An Indie Flick for Rod Serling Geeks

Rating: 6/10 (27 November 2005)

Cube is what Saw would have been if it took place in a series of interconnected, incrementally rotating cubes and tried a little too hard to be The Twilight Zone. This film had an interesting idea behind it and it pulled off many things very well, but there were points in this claustrophobic sci-fi thriller where the film's shortcomings were glaringly obvious.
Now any film buff has to respect the indie cred of a director who shoots an entire movie in a 14'x14'x14' enclosure, and set design was definitely one of Cube's strong suits; the set was convincing and slick, plus the many multi-colored chambers (particularly the red ones) all elicited the desired effect from the audience, making effective cinematography a snap.
However, one of the biggest problems with this movie was caused by the above limitations. In a film like this, back story is very important for character development, and when it comes to back story, it's ALWAYS better to "show" rather than tell. Flashbacks are much more effective than dialog in these kinds of instances, and it would have made more sense to "show" in this case, rather than having Doctor Holloway make extraordinarily accurate logic leaps on the characters of others throughout the film. As an aside, what kind of doctor was she supposed to be, anyway? Also, aside from Worth, whose character was superb, a fair portion of this film's dialog (particularly Quentin's) was laughable. My favorites were Holloway's "GET OFF HIM YOU NAZI!" and Quentin's vague, bizarre monologue about "slipping {Leaven} in the lock." The mathematics in this film were also extremely careless at many points, and from my experience with people who've seen this movie, that's a detail that either really bothers you or it doesn't at all.
My biggest quarrel with this film was the total lack of any explanation at all to the plot. How did they get in the cube? Why were they put there? Where is the cube located? Who built it? Why? None of these questions were answered, and although that may be fine for many viewers, it wasn't for me. In the best sci-fi movies, the writers always do their best to make things at least sort of make logical sense, but no such luck here.
All in all, it really depends what you look for in a movie. Cube was an above-average indie flick that remained entertaining in a cramped environment that would have grown tedious in the hands of many directors. It was effectively suspenseful and creepy, although the character studies and psychological elements largely fell short. If you're a fan of science fiction and suspense and you'll accept psychology that isn't quite Hitchcockian, then I recommend renting Cube, because you will enjoy. If none of the above are your thing or you're a nitpicky math person, avoid this one and rent Lifeboat instead.