A surprising study

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2010)

The story in this movie seems simple, but it's the kind of story that could go in any direction. Several people find themselves in a series of room, many of which are booby trapped. This fact is presented to us before any of the characters themselves, so there's no surprise to us that they face danger at every turn. The suspense of this, and the fact that there are no Hollywood stars around keeps the viewer not knowing who may die and how.
Beyond this simple fact, there are the relationships that develop between and among characters. While a truly thoughtful writer could have carried this aspect in other directions, the story here keeps those moments restrained. The script is very effective in moving things along, with a few contrived leaps in logic, but it's all in the characters, and it just so happens that they're right. Imagining myself in the same situation, I can't believe that I would automatically assume myself to be inside a giant cube formation, but in this film, and each of the following ones, that assumption is made by the characters without enough clues to work with.
The mixture of personality types is intriguing and turns out to be key to the movie. Each character is presented well enough, although none of the acting stands out. Then, this movie isn't about acting, it's truly all about the suspense of moving from one room to another, and trying to outthink the characters as they reach their conclusions about the purpose of the whole thing.