Nice look, shame about the end

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2000)

Cube has moments of suspense that really work. I had to put it on pause once to take a break from the tension. All of this despite the fact that there is too much damn dialogue and it poses like a great intellectual piece while at the same time including some extreme lapses in logic and an ending straight out of the worst moron slasher movie - which is all the more depressing because it robs the movie of any emotional resolution. It takes itself way too seriously, and I am not saying that just because I am a Lucas-fed man-child hiding from reality. Sure, I love the Original Trilogy, but what this movie is hiding from is A POINT. It is something very well shot by Derek Rogers, but straining from someone's auteur stubbornness when it comes to leading the film somewhere or exploring the logic of certain scenes given what is later revealed as the villain is exposed. There is nothing worse than a brilliant puzzle with a dumb villain to dillute it. However, I will give him this: He does have a knack for sneaking up on people in a world where every opening door has a clearly established sound and he proved to be blessed with amazing brilliants when it comes to negotiating the maze ALONE as long as it is in the service of negative audience manipulation. Had someone less tight-ass rewritten the script, it might have made money outside of France. Okay, there is a following in the States, but all I can leave you with is this: if you can see it for free and you have nothing better to do, fine. But don't pay money or time unless you have really heavy enui.