Cube Trilogy

Year: 1997 / 2002 / 2004 Rating: R Overall Evaluation: 6.0 Cube Overall Evaluation: 6.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 7.0 / 10 8.0 / 10 8.0 / 10 4.0 / 10 Cube 2: Hypercube Overall Evaluation: 5.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 6.0 / 10 7.0 / 10 5.0 / 10 5.0 / 10 Cube Zero Overall Evaluation: 6.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 9.0 / 10 7.0 / 10 7.0 / 10 3.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Introduction

It has been awhile since I watched the first two Cube films so I probably forgot a lot, but a review of the latest Cube movie without the former would not be very helpful. I am treating this as a series although this is somewhat unfair because there is not a lot of consistency between the films directors / writers / crew / etc. So this will be a bird's eye view of the trilogy. The films are titled: Cube, Cube 2: Hypercube, and Cube Zero (which is actually a prequel to Cube). I will refer to them when I do as Cube (1),2, and 0.

Style

Cube(1): Rated R for some strong sci-fi violence/gore and language.
Cube 2 : Rated R for language, some violence and brief nudity.
Cube 0 : Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language.

The gore in each is brief but gratuitous - close-ups of dismemberment / melting faces etc. It is worse in (1) and 0. But it does serve to heighten the suspense which is necessary for films largely shot in one room!

Story

The basic premise of each film is that a group of people find themselves inside a 14'-17' cubic room with openings on all six sides. They have no idea why they are there or, in some cases, who they are. Exploration reveals that each opening leads into somewhat identical rooms. Some rooms, however, are trapped with deadly devices. In some cases clues appear in the form of numbered openings. The stories revolve around the group's attempt to avoid death and escape the Cube while at the same time dealing with each person's psychological / physical peculiarities.

Suppositions

There is not much of a worldview per se in these films, other than people want to stay alive and to never give up hope. Some have seen the characters as representative components of the human psyche, or of societal stereotypes. Cube 2 is a bizarre mishmash of theoretical physics that is questionable but allowable in a sci-fi flick (which Cube 2 certainly is, much to the chagrin of most of the original Cube fans). There are some slight theological overtones in Cube 0 but these are neither positive nor negative.

Significance

Cube (1) was the most allegorical of the trilogy. The characters names come from prisons from all over the world. The characters are each strong stereotypes and we get to see the strengths and weaknesses of the group as they try to come together to solve the puzzle. This could be seen as a commentary on life in general and how different personality traits can be helpful or harmful and how we need to all get along in order to survive. Cube 2 was much more of an X-Files sci-fi experiment with not much substance to the story. Shadowy evil military leaders seem to be at fault but this says little in the way of messages beyond the basics of Cube (1). Cube 0 is the clearest of the trilogy as far as meaning goes. It very clearly sets off the individual as responsible for his own action (or non-action) as opposed to blindly following authority. We learn that none of the escapees has ever admitted to belief in God and we are left to ponder whether this may be what got them in the Cube (punishment from the authorities for failure to admit to authority) or what got them out (by taking responsibility for their fate). It is this ambiguity that makes the films more fun to consider than if they had simply preached a message. Cube 0 makes a much clearer distinction between good and evil than (1) or 2 and for this it gets much higher marks.