Cube (1997)

by Rizzy

Cube, cube, cube.  What is there to say about this movie? It was actually purchased for me by the amazing Lee for my birthday last year when he found out that I had never seen it before.  Why buy me a movie I had never seen?  Cause it combines two of my favorite things in this world: horror/subsense style films and math. That's right this entire film is about math in a way... it's about a group of people who wake up in a maze of cubes that are filled with booby traps and have to find their way out. The traps can be "solved" though with the use of math, it's actually pretty good.

Ok, anyone who has watched this film with me, knows that I'd start here.  With the acting of Maurice Dean Wint and Nicky Guadagni.  It's painful, really. I really shouldn't be so hard on Guadagni, because she's not so bad until she's arguing with Wint, but Wint over there, yeah, he's terrible.  He plays angry bad go with zero depth at all. From the start of the film you don't like his pushy ways and it just grows.  I think he could have had added a lot more interest with this role if he had started it out more modest and made you almost like him and then built into hating him, but no, he's just so damn annoying you spend half the movie thinking "why don't they just kill him already?!" And he's one of the main characters, so brace yourself for some pain.

Not all the acting in the movie is terrible though, in fact I really enjoyed David Hewlett's performance. Despite the fact that he spends much of the filming the background being moody, anytime that he does get a moment to talk, he more than shines. He really understands his character and plays him with a lot of depth. That and he makes someone who you should potentially hate become someone who you love more that almost any of the other cast members, bravo!!

Considering that there is basically one set in this entire film that you see over and over again, I got to admit that they did an awesome job designing it. Tell me that this doesn't just look creepy as all hell? Well, it does, that's for sure.  It's also plain enough to not distract while being interesting enough to look at. Really, the set here adds a lot to the intrigue of the film, because it's kind of a mystery in and of itself. I mean look at that and tell me that you don't feel a bit curious about it? Also the traps on it are spectacular! The entire thing just screams out "well designed."

Where Cube really shines is in continually adding depth to the trap that they are in.  Every piece of the puzzle seems well calculated and planned. Really the only factor that could potentially break them or make them is how they interact with each other and how quickly they figure out all the pieces to the puzzle. Every time they seem to have the entire thing figured out, there is a new factor that enters in.  Right down to why each person is there seems to all go with the harmony of this puzzle. These types of films made me wish I was more of a math nerd... I used to be, but even if you aren't the mathematics in this film really take a back seat to the drama that goes on between the characters.

Where this film does excel beyond others is in the drama within the group. Everyone is constantly at ends with each other and you have a lot of strong personalities/characters bumping heads with one another, which makes for an interesting film. If they were all perfect people working together in harmony, chances are they would have all gotten out a lot quicker and in tact, but they jump to assumptions and risk each other's well being. Though you guys know me, I'm a sucker for a film that makes the makes the bad guy just as much the people around you as it does the thing that is obviously the enemy. This film does that well. You don't know what to be more afraid of: the traps or the people you are working with to avoid the traps.

All in all, despite some bad acting, this film is pretty fantastic. For being a one set show, you really don't feel bored during it, but feel like it keeps moving forward even though they spend the entire film stuck in basically the same place.  That takes good writing. I'd really recommend you to check this movie out  It's definitely one that is different enough to be worthwhile.

Update: We now have a new Cube drinking game!