Hey folks, Valkor here. I must apologize for being behind on the BluView section; getting Blu-Ray films for review are still new to TOV and we mostly get DVDs (Not hating). But we'll soon see a nice surge of BD titles and to kick things off we have a look at a direct to video title of Jennifer Lopez's "The Cell", but it features a new actress, Tessie Santiago, in a new scenario, with similar powers titled "The Cell".
"The Cell 2" starts off with Tessie's Character Maya, who's working with the FBI to hunt down a killer known as "The Cusp". What the Cusp does is, he kills women and then brings them back to life. And it's Maya's job to use her special powers to see into the eyes of the victims and hopefully, locate Cusp; in this particular case she uses her abilities to try and see into the Cusp's mind; but he surprises her by whispering her name, letting her know that he knows that she is watching. In the end, he kills the girls and gets away. It's now one year later and Maya is once again asked by the FBI to use her powers, this time, to help find the niece of a local law enforcer. Who is the Cusp? And what's his attachment to Maya? Like how can he detect her when she is in his mind? And can they find the niece before the Cusp kills her and doesn't bring her back? These questions and more are answered, as well as raising a new one.
Believe it or not, "The Cell 2" isn't all that bad. It's super cheesy, but in a rich, cheddary kinda way. And if you like cheddar, you will like this film. The acting isn't the greatest, but definitely doesn't hinder the flow of the film which is very well paced. No crazy effects, especially for a film that draws on a woman with psychic/telekinetic abilities. I mean there are some effects, but nothing heavy. My only objection is the actor chosen to be the Cusp, yea you can predict who he is well before the "reveal", but I mean why not someone with a bit more bulk and a bit more bass to sound imposing?
Audio/Video
The film is presented in 1.85:5 ratio, which you can watch in full 1080p. Video quality is crisp and clean of any artifacts and compression effects. Plus I love the deepness of the blacks presented. Audio-wise you run the gamut of Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 surround sound, Dolby Digital English, French 5.1 and German 5.1.
The Extras
You get one extra, which is a behind the scenes special feature. Basically, it's everyone patting each other on the back about how great the film is, why they wanted to do it, and what it was like making the film. You know the type.
Overall, this is definitely a rent before you buy; I was never a fan of the original film, but The Cell 2 isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I guess with a fresh new actress in the lead role and a whole new scenario, it's all rather refreshing to see. So, out of TOV 5 stars, I'll meet "The Cell 2" halfway and give it 2.5 stars.
