Cube

Great dvd. I watch it frequently. Read more

Interesting plot, graphic, violent, gruesome. One of my favorites! Read more

I won't say too much cause there's really not much to say about the plot beyond the premise: A pack of unrelated individuals find themselves inside a complex of interconnected cube-shaped rooms which seem to go on forever. (And some of them contain traps...) Needless to say, they must get out, though they have few clues. If this premise sounds interesting to you, check it out, though you should note that this was made for only like $500,000 so the acting and production values aren't going to be up to major-release standards. I say this partially because 'Cube' is unusually prominent for a film this cheap, so it draws the attention of the sort of viewer that wouldn't necessarily be used to watching something this low-budget, and thus is unable to make the leaps necessary to get into this. It is abundantly obvious that many of the negative reviews here come from people in this position. They certainly aren't required to like 'Cube', but their opinions really aren't of much use to those who'd be part of the core audience of the film. Suffice to say, if you've watched many low-budget genre films you'll have seen plenty of cheaper effects and worse acting, so these sort of complaints won't effect you much. (And frankly the acting just generally isn't bad for the most part. The Quentin character tends to over do it a lot of the time, but everyone else is fine. They ain't gonna win any Oscars, but they're serviceable.) It does slow down perhaps a bit too much at times, but it's got enough clever, significant revelations at various points to maintain interest, and the dialogue and conflicts between the characters prove fairly entertaining during the downtime. The film has got some rather nice gore, I might mention, not a whole lot of it, but they make it count. Furthermore, it does seem to have some allegorical concerns relating to modern society and whatnot, and while it doesn't say anything terribly profound, I think it comes up with some reasonably salient and truthful comments on how the modern world works, and illustrates this stuff well through the actual plot of the film rather than just tacking it on. More significant, it's got enough going for it from a purely dramatic standpoint that it can work even if you don't care about these thematic concerns. And yeah, this movie is kinda like an overblown episode of 'The Twilight Zone', particularly reminding one of '5 Character in Search of an Exit' on a very basic level. But hell, I like that show a lot, and we could use a few more things like it in modern film/television. Yeah, a cool movie. Check it out. Grade: B+ Read more

My daughter and I love all three Cube movies. Read more

Unpredictable horror Read more

This movie drips of big aspirations. People trapped in a bizarre maze of rooms. The rooms, it turns out, are navigable, provided you're bright enough figure out their sophisticated, Rubik's Cube design. And, it turns out, the only person who might have enough brain power to ultimately get the right answer is a Rain Man-style savant who appears to be able to figure out mathematical problems that are best left to computers. That's the window-dressing. The characters are archetypes. Rather crudely drawn archetypes, but serviceable nonetheless. Among them: the alpha male, whose penchant for control is equalled by capacity for brutality; the nurturing, but sterile woman who ultimately finds her humanity; the cynical, bright man who, at least temporarily, becomes a champion; the idiot savant, all innocence and brilliance, albeit annoying. They recall, vaguely, a life before the cube. But what, exactly, is the cube? Is it a metaphor for modern life? Is it the afterlife? Is it a nightmare? Is it, like the oddly well-done Twilight Zone episode, a trashcan filled with discarded dolls. Well, the movie doesn't really answer that question. In its effort to be profound, it answers nothing. Sure, it provides some junior-psychologist insights into personality; it also toys with alienation and nihilism. But it lacks a satisfactory and satisfying ending. Movies don't need to be tied up in to neat little bows to be great. Often, the contrary is true. But the ending needs to be revelatory in some sense--to open vistas to which the story was leading, even if those vistas are mysterious, strange, unsettling, or vague. This is where Cube falls, no pun intended, flat. It is a minor melodrama, hinting of much, nicely stylized, a bit unexpectedly grisly, but ultimately unsatisfying. Now, maybe that was the film makers' vision of the world. Odd, throwaway characters (nothing deep about any of them or there capacity for communication and interrelationships), jaundiced ideals, and a meaningless existence as to which the "outside" represents something unknown and simply "brighter" than the darkness of our own existence. Maybe. But even if that is the truth, it is a story not all that well told. Why three stars? Because Cube, for all its faults, still makes you think a little, which is more than you can say for many, many movies. There are many "why's" about the ending that are worth ruminating as a jumping off point for some interesting questions--why that specific survivor, the purpose and origin of the "cube," and the significance of the final confrontation between the characters. I'm not sure I can recommend buying this movie, but at least watch it. Read more

Great price Read more