Modern sci-fi classic (Cube (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Cube (DVD)
Date:	19/09/09 (10 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performances and script

Disadvantages: None

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room

Cube opens as a man named Alderson (Julian Richings) wakes up inside a strange cube room with no idea how he got there. Each cube has a door on each side, which leads you through to another cube. Each cube is either safe, or contains a trap designed to kill you. He is viciously murdered in the opening titles, a fence trap slicing him into dozens of chunks, setting the tone for what is a gritty, violent, visceral, daringly original film.

From here, six people wake up in the Cube and must decide how to escape. What makes this film so great isn't just the genius conception, but the characters. Firstly, there's Quentin, a strong leader-type who seems to have a few secrets and some violent tendencies, particularly towards David Worth, a nihilist who resigns himself to fate for most of the film, and mysteriously seems to know a lot about the cube for someone who claims he doesn't know what he's doing there. Dr Helen Holloway is an older woman who is a doctor, and the more motherly and helpful person of the group. Joan Leaven is a weak nerd, but as they begin to realise the fabric of the cube, her brains come in better use than they expected. Also, there's Kazan, an autistic young man who becomes a liability as they traverse through the cubes, particularly when they come across voice activated traps, as he has a tendency to act out when he gets agitated. Finally is Rennes, an escape artist who has flown the coup on numerous prisons and gets rather cocky.

A wonderfully original film that is an astounding achievement given the miniscule budget. Tense throughout, well acted, and with a real kicker of an ending, this is indie cinema at its best. Sadly not many I know have seen this, but it deserves a larger audience, for its sheer economy of storytelling, vicious kills, and cerebral approach to a seemingly impossible situation.

Summary: A superb mysterious sci fi