinematographer Paul Laufer discusses breaking into the film business via MTV, working in commercials with Tarsem Singh, being brought in for The Cell, planning and designing the film, navigating Hollywood filmmaking, working with a great crew, various problem-solving moments on and off the set, frustrations during post-production, knowing that The Cell would be his final film, returning to the music video world, and his retrospective feelings on the film.

In Paul Laufer Illuminates, the cinematographer returns to detail the how and why of the alternate Theatrical Cut. Art Is Where You Find It is a visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas about the obvious and more subtle references to works of art in the film. The Costuming Auteur is a visual essay by film critic Abbey Bender about the work of costume designer Eiko Ishioka. Style as Substance is an archival featurette containing interviews with Tarsem Singh, Paul Laefer, actors Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Marianne Jean-Baptise, Catherine Sutherland, visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug, digital animator Richard “dr.” Baily, make-up supervisor Michèle Burke, and costume designer April Napier. The eight Deleted and Extended Scenes feature optional audio commentary by Tarsem Singh. Next are Six Multi-Angle Vignettes featuring storyboards, raw dailies, behind-the-scenes footage, side-by-side comparisons, and comments by Kevin Tod Haug, Michèle Burke, and Richard “dr.” Baily. Last are the US and international theatrical trailers, and an Image Gallery containing 340 on-set photographs and posters.

That’s a massively satisfying set of bonus materials, though not carried over from the original DVD release is an isolated score audio track and a Brain and Empathy Test game, the latter of which is not missed. Otherwise, this is about as definitive as it gets when it comes to The Cell on home video. Having not seen the film in nearly three decades, it was and will continue to be the finest way to revisit it. Strangers to the film may not be as enthralled with or enamored by the arresting visuals, but if you’re a fan, this release is a no-brainer. Highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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