Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Cell 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 13, 2025

Even when he's playing an ostensible good guy, as in his long running stint as Detective Bobby Goren on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Vincent D'Onofrio can be on the "quirky" side. And when he sinks his teeth into the sort of villainous character that Bobby Goren might have profiled on that Dick Wolf series, D'Onofrio can be one of the most viscerally disturbing screen presences of his general era. That proclivity is probably nowhere more (sorry for any Law and Order pun) in evidence than in D'Onofrio's absolutely chilling Portrait of a Serial Killer (so to speak) in The Cell, an extremely troubled man named Carl Rudolph Stargher. If D'Onofrio inarguably gives The Cell the bulk of its completely unsettling ambience, as director Tarsem Singh (The Fall) kind of hilariously jokes in a long form interview included as a supplement, if you can buy Jennifer Lopez as a psychiatrist, then does he have a film for you, D'Onofrio's presence notwithstanding.

The Cell received a 1080 Blu-ray release several years ago courtesy of its home studio Warner Brothers. Michael Reuben's The Cell Blu-ray review of that release provides ample plot information and Michael's reaction to the technical presentation, as well as a listing of that release's supplements, some of which have been ported over to this release.

The Cell 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 presentation of the main feature in its original grading, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. This is a somewhat unusual release from Arrow in terms of how I decided to offer a 2K score, above. Typically when a 4K release has a 2K disc, we score the 2K video the same way we do in any standalone 1080 offering, and when an additional 2K disc only has supplements, or in fact no 2K disc at all, we leave the 2K score above blank. This is kind of sui generis in that the second disc 1080 disc offers an alternate grading, so while the main feature in its original grading isn't provided in that resolution, I have included a 2K score this time for the presentation of the feature on that disc.

The Cell is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow provides the same insert booklet for both its 4K UHD and 1080 releases of the film, with the following information about the presentation:

The Cell has been restored by Arrow FIlms and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1 and stereo audio. Both the Theatrical and Director's Cut versions are presented in 4K resolution in HDR and Dolby Vision.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K / 16 bit resolution at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. Additional film elements containing the sections unique to the Director's Cut Version were also scanned. The film was restored in 4K resolution and color graded at Duplitech.

The new restored master of The Cell has been approved by Director Tarsem Singh and Director of Photography Paul Laufer.

All material sourced for this new mater were made available by Warner Bros.

QC review was completed by Pixelogic.

As I mention in our The Cell Blu-ray review of Arrow's great looking 1080 release, Michael didn't have much to complain about with regard to Warner Brothers' own 1080 release from years ago, though I personally found Arrow's 1080 version to improve on at least some aspects of Warner's older version. The 4K UHD presentation is interesting and often quite striking, but I was frankly a little surprised at how cool and even brown the first half hour or so of the film looks in this version. Things definitely warm up and suffusion is more vibrant as things progress, though some interstitial material, including Carl's bathtub scene and some of the police station procedural material, can still look a bit dowdy in terms of palette nuance. Once the, um, Inside Out sections begin, though, this 4K version really starts to show off some of what HDR / Dolby Vision can add to things. Singh's revolutionary design, initial filming and later post production tweaking (covered in amazing detail in the insert booklet) is absolutely resplendent in this 4K UHD version, as disturbing as some of the actual imagery may inarguably be. I was surprised in a good way at how generally tightly the grain field resolves, something that's probably even more impressive given the techniques Singh, Laufer and the team utilized to get the "look" of the interior worlds. Perhaps countering some of what has been written about the look of these scenes in particular, Laufer is on hand throughout the insert booklet information and explicitly states that the colors and contrast he wanted could not be produced either in camera or through any then current laboratory processing technique. More information in the insert booklet about the approach taken to get this very distinctive material looking like it does should be of considerable interest to any fans of the film.

Note: A potential error of missing/repeated frames in the Director's Cut has been reported to Arrow and as any further information is forthcoming, the review will be updated.

The Cell 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cell features an impressively immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The "interior" scenes may have some of the showiest surround activity, as voices dart to and fro and ominous echoes pervade the "mental space", but there is regular and quite incisive engagement of the side and rear channels throughout any number of "external" moments, including predictable vignettes like the rush toward the end of the film as a helicopter searches for the location of Carl's cell. But even some of the relatively calm hubbub in the police station or even in the facility where Catherine works can clearly place ambient environmental effects in the surround channels. The "combo platter" score (see Michael's 1080 review for a bit more information) also careens through the surround channels with some surprisingly enveloping energy. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Cell 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One (4K UHD)

• Director's Cut (1:49:18) and Theatrical Version (1:47:19) are accessible under the Choose Version Menu.


• Audio Commentaries

  Critic Commentary is new to this release and features Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson.

  
  

  Screenwriter Commentary is new to this release and features Mark Protosevich with film critic Kay Lynch.

  
  

  Director Commentary is an archival piece with Tarsem Singh.

  
  

  Production Team Commentary is also archival and features director of photography Paul Laufer, production designer Tom Loden, makeup supervisor Michele Burke, costume designer April Napier, visual effects supervisor Kevin Tod Haug and Composer Howard Shore.

• Projection of the Mind's Eye (HD; 1:29:39) is a really captivating newly produced interview with Tarsem Singh, who is surprisingly funny.


• Between Two Worlds (HD; 43:16) is a newly produced interview with director of photography Paul Laufer.

Disc Two (1080)

• Alternative Graded Version (HD; 1:47:09) offers a rather interesting viewing experience courtesy of a version provided by director of photography Paul Laufer, sourced from a HD-D5 master. This is the theatrical version offered in 1.78:1. I've uploaded a few screenshots of this version to accompany our review of Arrow's 1080 release.


• Paul Laufer Illuminates (HD; 10:47) is an overview of the background of the alternative version offered on this disc.


• Art is When You Find It (HD; 12:32) is a visual essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, offering her thoughts on how Tarsem Singh alludes to art in the film.


• The Costuming Auteur (HD; 10:37) offers film critic Abbey Bender looking at the contributions to the film made by costume designer Eiko Eshoka.


• Style as Substance: Reflections on Tarsem (HD; 11:50) is an archival piece featuring interviews with the cast and crew.


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Audio Commentary by Tarsem Singh

  Trapped in the Cell (HD*; 1:00)

  
  

  Despair in the Cell (HD*; 00:39)

  
  

  Extended Raid (HD*; 3:26)

  
  

  Early Exit (HD*; 1:52)

  
  

  Novak and Ramsey (HD*; 1:29)

  
  

  Stargher's Room (HD*; 3;20)

  
  

  Extended Confrontation with Carl (HD*; 4:14)

  
  

  Extended Carl with Victim (HD*; 3:32)

• Special Effects - Six Multi Angle Vignettes

  The Hoist (HD*; 9:44)

  
  

  First Entry (HD*; 17:01)

  
  

  Second Entry (HD*; 18:48)

  
  

  Novak's Entry (HD*; 11:26)

  
  

  Catherine's World (HD*; 9:57)

  
  

  Edward's World (HD*; 1:58)

• Trailers

  US Trailer (HD; 2:25)

  
  

  International Trailer (HD; 1:24)

• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

Additionally, Arrow has once again packaged things in a very handsome manner, with the keepcase featuring a reversible sleeve and enclosing both the aforementioned really excellent insert booklet as well as an unadvertised folded two sided mini poster. Packaging features a slipcover.

The Cell 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's kind of funny to hear Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson joke about how The Cell was one of the first discs they purchased for their home collections back in the day, because I still remember buying my copy of the film and being gobsmacked by the visuals, as well as completely unsettled by some of the "damsel in distress" content, which I still find almost unbearable to watch. With that in mind, for anyone who hasn't yet seen The Cell, it's probably best to steel the nerves as forcefully as possible. This release offers secure technical merits and outstanding supplements. Highly recommended.