2000, R, 108 minutes

The MTV generation is starting to have more and more of an effect on the movie industry, with a share of positive influences as well as negative. In 1999, two of the best movies all year (Fight Club and Being John Malkovich) were brought to life by men who had formerly worked as music video directors. The upside of music video talent is that they usually have an amazing eye for the visual aspects of film, however, the downside is that they're also more likely to forget about the plot. This is the case with newcomer Tarsem Singh. While The Cell may lose track of its story at times, the stunning visual elements and the compelling characters manage to make up for it.

The basic setup for The Cell involves three different character perspectives that tie together nicely thanks to screenwriter Mark Protosevich. The first of the three is that of Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez), a child psychologist using a groundbreaking technology in order to connect with a comatose boy. With the bill going to the boy's wealthy parents, Catherine is actually able to enter the child's mind and become a part of it while connected. The next story line follows a severely disturbed psychopath named Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), who has a fetish for kidnapping and drowning innocent women. The final piece of the puzzle involves Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn), the FBI agent in charge of tracking down and capturing Stargher. After a brilliant manhunt, these characters quickly collide, and before you know it Catherine is entering the mind of a psychopath in order to save his latest kidnapping victim.

Without a doubt, The Cell was produced with one key element in mind: visual effects. If Tarsem Singh's primary goal was to create a film that was completely original as well as surreal and mind-altering, it's safe to say that he definitely succeeded. From the opening frame, we know this film is going to be like no other. The landscapes resemble artistic visions in the mind of Salvador Dali, and the only difference is the people on this canvas can move around freely and interact. It's hard to imagine what it would be like inside the mind of a serial killer, but what we see in The Cell is as good of a guess as any.

What surprised me most about this film was that it included characters who were easy to relate to and care about, as well as a fairly intriguing story that holds up well until becoming a bit muddled towards the end. It seems most movies nowadays rely primarily on the story or the special effects, so it was nice to see a combination of the two for a change. The plot is good enough to hold your interest and build some suspense in the process, but it certainly would've benefited from a twist or two in order to shake things up.

The one thing that keeps The Cell from becoming all style and no substance is the cast. Jennifer Lopez gave the best turn of her career in the 1998 crime flick Out of Sight, and it was nice to see her follow-up with another solid performance, particularly in a film that placed an emphasis on the surrounding elements instead of the actors. Vince Vaughn seemed slightly out of place in the role of an FBI agent, but he eventually comes off as quite believable. Vincent D'Onofrio was also very good in this film, as he seems to have a knack for portraying confused, schizophrenic psychopaths.

Even if you aren't the biggest fan of CGI and special effects, if you go into this film with an open mind, chances are you'll be mesmerized by the barrage of acid-like visuals and biblical imagery. Although the story behind The Cell could've been more suspenseful and occasionally loses focus, the solid acting and the surplus of eye candy make it an enjoyable experience.