Cube

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with a man, Alderson (Julian Richings), waking up in a cube-shaped room with glowing, computer circuit-like walls and six doors, one at the center of each wall, ceiling and floor. After recovering from his confusion, he opens two of the doors and looks into them to find rooms that differ to the one he is in only by color. He then opens and goes through a third door. He looks around and then takes a step, but is suddenly cut into large square-shaped pieces. He falls apart and the rack of crosshatched wires which diced him moves into view. It folds up and retracts.Later, in another room, several people find each other: Quentin (Maurice Dean Wint), Worth (David Hewlett), Holloway (Nicky Guadagni), Rennes (Wayne Robson), and Leaven (Nicole de Boer). None of them know where they are, how they got there, or why they are there. Quentin, however, knows that there are traps, as he had looked into a room and nearly got his head cut off. The five decide to stay together and look for the way out. Rennes takes the lead. He exemplifies how to test for traps by tossing a boot into the rooms while holding onto the laces, to trigger potential traps, figuring that the trapped room contains motion detectors. Holloway speculates on several possible creators of the Cube, being aliens or the government his main ptions. Rennes remarks that staying still will not solve anything, and says that they should move in a straight line until they get to the end. The others agree, and they begin moving through the rooms.While moving, they discover a series of different numbers on the hatchways between each of the rooms. At one point, Rennes throws the boot in and does not find anything, but detects that the room has dry air, and deduces that it most likely employs an electrochemical sensor, which detects hydrogen sulphide emitted from the skin. Quentin realizes that Rennes is an escape artist who has escaped more than seven major prisons. Soon after, Rennes jumps into a room tested with a boot, and is sprayed in the face with acid. The others pull him back, but he dies as the acid corrodes his face and the inside of his head. The group decides that the room must have contained an electrochemical sensor which Rennes missed, and realize that they must find a better way of testing the rooms.Quentin asks everyone about their occupations. He says he is a police officer, Holloway says she is a doctor, and Worth says he works "in an office building, doing office building stuff." Leaven claims simply to "hang out" with her friends. Quentin believes that nothing is a coincidence, that each of them has a purpose in the cube. After Holloway talks about her rings and broaches, Quentin asks why Leaven has her glasses, while Holloway has had her jewellery taken away. Leaven reveals herself to excel at mathematics, and after looking at the numbers on a crawlspace, theorizes that when one of those numbers is prime, the room is booby-trapped.Leaven's purpose becomes attempting to "crack the Cube's code", and they progress through the cubes. When they find themselves in a room with trapped rooms all around and below, Quentin checks the door in the ceiling, through which falls a seventh person: Kazan (Andrew Miller). He appears to be mentally handicapped. At least two of the others see him as a burden, but Holloway decides to bring him along.The group starts speculating about their surroundings, which causes a conflict between Quentin and Holloway. Quentin dismisses Holloway's ideas as conspiracy theories, and Holloway thinks that Quentin is naive. Soon after this, Quentin enters a room without prime numbers and narrowly avoids death from a trap consisting of rotating razor wires. Leaven's theory that non-prime-numbered rooms are safe is shown to be incorrect. Quentin begins suspecting that Worth is a spy, and is increasingly irritated by Kazan's mental state. The group rests, while Leaven attempts to decipher the numbers.After some time, Quentin tricks Worth into revealing that he is one of the architects who designed the enormous cube-shaped shell which contains the cube-shaped rooms. When asked about who contracted him to do the job, he states that he doesn't know. Although the others begin to distrust Worth (Quentin going as far as beating him), he is able to give them information about the dimensions of the outer cube: it is 434 feet (26 rooms) on each side, totaling 17,576 rooms. Leaven then intuits that the numbers between the rooms could be encoded cartesian coordinates representing the position of rooms within the Cube. The group begins moving towards the nearest edge. As for the traps, they begin to "boot" the rooms again.The group is forced to pass through a room containing a sound-activated trap. Quentin argues to leave Kazan behind, but Holloway overrules him. Everyone makes it through, but when it is Quentin's turn, Kazan calls out, and nearly causes his death. Quentin, furious, nearly beats him, and when Holloway stops him, he turns on her and they argue heatedly, ending when Quentin slaps her. Despite the growing tensions, they continue.The group finally reaches one of the side "edges" of the Cube, but discovers that there is a gap between the door and the outer shell. They fashion a rope from their clothes, and Holloway volunteers to swing out on the rope to investigate. As she is suspended outside the room, the Cube shakes and Holloway nearly falls. Quentin catches her, but then lets her fall to her death. He tells the others that she slipped, but they are dubious.The group then decides to try to reach the "bottom" edge of the Cube, but agree that they need to rest before setting out for it. As they sleep, Quentin carries Leaven into another room. He tries to convince Leaven to abandon the others, and makes sexual advances at her and becomes abusive when it is obvious that she dislikes him. Worth and Kazan awaken and save Leaven. Quentin becomes paranoid, and says that he did not trust Holloway, to which the rest of the group guesses that he let her die. Enraged, Quentin beats and then throws Worth through a door in the floor. Worth laughs hysterically at what he sees in that room: Rennes's corpse. They think that they have been going in circles, but then Worth notices that the "acid room" which killed Rennes is no longer adjacent to that room. He and Leaven realize that the rooms must be moving. Leaven also realizes that rooms which have traps are marked with numbers which are not simply prime numbers, as she had previously thought, but the larger set of prime powers. The prisoners then face the task of performing prime calculations of three three-digit numbers for every room they enter. Fortunately, Kazan is at this point is revealed to be an autistic savant with the capacity to perform these calculations quickly and easily. He utters the number of distinct prime factors each number has, as the room numbers are read to him.They make their way towards the exit safely with Kazan's help. Worth devises a plan to incapacitate Quentin, who has gone completely mad. Worth fights Quentin into a room below them and they leave him to die. They proceed and reach the bridge cube. When they open its door, bright light pours into the room. Worth announces that he will not go, as there is nothing for him in the world outside. As he and Leaven share a moment, Quentin appears having somehow managed to catch up with the trio, and kills Leaven by stabbing her with a door handle he somehow broke off a door. He stabs Worth as well, and grabs Kazan, who is climbing out. Worth grabs Quentin's leg with the last of his strength, and Quentin is crushed in the crawlspace between the cubes when the cubes realign. Having saved Kazan, Worth lies down next to Leaven and dies.In the final shot, Kazan is seen walking slowly into a bright light.

Tags: comedy, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, mystery, psychological, allegory, cult, alternate reality, violence, plot twist, insanity, psychedelic, claustrophobic, tragedy, revenge

Review:
I'm glad to say that definitely is not the case.Despite the low budget and practically unknown cast, the film manages to be clever, intriguing, thought-provoking and highly enjoyable.
With its limited budget and digital effects in use even before Titanic glorified them, Cube still proves itself as one of the more original and intelligent sci-fi films of the last decade, with a cult status already going strong.
On a shoestring budget and a dangerously basic premise full of intrigue, the film succeeds because of imaginative effects and taut directions as well as a superbly written script, delving into the human psyche in such an extreme situation.
The first hour of this picture was thoroughly engrossing and full of surprises; I would even call it "astonishing" if the actors didn't deliver some obviously forced, unnaturally "profound" speeches, and if the director didn't try to create dramatic moments by taking the easy way out - having the characters argue with each other all the time; if they acted as a team and tried to overlook their differences, THAT would have been the REALLY original approach.
They leave you with an intense "THAT'S IT?" feeling.Overall, this movie is definitely worth seeing, and the acting isn't nearly as bad as most people say, but be prepared for a HIGHLY unsatisfying ending.
Why: let's see, the acting is awful, the script pretentious and laden with too many long-winded philosophical discussions of nothing, the characters less than one-dimensional, the story is full of holes and the vaunted mathematics boil down to prime numbers and Cartesian coordinates (freshman high school stuff).
With no other ideas the group follow him and try to evade the traps and stay alive  all the time with absolutely no idea of why they are here or who has imprisoned them.I heard about this film years ago but only recently managed to find it on television to watch.
The whole film is our characters trying to work their way through the rooms without getting horribly killed.
This in itself is gripping and at times unbearable to watch  horror fans may be disappointed that long periods go by without a lot of gore but personally I prefer tension to the delivery.At the same time we also get the characters feeding the mystery of the cube, building the tension and the sense of hopelessness without ever really solving anything.
It isn't a fantastic character piece but again it is just something that helps keep the film moving and I suppose it was interesting to see the nature of people come out.
Miller was good and the pace of the film helped distract from him basically doing a Rain Man impression.Overall an impressive low budget thriller that works because it sticks to the simple idea while building side issues with the characters and the cube around it but never actually solving anything.
These people have no idea how they got there and none of them know each other but they all have a purpose and they must use these purposes to try and escape the giant maze before they die of dehydration.....or madness.This low-budget independent Canadian film is brilliant and a very captivating watch.
It all seems believable which is important for a movie like this.But the thing I really admire about the film is that the ending doesn't try to explain anything.
After a long time, I finally got around to seeing this interesting looking film today.Deeply mysterious, Cube chronicles the story of seven different people as they travel through an apparently endless system of interlinked cube structures with six doors each to adjacent cubes.
The potential presented in the early scenes of the film is large; the opening scene immensely entertaining and indicative of good things to come from the original and intriguing concept.
Though it does little to establish itself as a particularly good movie, it's at least not a terrible one.With flaws aplenty, many of them just silly and stupid, Cube falls flat on its face more than once, suffering regularly from its less than convincing dialogue and unintentionally funny developments.
Right now, "Cube" is being released in France with an unbelievable success for a movie with no "name actors" and no hype, expect the numerous prices it got at the (formerly deconsidered by critics and audiences alike) Gerardmer film festival.
B-grade acting, questionable math and philosophy references, cop-out plot development, and an ending which was probably written when Nguyen got bored of writing and just wanted it all to end are just some of the many things to distract you while you constantly ask yourself where this movie is going and why you're still watching it.
But after leaving the room several times due to a) acting that wouldn't look amiss in an Ikea catalogue and b) special effects that wouldn't look amiss on an episode of Ren & Stimpy, I was merely appalled by every other aspect of the film.
Maybe if we'd stayed till the end, some epiphany would have exploded in our minds to leave us loving this movie like so many other people seem to?
I guess we'll never know....there's too many really good movies out there to spend time on one with bad acting :(.
Otherwise, the plot just seems to go round and round in a circle, then stops.A low-budget sci-fi film, "Cube" could easily be converted into a stage play.
The overall concept is an intriguing one, and could have made for a better film in the hands of a competent writer, but instead the screenplay is filled with idiotic characters and ludicrous dialogue.
I love movies thats are like this, this is in many ways an anti-Hollywood movie, it has a small cast, no extras and a small set, original screenplay that I though had to be based off of a short story or novel but it wasn't - it was just a really good screenplay, a great idea.
I mean how much better can you get - take a handful of people, trap them in a cube make them figure out a way out, good twist with the characters and who gets out alive - of course it could have sucked and been stupid and boring with a premise like that but it wasn't it was really well executed.
The movie still rates a four rating because the set design and the cube concept were interesting and the editing and camera work were excellent.
I didn't know what to think of "Cube" before watching it,I stumbled across the movie randomly as I was browsing IMDb.After watching this movie,I was surprised how original and well thought out it was.Unlike many recent horror movies,"Cube" lacks any special effects and relies mainly on the unknown,the unseen as method to scare the living hell out of us,much like "The Blair Witch Project".This method was very successful,as the whole movie keeps you in suspense.Another thing I found interesting was the way the characters develop through the course of the film,I won't spoil what happens,but let's just say the personalities of two specific characters change dramatically."Cube" is probably one of the best and most suspenseful horror movies I have ever seen,I strongly recommend it..
What's more, it's one that you will understand on different levels in subsequent viewings, and despite the minimalism (of everything in the film!) you'll see little extras every time you watch.Can't wait to see what they do with Cube 2: Hypercube (but I am very glad it's not a prequel or sequel, rather 'another go from a different direction')..
...Ok, so let's assume that he does get to the end of the maze...why didn't Leavin and Worth hear the door opening when the "cop" came into the room?This movie went from a great sci-fi, mind-job movie to a retarded horror pointless story.Here's a question for the Director/Writer...Why on earth did you have these characters go through hell just to die at the brink of escaping?
What can i say just watched this film for the first time,after reading so much about it and all i can think at the end is what a waste of time.Having seen saw and saw 2(and reading how saw 2 had copied it)i had high hopes for this film,both saw and saw 2 have great surprises for the audience the only surprise in this film is how it ever got released.The characters in this film are so one dimensional it should have been called SQUARE.I had no empathy with any of the inmates and we learn nothing about them,there is very little in the way of a plot and the ending isn't even an ending.We are led to believe that each character has a unique ability that will help the team but apart from the maths expert and the autistic boy what did the others bring?all in all a very poor film don't waste your time on this one..
Highly recommend Cube right along with all of Vincenzo Natali's other films.Hollywood is filled with unoriginal ideas and boring directors.
you can watch this movie and be totaly confused the whole time and not understand anything thats going on, and come out of it totaly messed up, but in the end, u had a great time.
(no spoilers)The best thing about CUBE is that like the characters the viewer is dropped into the bizarre scenario to fend for themselves with no explanation of what is going on .
There was no point to this film no plot no story we don't even know what it was about in the end nobody does i've never seen so many holes in a plot in all my life and the way they got killed at the end just as they were about to leave was unnecessary to say the least and predictable (altho i did feel a bit sorry for those 2 dying at the end they were so cool :') )Voted it a 1 since its rated at 7.5/10 by IN MY OPINION weirdos that like to see gore.
The best thing Cube has going for it is the novelty of the plot; Besides this, the characters don't ring very true, the dialogue is unconvincing, and the acting is only so so: especially the actor playing Quentin, who even manages to be unintentionally funny throughout most of the film.
Overall Cube is a good example of a film left hanging on a high concept plot with nothing much else to offer.
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.
it took me a while and a second viewing until i could say that this is THE most original sci-fi thrillers of the last years and one of the most well done movies of the genre ever, especially if you consider it was done on a low budget, but the fact of the matter is: it IS one of the most original films to come out in the '90s.hollywood loving people will be disappointed in this and call it the worst movie ever, what they don't seem to know is they aren't the only ones seeing movies and with the right to an opinion in the world (thank god!).
you aren't told how they got in the cube, and in the end the film-maker doesn't wrap it up for you, letting you wonder and come to your own conclusions.if you like original, tense and tickle-your-brain movies, this is for you.
Word to the wise:I urge the people who enjoyed "cube" to try to see the made-for-TV British "A child's play",(1985)part of the series "Hammer house of suspense and mystery" starring the late Nicholas Clay.In spite of a very poor(and unfair) rating,it's really worthwhile and the connection with "cube" is glaring,even if the Val Guest TV film has a "rational" explanation.As people have pointed out,a movie does not need a rational solution to be enthralling.if such was the case,"2001 " and "the birds" ,to name but two,would not be world-wide favorites .And "cube' is brimming with originality,and like the two mentioned movies,it may have as many interpretations as there are potential commenting users.Visually ,the movie is a splendor,all shrouded in red and orange light,glorifying geometry and arithmetic:this is really the mathematical movie which "pi" wasn't:prime numbers and the Descartes analytical geometry are shrewdly introduced in the plot.All that remains is mathematics when a world has lost its way,morally and psychologically.And even mathematic lets you down when you meet human stupidity,as the young "numbers" girl will discover.Only a lunatic can survive in such a world.He does..
Note that all though I gave this film 3 stars, I would still recommend it for a b-movie night with friends and popcorn where you just laugh about how weird and absurd Cube is.Don't watch it if you are expecting to see something good, to which you would devote your whole attention though.
Years after, I have tried it again - and immediately all the weaker points went visible - very weak acting, poor script, long (too long) dialog parts at times, boring sequences, and yeah, the film didn't hold - it fell apart, before it got exciting.
'Cube' is an interesting movie with thrilling moments and a great look.
The movie looks so great that other things can feel a little disappointing although they are pretty good as well.
Since the movie is set in a cube the entire time there are moments we can imagine what the characters are thinking and feeling.
Because 'Cube' is so different from the movies we normally see it is at least interesting to watch.
I think the idea of having this crazy homicidal cube be the setting for an "isn't it interesting how we humans behave" kind of thing was great-- don't explain it's origin or purpose, just consider "what if...."  Very cool.
The acting is horrific, the script is terrible and the twist at the end is nothing short of laughable.I'm literally shocked that this film has been rated so highly on here because I thought it was absolutely horrendous..
I mean i think msot people sat through this sorry excuse of a film to actually end up with a conclusion and to find out what the deal was with this CUBE.
There is good gore in the first half of the flick then they just try to leave you in suspense leaving the characters in many caught up situations, though i dont have time for that wish-wash, i didn't learn anything- so they all might as well have died in the most gruesome way possible but it didnt happen.
Only thing you will hear is annoying characters screaming at eachother, the contant sound "TSSSSSSSSH" of the doors opening and a guy acting retarted screaming "Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" that it makes you feel like punching the screen- no pun.OVERALL: Basically there is nothing that gives this film firm structure, theres no backbone- there is nothing that keeps it standing on both of its feet and thats what sucks.
First of all Cube is a movie for people who like a bit of thinking.
This is a bad film that manages to have an even worse ending than one might expect.'Cube' is a very disappointing viewing experience because we are made to endure a lot of suffering along with the characters and we are not treated to an ending that makes it worth while.
It doesn't have as many cool traps and creative deaths as the other _Cube_ movies, but what it lacks in gore, it more than makes up for with its good acting and characters.
If you want to see a big, scary, trap-filled cube kill a lot of people in new and interesting ways, watch the other movies, though; this one is about the people..
If you are the type of person who can sit back and watch a movie without thinking the writer, director, and all the actors are playing a secret little joke on you for having actually paid them for this heap of garbage, then maybe you will like it.
The main failure of this movie is that the film makers are way more interested in showcasing how clever their gadgets and traps are than trying to create any sense of drama or character development beyond cliché and stereotypes.
You have an interesting idea of placing different individuals from all walks of like together in what turns out to be a type of Human-Rat Maze.What keeps this movie from being a 9 or a 10 is that the movie never really opens up on the fact of why the people that are in the movie were chosen, and how they got there.This movie will keep your interest until about 3/4 of the way through, when it starts to drag and the plot corrodes away to your basic "bad guy".
However the journey was quite a pleasant and gripping one, so the movie did flow at a strong pace and I was engaged with it original premise.The film begins with a man (Julian Richings) waking up inside a cube-shaped room without any recollection as to how he got there.
If there's one thing good about this movie, its the concept: strangers are placed in a mysterious and dangerous structure with no reason (an original and intriguing idea of its time).
This movie has a very interesting idea behind it, but i think it could have been realized in a much better way.
i think the film is a good example of a great idea poorly executed.
Some of the dialogue and characters are a bit over-acted but overall this is a terrific film.
With one set, a budget smaller than the catering cost for Phantom Menace, and a cast of unknowns, Cube has no right being as good a film as it is.On the downside, the plot is simplistic, the characters thinly (but well) written and there are no surprises in the dialogue.