Cube (1997)

Average rating

(63%)

Starring:	Nicky Guadagni \| David Hewlett \| Wayne Robson \| Maurice Dean Wint
Director:	Vincenzo Natali
Studio:	FIRST INDEPENDENT VIDEO
Run time:	87 mins
Collections:	100 Horror Films
Genres:	Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Languages:	English
Released:	January 17, 2000

Six Strangers awaken from their daily lives to find themselves trapped in a surreal prison - a seemingly endless maze of interlocking cubical chambers armed with lethal booby traps. None of these people knows why or how they were imprisoned... But it soon emerges that each of them has a skill that could contribute to their escape. Who created this diabolical maze, and why? There are unanswered questions on every side, whilst personality conflicts and struggles for power emerge as the tension rises. But one thing is crystal clear: unless they can learn to co-operate to work out the secrets of this deadly trap, none of them has very long to live.

Rating of 4 stars out of 5

In this sci-fi thriller, six strangers wake up to find themselves in a 14ft by 14ft cube. When they try to get out they find they are snared in a seemingly endless maze of interlocking cubicles armed with lethal booby traps. How did they get there? Why have they been incarcerated? Director Vincenzo Natali's extraordinary debut feature takes a unique idea and milks its potential to the maximum with panache and visual dexterity. Genuinely creepy and gory, with the discernible influence of David Cronenberg, this puzzler is awash with bold ideas and unsettling tension.

Rating of 1 stars out of 5
Halliwell's Film Guide

Teasing low-budget science-fiction movie that makes the most of its puzzling qualities.

Highest rated reviews

20 out of 26 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
Budget? What budget?

Phil from Midlands, 8th December, 2003

Wow! A low budget horror film with an original plot and engaging characters!

Cube is low budget in the best way - you think around the budget and come up with a film where it doesn't really matter - kind of like Blair Witch Project did. The plot is interesting and there is intrigue throughout, as well as good characterisation and motivations. Effects are good and the set is imaginative.

In some ways this film reminded me of the cheap horrors of the 80's, but it's not fair to compare it to those - it is way ahead of them in most regards.

Definitely recommended to those who like gory fun!

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16 out of 18 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4 stars
Compelling and Tense.

Chris from York, 10th June, 2004

It was the description of the film that first appealed to me; six strangers awaken to find themselves trapped in a surreal prison, with no idea how they got there, or why. It is this mysterious and unanswered question that first engaged me, especially once the movie started. However, as it progressed, I was compelled by the tenseness of the situation, well portrayed through the variety of characters and occurrences.

In a film with no more settings than a series of coloured cubes, the script needed to be good - and it would have been better without a few flaws in acting skills from some of the cast. However, I did find myself feeling tense and on the edge at certain points with the extreme danger faced by the characters.

The writers have excelled themselves in the technical department, with a number of highly detailed and well-thought out processes involved in the design of the cube. The only aspect of the film I was disappointed with, was the lack of logic in the explanation. It reminded me of a Japanese horror film, where things happen for no reason. Although the lack of a decent explanation does not ruin the film, discovering the reason for the cube was one of my main reasons for watching it in the first place.

The special effects also needed to be good, and for a low-budget film, these are fantastically done. The gruesome aspects and the fictional prison are well constructed and implemented.

It is definitely well worth a watch.

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