Cube (1999)

What results when you throw six annoying, self-absorbed people into a murderous Rubik’s cube filled with hundreds of deadly booby traps? Why, only one of the best science fiction flicks I’ve seen in a long, long time. The idea is ultra-simplistic. Six complete strangers wake up in a bizarre machine filled with an endless maze of attaching rooms. No one has a clue as to how they got there, who created their “prison” or why. They just know they are stuck inside and have about three days to live without food or water. Gathering their respective wits and abilities, out little crew soon decides to make a straight beeline through the rooms in hopes of finding an end. While some of the rooms are safe, others, as they soon find out, aren’t. For every two rooms that are harmless, the next three or four could contain anything from razor sharp wire to acid baths to flamethrowers. Makes things interesting you know?

“Cube” works and thrives on various levels of claustrophobia and paranoia. Watching the events unfold, you actually feel as if you are stuck in the Cube with the group, getting thirstier and weaker with each passing minute. A sense of paranoia also soon spreads as not everyone in the group is exactly who/what they claim to be. Story wise, you would think that a 90-minute movie based on six people stuck in a big cube would stretch itself thin, but there are loads of little twists and the like to keep things interesting. I enjoyed the concept of how everyone in the cube has a certain talent that when combined with the others, increases their chance for escape. This shows that they were chosen specifically to be thrown into the cube and not just at random, making you wonder just who the hell is behind it all, and that’s what really peaked my interest. I wanted to find out exactly who was responsible for the Cube, etc. The film is rather ambiguous in it’s explanation, but I think it was government made. It’s always the damn government...am I right or am I right. You can’t win between the government and the frigging aliens, you’re screwed either way. Now where did I put my hat of tinfoil? Ah, yes. Damn government rays. Where was I...right, right, the movie. Besides the paranoia and what not, “Cube” also has some nice gore effects. Between peoples faces getting squirted with acid, bodies getting cut up with razor sharp wire, “Cube” doesn’t puss out when it comes to showing the viewer the dangers of a “trapped” room. Thankfully though, the gore is sporadic and never takes away from the films main strengths. The only negatives were that some of the characters stared to wear thin on me towards the end. Some talked too much while others were just plain bastards. I guess being stuck in a big deadly box doesn’t bring out everyones good side. If you are one of those people who like everything explained by the films end you may be a little frustrated. The ending sort of makes you think, which is a good thing. Highly recommended.