Several people find themselves trapped in a mysterious maze of featureless cubical rooms with hatches in the center of all six interior faces, each leading to another room. Some of these rooms have hidden death traps. How is survival possible, let alone escape?
Cube is one of those movies that feels like it's only a film because its concept is a little too extra to be produced as a stage play. While the sci-fi horror concept of a high-tech mystery death maze provides an iconic thrilling setting with a clear escape question, far far more about the film is about the character dynamics and dialogues the cast indulge in. While the mystery of the film and the escape discovery is central, the actual deaths and traps are not. Can't have discussions if you're killing off the cast throughout the film.
Each of the characters meets each other for the first time, identified by their surnames being printed on jumpsuits the cast have all been dressed in once imprisoned. Quentin is a cop, and he tries to maintain order and get an action plan. Holloway is a doctor, and she tries to keep respect and kindness. Leaven is a student, and her mathematical knowledge and eyeglasses are key to deciphering numerical sequences between the rooms. Worth is a cynic and he doesn't seem to react much to the nature of their situation. And Kazan is an autistic man of few words whose sensory issues make him unpredictable in the high-stress scenarios of the cube. These characters must cooperate as they begin to find a kind of logic in the madness that helps them to avoid trapped rooms and figure out the limits and rules of the structure they're in. But they fall into concerning disharmony as time goes on. Quentin believes in the system; Holloway believes in conspiracies and distrusts authority. Worth thinks there's nothing to blame, and his detachment and Kazan's behavior set Quentin off. As the film develops, every character shows new sides to them, and you'll see yourself admiring someone you disregarded and absolutely detesting someone you gave a chance to. The actors may not be the best, but the drama still works. I do have problems with the use of the autistic character, because it's hard not to see the film participating in some ableism and stereotyping.
I think a few of the twists in the film were predictable, but that's not the point.
Everybody trapped wonders why the cube exists, why they're in it, who made it and what its purpose is. Eventually, Worth suggests the most chilling and compelling answer—it all just came together out of disparate directives from contractors and companies and agencies who weren't communicating, thus mutating into the giant death trap it was and being used just to be in use without any oversight. Through this, a sobering analogy is drawn—in life, everybody wants to keep their head down and do their part without considering a bigger picture, and that lack of perspective is how global crises can arise.
A staggering sci-fi concept made to discuss banality.
Several people find themselves trapped in a mysterious maze of featureless cubical rooms with hatches in the center of all six interior faces, each leading to another room. Some of these rooms have hidden death traps. How is survival possible, let alone escape?
Cube is one of those movies that feels like it's only a film because its concept is a little too extra to be produced as a stage play. While the sci-fi horror concept of a high-tech mystery death maze provides an iconic thrilling setting with a clear escape question, far far more about the film is about the character dynamics and dialogues the cast indulge in. While the mystery of the film and the escape discovery is central, the actual deaths and traps are not. Can't have discussions if you're killing off the cast throughout the film.
Each of the characters meets each other for the first time, identified by their surnames being printed on jumpsuits the cast have all been dressed in once imprisoned. Quentin is a cop, and he tries to maintain order and get an action plan. Holloway is a doctor, and she tries to keep respect and kindness. Leaven is a student, and her mathematical knowledge and eyeglasses are key to deciphering numerical sequences between the rooms. Worth is a cynic and he doesn't seem to react much to the nature of their situation. And Kazan is an autistic man of few words whose sensory issues make him unpredictable in the high-stress scenarios of the cube. These characters must cooperate as they begin to find a kind of logic in the madness that helps them to avoid trapped rooms and figure out the limits and rules of the structure they're in. But they fall into concerning disharmony as time goes on. Quentin believes in the system; Holloway believes in conspiracies and distrusts authority. Worth thinks there's nothing to blame, and his detachment and Kazan's behavior set Quentin off. As the film develops, every character shows new sides to them, and you'll see yourself admiring someone you disregarded and absolutely detesting someone you gave a chance to. The actors may not be the best, but the drama still works. I do have problems with the use of the autistic character, because it's hard not to see the film participating in some ableism and stereotyping.
I think a few of the twists in the film were predictable, but that's not the point.
Everybody trapped wonders why the cube exists, why they're in it, who made it and what its purpose is. Eventually, Worth suggests the most chilling and compelling answer—it all just came together out of disparate directives from contractors and companies and agencies who weren't communicating, thus mutating into the giant death trap it was and being used just to be in use without any oversight. Through this, a sobering analogy is drawn—in life, everybody wants to keep their head down and do their part without considering a bigger picture, and that lack of perspective is how global crises can arise.