ENDING SPOILER -- BE WARNED

Rating: Null/10 (8 June 2000)

This movie is a futuristic adaptation of a play by Jean-Paul Sartre called "No Exit". In both the movie and the play, several people with no obvious connection are thrown together for no obvious reason. The movie performs best when it follows the Sartre plot closely but strikes some flat notes when it strays too far. For example, the early character interaction (while somewhat wooden) is very beleivable. However, the hints that "the Government" created the Cube (naturally)add little to the plot while Sartre's room is a metaphor for a possible afterlife (a thought our movie characters never seriously consider).
The tension between the characters was fairly well done although it escalated to the truly homocidal a little too quickly and too disjointedly for my taste. And, while the movie had some well-timed and truly stomach twisting turns(PLOT SPOILER WARNING)-- like the cold-blooded murder of the doctor --the final blood bath and the weepily symbolic ascension of the idiot were a little to trite to be consistent with the movie's thoughtful tone.
All in all, really worth seeing once. If you have already seen it, I strongly recommend reading No Exit and then seeing it again. You will enjoy the contrast.
Feel free to let me know what you think.
P.S. I think the "Lord of the Flies" comparisons made by many fellow reviewers miss the mark a little.