DOOMED MOVIE MARATHON: Cube

Finally, I can honestly say that my brain is fried due to film. It is a dubious honor, but I accept it with grace, and with plans to continue the movie marathon tomorrow evening. Three movies tonight, and three movies tomorrow, for a grand total of six dystopian future films. It's enough to drive anyone mad, and the last film of the evening, Cube, is one that does not disappoint in that respect.

Cube...the movie that blew my mind. It's been about three years since I last viewed it, and I distinctly remember sitting straight up on the edge of my seat with my jaw firmly on the floor. For some reason, I thought it was much more dystopian future-esque than it actually is, which I learned on this second viewing. Cube really is more of a psychological thriller wrapped up nicely in a science fiction present.

It opens with one of the greatest shock scenes ever...I won't give it away, it's gotta be experienced. The plot concerns a group of seemingly unrelated individuals who wake up in a glowing, steampunk, claustrophobic....cube. All of the walls have portals to more cube rooms, and some of the rooms are ingeniously booby-trapped for maximum blood loss. The story unfolds as our intrepid group of dysfunctional folks tries to figure out how they got there, where they are, and how the hell they can get out with all body parts firmly attached. Naturally the human psyche gets in the way, and they are all playing vicious mind games with each other before long. I have never been more afraid of a villain in my life...this guy is truly off-balanced. For a low-budget Canadian film, Cube really impresses. The acting is incredibly good, and with scenery that could easily become tedious, the director is able to keep you guessing and hoping until the very end.


This movie also has two sequels, Cube 2: Hypercube, and Cube Zero. I would recommend skipping Cube 2, but Cube Zero is really a good mind-bender, and a sort of prelude to Cube.