Cellular

Cellular is not a serious and suspenseful thriller by any stretch of the imagination. It’s rather just an overwrought joke of a movie with a lot of clichés and donkey bridges. And even some of the characters are copies of other characters from better and more famous films (for example, Macy’s cop is a facsimile of Duvall’s Prendergast from Falling Down). Kim Basinger is bland and Chris Evans is simply just there with his TV-series good looks. On the other hand, if you don’t take it seriously, but merely as a lively 100-minute Nokia commercial, you’ll have a good time, but definitely not a better time than producer Dean Devlin had after signing the contract with the company. (10/12/2004)

Yeah, this film has the right drive; it keeps you on edge and doesn't let you breathe, which is exactly what it aimed to do. To keep you riding the wave of adrenaline. In the end, I wouldn't expect much else from Ellis. He succeeded in making a film that's properly claustrophobic and fast-paced. Evans fits into the role quite well, occasionally delivering humor, while Kim Basinger is excellent in her role as well. Even though she doesn't act much, it looks like she's giving it her all. William H. Macy is perfectly cast and surprisingly gets some action scenes, which I wouldn't expect from him. It's not the 2004 film of the year, but as popcorn entertainment, it might be better than drawn-out blockbusters. (02/15/2014)

At first, I was quite scared about what Chris Morgan had prepared for me in his screenwriting debut, because the main abduction happens before I even get a chance to settle down, and right from the beginning it presents an unbearably (and almost unwatchable) hysterical Kim Basinger and Chris Evans trying to win back his ex-girlfriend. In the end, it turns out to be a mixture that alternates excellently built tension with logical flaws and adds a moderately high pile of clichés on top of it all. Fortunately, a likable character gradually emerges from the mess, so I had someone to cheer for, and thanks to Evans in particular, I have the impression of a better-than-average movie in Cellular. (06/06/2006)

In some places Cellular was unexpectedly surprising, but most of the movie is more or less one big cliché. But undemanding entertainment for a Friday evening. Evans is really very cool here while Statham is in a rather untraditional negative role. Also a small role for Jessica Biel was a nice surprise. How extraordinary that these three met a year later in the drama London. (05/18/2007)

If I overlook the fact that it's a bit of an ad for Nokia, I have to say that I quite enjoyed myself for almost a hundred minutes. The big plus is that neither the director, nor the screenwriter, and often not even the actors take it too seriously. The screenplay was passable, of course, the film didn't avoid several convoluted scenes and worn-out clichés, but there was nothing unbearable. The pace was very solid and you never get bored. (07/26/2005)