Cell (15)

The page-to-screen transition of Stephen King’s sort-of-zombie tale falls way short of delivering frequent short, sharp scares.

That’s despite a memorably manic opening sequence that sees people fight, planes collide and dogs eaten.

But the flick never hits those heights again as the pace slows and the cast sit around chatting about nothing particularly interesting for long spells.

John Cusack fails to halt his descent into career hell in a performance well short of his pre-2007 brilliance.

Samuel L. Jackson’s everyman is one of his most low key roles in years and the lead duo are outshone by Isabelle Fuhrman’s feisty teen.

And any sprinklings of earlier goodwill are ruined by a dire ending.