Cell
Saban Films | Release Date: July 8, 2016 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
8
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
63
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonJul 8, 2016
With a bigger budget and a longer runtime, Cell could easily have been elevated above its current station as a worthy 2 AM viewing on cable — not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s cursed with some really cheap CGI, but blessed with actors who are game for, and respect, the material. Read full review
60
CineVueMartyn ConterioSep 10, 2016
Tod Williams, a journeyman best known for Paranormal Activity 2, has managed to transfer King's very popular brand of horror with a good deal of success. Read full review
60
Screen DailyJohn HazeltonJun 28, 2016
This apocalyptic thriller is a run-of-the-mill zombie flick that goes through the genre motions efficiently enough but fails to live up to its credits. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJul 7, 2016
While it’s nice to see Cusack and costar Samuel L. Jackson downplay rather than go big, Cell has a been-there-done-that quality that winds up feeling a bit disappointing. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJul 7, 2016
Even when John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson are slumming it, they’re good fun. Not enough to save the movie, but enough to keep you interested when you click across this thing sometime in your future. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Jul 6, 2016
Directed by Tod Williams (Paranormal Activity 2) and co-scripted by King himself, it brings a best seller to the big screen with a minimum of spectacle, a maximum of affordable Georgia locations, and a couple of names to splash prominently across the Amazon rental thumbnail. Read full review
42
IndieWireSteve GreeneJul 7, 2016
This is the undead equivalent of fast food. Some might find comfort in all these known quantities. Those looking for anything of substance would do better to wait for an upgrade. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayJul 7, 2016
King worked on the script for Cell, which isn’t that surprising given that many of the worst adaptations of his work have his name on them. It only proves how hard a job it is to adapt King. Even the author himself can’t ace it. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJun 23, 2016
Though it's better than its "dump this thing" theatrical release would suggest, Cell is far from excellent. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle SmithJul 7, 2016
For John Cusack in Cell, the bad news is that his phone just ran out of juice. The good news, sort of, is that those who are on their phones were just attacked by a piercing signal that turned them into flesh-munching zombies. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJul 3, 2016
The film insufficiently connects the book's prophecy with its present-day, real-world forms of realization. Read full review
33
ConsequenceNico LangJun 15, 2016
Given the absurdity of the premise, Cell isn’t nearly as luridly entertaining as it should be. Read full review
30
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJul 7, 2016
Dated, despondent and pretty much a disaster, Cell plays like a series of nods to other science fiction-horror hybrids, notably “The Matrix” (1999) and Philip Kaufman’s 1978 remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Read full review
30
Village VoiceLuke Y. ThompsonJul 6, 2016
King's decision to co-write the script and turn it into a CliffsNotes version of The Stand only makes things worse. Read full review
20
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonJul 7, 2016
There are times when Cell feels like a surreal pastiche of po-faced apocalypse movies. But no such luck: this is every bit as bad as it appears. Read full review
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