The good, the mediocre, and the very bad

Rating: 6/10 (2 May 2008)

"Cube" has gained a sizable cult reputation, and I was pretty curious when I finally got to see it now, in 2008. Although I expected a certain amount of rough edges from its indie/low-budget background, I have to say the edges were rougher than I expected. There is a giant chasm between what is good about this movie, and what is bad about it. Personally I can handle movies that are "wrong" in some ways, if they have other things going for it. "Lawnmower Man" is an example of a movie where viewer forgiveness may go to such extents that the movie becomes enjoyable. "Cube", unfortunately, didn't pass this threshold with me.
To summarize my thoughts, top-down:
1. the basic premise of the movie is excellent, as is the set design
2. on a synopsis level, it's still pretty good, though some aspects (like the "Rain Man" type character) look contrived
3. on a script/chain of events level, it's decent, and explores the basic premise well. The complete lack of character exposition is problematic though.
4. on a script/DIALOGUE level, I think it's pretty damn weak, and the acting makes this problem worse.
I don't think I've seen a promising movie with such awful dialogue in a long time. The characters, trapped in a hostile environment, start hating each other after about 2 minutes. Idiotic, and bizarrely lacking in psychological realism. And those lofty philosophical exchanges about society, responsibility, existence and so on -- which the characters launch into as if someone had suddenly pressed a button on their backs? If you want to insist on metaphors, why not use your brains and be elegant and original about it?
The actors didn't help much. The "cop" guy lost all credibility after an OK start, but the female doctor was beyond belief from the first minute. I'm not sure the actors are to blame, as much as the director... but they sure didn't help.
I wasn't very impressed with "Saw" (the first one), but "Cube" made that one look like "The Shining". This movie should be re-made with a completely rewritten dialogue, strong actors, and a much improved opening and ending. Too bad.