Cube

Cube is a movie that explores human nature and our instinctive urges for survival vs our humanitarianism. Not a new concept, I know, however this movie does it in style, with a plot so simple that it could only be the work of a conceptual genius. I don't intend to give too much away, as the power of the film lies in it's mystery, but I will say that this movie could almost be classified as disturbing, not due to its content, but rather the thoughts that it instills in the audience. I found myself rather shaken as I left the cinema, feeling as though I had been exposed to an ugly, hidden side of humanity and society. Don't get me wrong, this movie is definitely worth seeing, I would even be so bold as to say that it must be seen! I must admit that there are few movies I have seen that have had such a profound affect on me, and I don't think I am alone in my feelings.

It probably cost about half the budget of this movie, to make the opening sequence, which successfully gets your attention. Once it has your attention it simply refuses to let you go, it is compelling to say the least.

The entire cast were pretty much unknown when the film was made (and most still are), but they all gave fine performances throughout. Without the successful casting this film could have easily been a disaster, as it is almost entirely character driven. I'm glad to say that definitely is not the case.

Despite the low budget and practically unknown cast, the film manages to be clever, intriguing, thought-provoking and highly enjoyable. sadly, this film is probably a one off, i can't think of another low budget film that has half the impact of this one.

8/10 and worth every point

"Cube" is certainly a unique movie. The brilliant, absolutely irresistible premise grabs you instantly, and the production design keeps you impressed. The first hour of this picture was thoroughly engrossing and full of surprises; I would even call it "astonishing" if the actors didn't deliver some obviously forced, unnaturally "profound" speeches, and if the director didn't try to create dramatic moments by taking the easy way out - having the characters argue with each other all the time; if they acted as a team and tried to overlook their differences, THAT would have been the REALLY original approach. Still, the movie was fast-paced and fully engrossing.

And then, about 20 minutes before the end, it begins to collapse! The mathematical calculations become IMPOSSIBLE to decipher and follow. A major character changes his behavior completely. And the ending is a real disappointment. Some people have said it's "surprising"; I think it's a total cop-out. It doesn't provide any explanations, and it doesn't provide any clues for us to try to figure it out on our own. I watched the last five minutes three times. They leave you with an intense "THAT'S IT?" feeling.

Overall, this movie is definitely worth seeing, and the acting isn't nearly as bad as most people say, but be prepared for a HIGHLY unsatisfying ending. 6/10.

Interesting, suspenseful flick, with some great direction, hampered by terrible acting and atrocious dialogue. The overall concept is an intriguing one, and could have made for a better film in the hands of a competent writer, but instead the screenplay is filled with idiotic characters and ludicrous dialogue. Combined with some terrible overacting by most of the cast, and the dialogue-heavy scenes become painful to watch. Fortunately, the 'action' sequences redeem the film, as they are shot well and become incredibly suspenseful - especially the scene with the quiet room. Some great gore effects and a fitting ambiguous ending make it a worthwhile viewing.

Quentin wakes up in a square room with exits on each wall. Soon he is joined by other people, strangers, who also have no idea where they are. Looking around they find that each room leads to another one that looks just the same. One of the group is the famous prison escape artist Rennes, who realises that some of the rooms are booby-trapped but that he thinks he has got the solution. With no other ideas the group follow him and try to evade the traps and stay alive – all the time with absolutely no idea of why they are here or who has imprisoned them.

I heard about this film years ago but only recently managed to find it on television to watch. It is hard to think that it is almost a decade old now but that it is still effective and a regular cult movie that people will still talk about. Its power is in its simplicity – every room is the same and every next room could be safe or could be a trap; there is no reason for any of it and there appears to be no way out. Usually this sort of stuff makes for a great pitch but not always a good movie because the idea can't stretch beyond a catchy gimmick, however here it does it and makes it look easy. The whole film is our characters trying to work their way through the rooms without getting horribly killed. This in itself is gripping and at times unbearable to watch – horror fans may be disappointed that long periods go by without a lot of gore but personally I prefer tension to the delivery.

At the same time we also get the characters feeding the mystery of the cube, building the tension and the sense of hopelessness without ever really solving anything. It answers questions with more questions and keeps things moving well. The development of the characters is better than I expected and I liked the way that the film played with the characters, changing them as the film went along. It isn't a fantastic character piece but again it is just something that helps keep the film moving and I suppose it was interesting to see the nature of people come out. In that regard I was also impressed by the cast. I had expected poor performances from a low budget film but actually they were all quite good. Wint is best but towards the end his performance became a bit too simplistic. Hewlett underplays and probably has the least character to deal with but is still good. De Boer was effective and interesting. Robson was a nice distraction. Guadagni was a good counterweight for Wint and played well to develop him and herself at the same time. Miller was good and the pace of the film helped distract from him basically doing a Rain Man impression.

Overall an impressive low budget thriller that works because it sticks to the simple idea while building side issues with the characters and the cube around it but never actually solving anything. Perhaps it is better not to over praise it because I thought it was at its best because I didn't know what was going to happen.