THE CELL 2

The police are hunting La Cuspide, a serial killer who kills his victims and then brings them back to life repeatedly, amplifying their pain. But the authorities have asked for the help of Maya Casteneda, one of the few victims of the killer who managed to survive and later developed paranormal abilities precisely because of the numerous death experiences the assassin subjected her to. Maya has the ability to enter people's minds and now, together with Sheriff Harris, she is on the trail of La Cuspide, who has kidnapped the sheriff's own niece. As is customary for Sony Home Enterteinment, every film that has had a decent but not exceptional box office success deserves a sequel aimed at the home video market. This time it's the turn of "The Cell," an "eccentric" thriller directed in 2000 by the Indian Tarsem Singh and starring Jennifer Lopez as the protagonist. The original film is an emblematic case of a clear divide between fans and detractors, there are those who consider it an innovative and fascinating thriller and those who think it is a ridiculous collection of visually sought-after banalities. The truth, as often happens, lies in the middle: a banal thriller that narratively adds nothing to the genre but with the merit of a fascinating aesthetic that makes it unique in its sector. Now, after a full nine years, the sequel arrives, which, stripped of the aesthetic sophistication of its predecessor, remains a banal and stupid thriller like many seen on the shelves of video stores. The story of "The Cell 2" takes a very loose inspiration from that of the first chapter, creating a continuity link only in an unnecessary and forced mini-prologue in which a narrator's voice and some archival images explain in a few words the passing of the baton between the two protagonists. The only narrative point of contact is the protagonist's ability to penetrate the mind of a serial killer, but if before it happened thanks to technology, here it is all the work of the beautiful Hispanic woman who has been put in charge; in short, the film enters more directly into the world of the supernatural and does so brazenly and without too many explanations. There have been countless police officers or consultants in investigations with mental powers and/or paranormal abilities in cinema, so the idea of the screenwriters (four of them!) is not among the most surprising; the only thing that appears interesting in the plot of this film is the modus operandi of the killer, the amplification of pain through continuous deaths and resurrections. The idea sounds improbable, ok, but it is not bad at all, pity that it was then decided to season everything with questionable and laughable choices: La Cuspide has a hideout, a look (black dress with a hood covering his face) and some torture devices that insistently remind us of the Enigmista from the ubiquitous "Saw," moreover some of his characteristics such as the fear of the dark and the inexplicably metallic voice, as well as the very weak final confrontation, detract a lot from the charm that his figure could initially arouse. The direction of the television director Tim Iacofano (the TV series "24," "C.S.I.," and "Supernatural") is very anonymous, the classic hand of someone who has been put there only because there was a need for someone to perform his job; moreover, at times it is evident the low-budget origin of the product, poorly disguised with many interiors, exteriors shot exclusively in caves and near abandoned warehouses and a photography that does everything to appear sought-after with the use of particular chromatic effects. The result is obviously modest and is closer to that of a less prestigious TV series than to a feature film that carries the title of the film with Lopez. The cast leaves much to be desired with a Tessie Santiago and a Chris Bruno - respectively in the roles of Maya and Sheriff Harris - who are not very expressive and the participation of Frank Whaley, whom someone may remember as Brett from "Pulp Fiction." The only consolation is that at least "The Cell 2" does not bore.