26 Years Later, The Cell's Twin Peaks Meets Inception Movie Story Is Even More Of A Must-Watch

Published Sep 6, 2026, 12:55 PM EDT Zoë Miskelly is an editor and second in command for Screen Rant's Movies team, having covered the entertainment industry for almost 10 years now. Zoë's love of superheroes and all things Marvel & DC started out in childhood, and has blossomed into a career getting to talk about some of the biggest and best movies and shows of all time, having previously focused on comics while working at WhatCulture. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The 2000 movie that has a story that mixed the plots of Inception and Twin Peaks before Inception itself even released is all the more worth watching today for a range of reasons. While 2000 saw the release of some of the most famous movies of all time - including Mission: Impossible 2, Gladiator, Cast Away, and X-Men - there were also plenty of films that released during this time that fell through the cracks when it comes to the long-term. This makes sense given the wide range of releases that came out during this time, but does mean it's fascinating to revisit this period in time, especially since it comes at a point in film history where a lot of experimentation and interesting developments for an assortment of genres can be evidenced in various releases that emerged during the course of this year. One particularly interesting movie that demonstrates this has a truly unique plot that simultaneously mirrors aspects of some of the biggest releases in the history of both cinema and television in the form of Twin Peaks and Inception, making it a psychological and distinctive story that's well worth forming your own thoughts on for more than one reason. 2000's The Cell Is A Fascinating Blend Of Twin Peaks' Psychological Horror & Inception-Esque Sci-Fi While The Cell is often a more forgotten movie today, aspects of its story are shared with some of the most famous movies and shows of all time. For example, The Cell's closest comrade in terms of its premise is that of iconic sci-fi movie Inception, as both films are about protagonists using a device to go into someone's subconscious in order to extract or alter information within it. While this is used for espionage in Inception, it's used for therapeutic purposes in The Cell, though the technology is then utilized in the story to try and obtain the location of a serial killer's lair in order for his final victim to be saved before she dies. As this concept might suggest, The Cell deals in a lot of abstract imagery and surrealist sequences as it explores the psyche of its serial killer, leading it to also have parallels to Twin Peaks and the surrealist way the show explored its own murder mystery story, including both involving supernatural-esque beings that are implied to be symbols of psychological torment and abuse. The Cell's Story & Divided Reception Makes It A Must-Watch For Movie Fans Interestingly enough, though The Cell has striking similarities to these two very critically acclaimed on-screen stories, its own reception has been more divided overall. Today, The Cell has a 46% Tomatometer critic score, and a 57% Popcornmeter audience score, reflecting how its reviews, while not all bad, have a more mixed overall result. Ironically, these scores - and the common complaints about the movie - do make it more worth people watching to form their own opinions, since the consensus is mixed on how certain aspects of the film land. This is most clear given the split reception to how the more artistic and surreal moments of the movie work, with some resonating with these scenes and moments, and some finding them pretentious or without true substance. With the reception to these reactions being almost split down the middle for both critics and more general moviegoers alike, it makes all the more sense that the only way to truly know where you stand on the movie and its quality is to watch the whole thing for yourself - and indeed, depending on what aspects of the film an audience member enjoys the most, The Cell could be a solid way to see what other movies or shows a viewer would enjoy best. The Cell 2/10 Release Date August 18, 2000