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Cube (1997) Certificate 15

Cube

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Rated 3.0 stars
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: (unknown)

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.

Radio Times

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

56 out of 87 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4.0 stars
Low budget, high quality

HalB from Midlothian, 18th January, 2005

It has to be said, if you can't afford special effects and huge sets you have to think really hard about everything else. That is evident here. This film was clearly made for less than my credit card bill and is very very good with it.

Moody, surprising, very well shot and with an excellent set of players. Despite a very simple idea, this film is never dull or predictable. Good stuff. (The gore is suprisingly.. well, gory for a 15 certificate though... Just a wee word of caution.)

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29 out of 36 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 1.0 stars
No way out!

Emma Ford from Plymouth, Devon, England, 26th May, 2005

What started off as quite an interesting concept - several strangers waking up to find themselves trapped in a series of interconnected, booby-trapped cubes - quickly turned into a melodramatic, over-the-top, bloodfest with no satisfactory conclusion or explanation. A real cop-out ending with no imagination and very disappointing. Give this one a miss!

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21 out of 27 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 4.0 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 4.0 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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Most recent reviews

1 out of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 1.0 stars
Waste of time, don't bother renting.

A Customer from Bexhill-on-sea, 10th June, 2010

This is a low budget, badly made confusing film. It was heavy going to watch and doesn't appear to have a point, apart from the fact that each member of the cast have a skill or knowledge to help them escape from the cube. However the idea doesn't work and the film is not satisfying on any level.-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

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Rated 0.5 stars
Don't bother, it's painful!

wuffstuff from , 30th April, 2010

Switched this off after about 15 minutes. It has terrible sound quality and lighting quality and the actors are all over the top hammy. Too gorey from the start and feels very dated. Didn't draw me in, just repulsed me and then irritated me. Give it a miss, you'll be disappointed if you rent it.

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Rated 3.5 stars
One cube or two?

Duzzbob from , 22nd April, 2010

I first watched the Cube many years than I care to remember ago and was blown away by the special effects and plot (that have since been copied in various other films). Watching this film for the first time today, you may think that it lacks the special effects to make it amazing, but if you can see past this, you should still find this full of enough tension and creepiness. The film simplistic in its concept is about 6 strangers who wake up in a maze of interlocking cubes that are booby trapped with deadly consequences. In order to escape they must work together using their own particular skills. However egos and desperation to survive kick in and before you know it they end up warring between themselves. And the little twist at the end, always brings a smile to my face....

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Rated 2.0 stars
Not such a gore fest

GotaLoveHorror from , 23rd January, 2010

Not a bad film, Watched this on own as hubby seen it before.. Im a horror/gore fan so didnt seem scary at all. Ideas have been used in more recent films but theres some twists with the characters that keep you interested

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