Brilliant idea. Almost brilliant execution but not quite....

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2002)

A perfect example of the fact that you don't need to have a big budget or big names to make a fantastic movie. My message to people who don't understand the plot of this movie or comment on the stupidity of people trapped in a cube or the fact that nothing is explained satisfactorily on how they got there or what the cube is there for, is this......none of that is the point or the driving force behind the story at all!
This is a movie about how different people react when in a particular situation.....This time round it's a matter of survival... We get to see how different people with different personalities and driving forces react in a situation they all find themselves mysteriously stuck in. On this level this movie works brilliantly. Although for my money the performance of the idiot savant was overbearing and nearly always bordering on too much the rest of the cast were great. Sure some of the plot devices (such as them miraculously being able to decipher the meaning of the numbers in the cube) border on the "Yeah right what utter crap" side of movie cliches and suspension of reality, but if you can look past these small flaws and actually think (yes I realize that watching a movie and thinking are at odds with the mindset required for viewing the majority of big budget hollywood blockbusters) about the story and the way it is handled then this is a movie which WILL have much much more of an effect on the way you view many things than any "100 minutes of light entertainment" movie ever will.
Overall
Great plot, good acting. At no stage did I ever have the slightest feeling that I'd be better off spending my time doing something else. Unfortunately has a few flaws and minor annoyances which let it down.
8 stars out of 10.