Review of Cube

Introduction

I didn’t know much about this film before I settled down to review it. I had a vague idea what the film was about, and my preconception was that it could either be very intriguing, or arse-wipingly bad.

The plot revolves around a group of six people from very different backgrounds, who suddenly find themselves trapped in a 14 x 14 x 14 ft metallic cubic room, with a small door in each of the six walls. Each of these doors lead to a near identical cubic room with another set of six doors. The plot unravels to reveal that each of these cubic rooms is just one in a network of 26 x 26 x 26 identical rooms.

No one knows how they got there, or why. The panic sets in when they realise they only have strength to last for about three days as they have no food or water. To make matters worse, many of the rooms are booby trapped with such terrors as fire, acid jets, or hundreds of needle like spears that react to sound. Just what they need.

The movie was made on a shoestring (and shows!), and is virtually shot in the same cube set that represents all the cubes the actors climb through.

Video

The DVD unfortunately is not anamorphic, and presents a 1.85:1 ratio picture. I did not get a chance to try out this disc on a computer DVD-Rom which is often the best way to reveal any imperfections in the video, but when testing it out on our projector and RGB connected Trinitron TV no real problems were noted. A few pops and clicks however were seen.

Audio

Oh dear. No Dolby Digital 5.1! Just stereo, but when the credits roll and you notice the film was recorded in ‘Ultra Stereo’ you realise how tight the budget was.

This film would benefit greatly from a 5.1 mix. The rumbling and creaks and groans of the cube surrounding the actors would enhance the listening experience.

Features

Some nice animated menus that takes the viewer into one of the six doors of the cube depending on the menu option selected, provide access to the extras.

You get the original theatrical trailer (which surprisingly seems to give away a little too much of the plot I thought), some production stills, and a commentary by the director, co writer and one of the main cast members completes the package. On listening to this you get a good overview on how tight the budget was, and how the whole movie was shot in one small 14 x 14 foot set. Some digital shots were also added for the special effects without which would have led to a very dull film. The film would have been a little too claustrophobic and the viewer would not have been able to appreciate the sheer scale of the cube concept the director wishes to portray.

Conclusion

This film leaves a lot of issues unexplained, and certain points in the plot generate questions that are never answered. But if you take it with a pinch of salt and stop yourself from thinking too deeply about the plot, then it is a fun way to spend 90 minutes.

I expect you are only likely to want to see it once, or at a pinch twice, and so spending 16 quid on the DVD may not be prudent.

The low budget of this production has led to the lack of an anamorphic transfer, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the DVD. However, some care and attention has been spent on the DVD menus, and providing the DVD buyer with a commentary – always a great ‘extra’ on a DVD.

Cube did not do tremendously well at the cinema, but as a concept the film provokes a curious desire to see it. The DVD suffers from the picture and audio points noted above, but some attempt has been made to boost the appeal of the DVD with some extras.

Overall the film is worth seeing, not only for its originality in the concept, but just to see how an effective use of a tight budget with six unknowns managed to pull off a science fiction movie which could so easily have turned into a laughable disaster.