CELL

US, 2016, 98 minutes, Colour.
John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Owen Teague, Stacey Keech.
Directed by Todd Williams.

Cell is based on a story by Stephen King who also wrote the screenplay. It does not quite have the impact that may have been intended.

The film opens at Boston airport with John Cusack arriving, phoning his family and planning to meet them. But chaos breaks out, especially for people on their mobile phones, cell phones, who receive a destructive message which turns them berserk and they turn on each other, violently killing, like the walking dead.

In the subway, John Cusack meets a train driver, Samuel L.Jackson and they take refuge in an apartment, being joined by a young woman, Isabelle Fuhrman. They travel throughout the countryside, threatened by the walking dead, finding some refuge but then people being turned, and finding to a school where they are welcomed by the principal, Stacey Keech, and travel with one of the students, Owen Teague.

There are a lot of bizarre episodes, some self-sacrifice before some kind of resolution for a few as they go into an apocalyptic future.

The film was directed by Tod Williams who also directed Paranormal Activity 2 and The Door in the Floor.

1. Apocalyptic drama? Melodrama? Disaster in the US? In the world? Future?

2. A Stephen King story, his writing the screenplay? The ingredients of a Stephen King thriller?

3. The credibility of the plot, the message through the cell phones, wreaking havoc on the listeners, turning them into the living dead, zombie-like, murderous?

4. The opening, the planes, the ordinary airport? Clay and his contacting his family, away from the year, the family wanting him? His cell phone losing power?

5. The chaos erupting around him, the people on their phones, ordinary, the transformations, the violence, the viciousness, blood and gore?

6. Clay, his attempt to survive, hiding, fleeing, pursued, the mayhem in the airport, in the streets? His getting to his apartment? The travel through the underground, the people on the train, travelling the tracks, Tom and his work for the railways, befriending Clay?

7. Clay attempting to find his family? The hiding in the apartment? Alice and her presence, seeking refuge?

8. The journey, through the city, to the countryside, homes and taking refuge, people welcoming them, then transformed and vicious? The hazards of the post-apocalyptic road?

9. Going to the school, the headmaster, his help, the students, Jordan, his situation, helping? The attempt to spray the sports field? The conflagration? The explosion? The death of the headmaster?

10. Continuing on, the continued hazards? In the woods? Healthy people? Zombie people? Clay and his decision to find his son, going into danger, Tom’s warnings?

11. The ending, Clay and his son, the others dead – and a disastrous future?