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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Cellular Directed by: David Ellis Starring: Kim Basinger as Jessica Martin Chris Evans as Ryan William H. Macy as Mooney Time: 1:28 hours This movie is being pitched as a suspenseful thriller, but unfortunately, it is neither suspenseful nor thrilling. The movie is fast paced; too fast paced. Viewers are introduced to Jessica Martin (played by Kim Basinger) as she walks her son to the school bus stop. After dropping him off, she returns home to speak to the housekeeper for a few minutes and then all the sudden, she is kidnapped. This happens so early in the movie, within the first five minutes, that viewers don't have time to learn to care about her. Cellular’s hero, Ryan (Chris Evans), is a self-centered 20 year old jock, recently dumped by his girlfriend (Jessica Biel). There is nothing about him that indicates that he would be a hero. While running an errand for his ex-girlfriend, his cell phone rings. It is a stranger, Jessica Martin, who says that she has been kidnapped and she needs help. In a fashion that would make even MacGyver proud, she has made a busted up telephone work and randomly dialed Ryan's number. He thinks the call is a prank but agrees to take the phone to the police so that they can handle it. When he gets to the police station, Officer Mooney (played by William H. Macy) refers him to another department on a different floor. Unfortunately, while climbing the stairwell, Ryan starts to lose cell phone reception so he has to go back down. The rest of the movie involves Ryan trying to keep Jessica on the line while trying to rescue her son and husband. There is no suspense in this movie whose script needs work. By the time the audience is wondering who exactly it is that has captured Jessica and why, the movie tells them. It is hard for the audience to root for a self-centered guy as he tries to rescue a woman we know little about. The movie is filled with every cell phone annoyance imaginable. Losing reception, battery running out, even getting lines crossed with another cell phone. Character growth is minimal as Ryan obviously turns into a hero and Jessica Martin starts fighting for herself. Both Kim Basinger and William H. Macy are wonderful actors, but unfortunately neither is given much to do in this movie. One of the good things about this movie is that for the most part, it is a movie that parents can take their older children to. The language in this movie is better than many of the movies that were released over this summer. There are less than 20 uses of profanity. The only sexual elements in this movie involve referring to a woman's body part several times as Ryan and his friends are near the beach at the beginning of the movie. There is no drug use and the only violence in this movie comes as less than five people are shot to death. There is a reason this movie wasn't released during the summer blockbuster period: it isn't that good. This is one of those movies that you watch on DVD when you have already seen all the good movies at the movie rental place. Burton Wray September 12, 2004
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