Directed by:
Vincenzo NataliCinematography:
Derek RogersComposer:
Mark KorvenCast:
Maurice Dean Wint, Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller, Julian Richings, Wayne RobsonVOD (2)
Plots(1)
This low-budget science-fiction drama, winner of a 1997 Toronto Film Festival prize for "Best Canadian First Feature," depicts the plight of a group of people clad in prison-style uniforms and trapped in futuristic cube-like metal cells. Their memories are hazy; no one can recall how they got there. Alderson (Julian Richings) awakens in a cell, seeks an exit, and arrives in an adjacent cube where he's sliced and diced. Former cop Quentin (Maurice Dean-Wint) becomes the group leader, and he's challenged by conspiracy theorist Dr. Holloway (Nicky Guadagni). Government worker Worth (David Hewlett) remembers a past government link to the project. A discovery that the cubes have numerical codes suggests study by math-student Leaven (Nicole deBoer) while former thief Rennes (Wayne Robson) knows some escape tricks. However, the extreme behavior of Kazan (Andrew Miller) becomes a threat to their survival. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (7)
Cubegained quite a cult status in both horror circles and among the general public quite soon after its release, which more than anything else speaks to the state of the horror genre in the mid-nineties. While the basic premise, avoiding looking anywhere beyond the titular cube, its creators, and their motivations still work well (however mutilated by the subsequent sequels), the rest of the film's disciplines suffer here like Hus. The whole thing is blighted by terrible editing, scenes separated by blackouts look clueless, the actors aren't guided well, and it's not helped by the terrible drivel that falls out of them when least expected, apparently in an attempt to create a psychological thriller. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, and the way the main black guy keeps bulging his eyeballs would earn a knowing nod even from Nicholas "Not the Bees!" Cage. I'd recommend five-star folks remember rather than refresh.
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Cube isn't perfect - it has its weaker moments, but you shouldn't let them deter you because what you experience with the characters, even though some may become very annoying, is more than a strong spectacle. Just immerse yourself a little in their role, which isn't that difficult, and you'll realize that this is really something you don't desire, something you would not want to be a part of. As a film, though, it's a powerful experience that showed me that Canadian horror is good and sometimes downright excellent.
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At first, it's very likable and imaginative, but over time, it becomes more and more nonsensical and exaggerated. The characters often fall into pseudo-analysis of each other against the backdrop of a recent terrifying experience that stop being believable the second time around and major personality shifts happen almost from minute to minute. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the ignorance of practically all the characters, which is also the ignorance of the audience. The sudden surprise that can hide in any room is taken to an absolute peak here, which is slightly ruined by increasingly complicated math games.
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I suddenly fancied rewatching a film that I remembered as excellent and original sci-fi horror and I was quite unpleasantly surprised. Cube is undoubtedly original, but the transition of that premise to the screen was not painless. The script tries to work with the psychology of the characters, but without much success. Actually, the bullshit it forces the characters to say is something I hadn’t seen in a long time. And on top of that, the actors are really awful (the black cop is so bad that it was funny). It was a real disappointment the second time around, the points are mostly for the idea and the atmosphere. 7/10
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You can see that if there is an interesting and original script, it is enough for an entire film to take place in a bathroom and the viewer will be satisfied. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I guess so did the creator when he came up with the idea of setting the whole film in one cube. And he pulled it out! I didn't get a chance to get bored for the whole ninety minutes and the only reason I’m not giving it four stars is because I didn't like the ending very much.
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