Customer Reviews

Cube Zero

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In the beginning there was "Cube," and it had a memorable opening in which a man enters a cube and is sliced into mini-cubes by razor wire, and it definitely caught the attention of those who watched it. As the movie continued we followed a group of people as they tried to figure out why they where there, what was happening, and how they could get out of there alive given that some of the cubes were verily dangerous. And the film ended with the mystery unresolved and the people applauded and thought that it was a fairly provocative and effective little horror film. Then the money lenders in Hollywood decided they there might be riches to be made from doing a bigger and better version of the "Cube," and lo, they produced "Cube 2: Hypercube." But the people were not fooled and they realized that the sequel had little to do with the original beyond the fact that well, there are a whole bunch of cubes. And the sound of lamentation was loud, with much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments, and the people prayed that if there was another film in this series that they would go back to what made the original film so good. Then the money lenders laughed in the temples of their offices and said to each other, "Come, let us do what they ask, but in a way that will make them regret that they did not lavish more money upon the sequel that we have made."

The title "Cube Zero" is enough to indicate that writer-director Ernie Barbarash, who scripted "Cube Two: Hypercube," is going back to the start. But to reassure the audience that this film is an attempt to get back to at least the spirit of the original you once again get an opening scene in which somebody enters a cube and they die a horrible death. In fact, it is an even more gruesome death than what we say in "Cube," mainly because the victim lives after the very bad thing happens to him. The cubes this time around are about as primitive compared to the orignal cubes as the hypercubes were more advanced. As soon as you are see these cubes you have to be thinking "prequel," strictly on the basis of the obvious disparity in the technological level (think submarine hatches). But as was the case with "Cube 2," there is really nothing concrete in "Cube Zero" to convince us that this film is connected to the original "Cube" beyond that basic idea that they involve a deadly game involved with cubes (this would be the same as saying "Any Given Sunday," "Friday Night Lights," and "The Longest Yard" are all football movies, and the game is the same, but they are not part of a trilogy).

However, despite the promising start (there are people who will stop watching the film because they are not going to want to see anything worse than what happens in the first couple of minutes), "Cube Zero" has a serious flaw. Whereas "Cube" left us completely in the dark as the figure disappeared into the bright light and "Cube 2: Hypercube" had a final scene where we get to look behind the curtain for a few hints as to what is going on, "Cube Zero" decides early on to let us go outside the cube and find out what is going on (or at least more clues along those lines). That means the success of this film depends on how much the audience buys into and likes the "big secret," and in that regard "Cube Zero" does not fare as well as "The Village" (and we all know how vilified that film was by fans and critics). After all, the whole plot line regarding what is happening outside the cubes does not solve the mystery of the original "Cube," which it cannot fairly do since it is a different director and writer, any more than somebody could make a "Pulp Fiction" sequel and explain what is in the briefcase.

Those of us who liked "Cube" will find "Cube Zero" an improvement over "Cube 2" but not up to the standard of the original, but we pretty much knew we would come to that conclusion going into this 2004 film. Once again we have a group of desperate people trying to make their way out of the cubes, and the fact that this time there are not individuals who have necessary skills that can work in combination to save them gives away that the body count will be higher this time around. Being able to watch the watchers takes away some enjoyment as well, because it was always easier to watch the mice in the maze and critique their endeavors than it was to put yourself in their position. By the time the one-eyed Willie Wonka figure shows up in this movie you are pretty much committed to going along for the ride, but not exactly enthralled. Maybe there will be a fourth movie in this series, because it could end up being another one of those Hollywood puzzle boxes, like in "Hellraiser," where they just keep making these movies until they finally get it right.

Hello all you cubists out there...ready for another round of cubery? That's right, they made yet another sequel (in this case a prequel) to Cube (1997), the little film that creeped into the video market and became immensely popular mainly through word of mouth advertising, so much so it warranted a sequel in Cube 2: Hypercube, which begat this prequel titled Cube Zero (I assumed it was a prequel given the combination of the title and the tagline on the front of the DVD case, `Every nightmare has a beginning.' My deductions turned out to be accurate, and thus I rewarded myself with a cookie.) Written and directed by Ernie Barbarash (he also wrote the sequel Cube 2: Hypercube, but did not direct it), the film, like its predecessors, features a relatively unknown cast (to me, at least) of Canadians, in Zachary Bennett (Guest Room), Stephanie Moore (John Q), Michael Riley (Amistad), and David Huband (Wrong Turn).

The story starts off in rather grisly fashion, much like the previous films, in that we witness the inherent dangers of cube reality after a lone man stumbles upon one of the many traps contained within the cube, and meets a particularly gooey fate. This element was a real punch in the gut with the first film, but now the inclusion of a nasty death by peculiar manner at the outset has become the norm...I guess if something works, you stick with it...and it established that we are, in fact, watching a Cube movie. Anyway, it's after this we find ourselves in a dank, dimly lit control room of sorts, filled with piping, monitors, filing cabinets, and populated by two individuals, one young, smart, and full of questions, the other older, by the book sort of man (Bennett and Huband, respectively) who turn out to be technicians (yet they wear the same outfits as those poor schleps who are deposited in the cube), monitoring the activity within the cube, recorded everything for posterity, I suppose (actually, they receive orders from an as yet undetermined source). This behind the scenes peek initiates the possibility that all the questions and mystery developed over the course of the last two films may soon be answered and solved, but tease as they will, tease as they might, there shall be little in the form of answers tonight...things begin to unravel when one of the two techs, a real brainiac with the ability to visualize complex structures within his head, falls for a woman in the cube, and leaves the safety of the frying pan and jumps into the fire, which marks the appearance of Jax (Riley), a higher up assigned to deal with this particular problem, by means of manipulating the computer controlled cube and its traps. I'm really hesitant to give out any more, as I hate to spoil anymore of the film for someone who hasn't had the opportunity to see it...

While I did like the film (it was certainly better than Cube 2), I always felt any sequels to the original were unnecessary. The first film worked so well in giving us the confines of the cube, and then presenting so many questions that were never answered, and probably never meant to be answered, forcing viewers to speculate, theorize, and ultimately develop their own ideas. The following films, trying to build off the original, offer little tidbits, but only with the intention of deliberately raising more questions, creating a sort of self-perpetuating mystery. This same, exact thing was done with the movie Phantasm (1979), a great little horror film that presented a wonderful, obtuse set of questions, which were never answered, but many things alluded to in the cruddy, subsequent sequels. I doubt at the time either of these films, Cube or Phantasm, were made, there was probably much thought to sequels, so they were made in the context of being stand alone films...perhaps I'm being a bit hypocritical about my thoughts of preserving the `sanctity' of the originals, as if I was truly concerned with that, I would have never watched the movies that followed...given that this is a prequel, the appearance of the interior of the cube related that well, having a rough, unpolished look, like that of something still being developed, awaiting refinements and upgrades. The introduction of new traps (one featured a particularly nasty disease) was fun and welcomed. The focus of the story varied from the previous films in that it wasn't confined to individuals within the cube, but spread out a little more. This effectively lessens the character development of a small, core group of cube dwellers, but I did appreciate the fact we didn't have to spend another film limited to only the interior of the cube. I liked the introduction of the mysterious character of Jax, but I thought Riley's performance a little too comical and overboard, reminding me a lot of John Glover's corporate mogul character Daniel Clamp from the film Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). And what was the deal with the person who actually made it out of the cube and the introduction of the religious implication? It felt awkward and out of place with the rest of the film. All in all, Cube Zero was a good time, and for those interested I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The widescreen picture, presented in 16:9 aspect ratio looks decent, but probably could have looked better, as the darker scenes didn't always come across as well as they could have. The audio is clear, and present in Dolby Digital 5.1, along with Dolby Digital 2.0. Special features include a 20-minute featurette titled `Inside the Box', along with a director's commentary, storyboard comparisons, an art gallery, and a music video by some cruddy band featuring the lead singer moving though sets from the film singing an entirely forgettable piece of metal. There's also some trailers for other Lions Gate releases like Saw (2004), Final Cut (2004), and High Tension (2003). 3 ½ stars

Cookieman108

An afterthought...perhaps the next film could be called 'Gleaming the Cube'...oh wait, that title's already been used...damn you Christian Slater!

Cube stands out for me as one of the only films in years that has truly impacted me.....it left me unsettled, creeped, and definitely kept me thinking about it long after the end credits had rolled. Watching it was a true rollercoaster - suspense of the finest quality. Hypercube was a waste of potential. Mediocre acting and a definite case of writers with more ambition than talent. The very definition of squandered potential. Worst of all, there was no suspense, no tension, and the "ah ha!" moments of revelation were anything but exciting.

Cube Zero brings a return to the tension of the first, and does the only logical thing it could do: answer some of the questions raised by its predecessor. Part of the beauty of Cube was the lack of answers, but also a frustration. CZ takes us "behind the scenes" of the monstrosity that is The Cube. It delivers just enough insight into that background to satisfy, but (thankfully) doesn't give it all away, and raises a few more questions of its own.

Orwell's 1984 has obviously always been a heavy influence on Cube, and that influence comes to full flower in CZ. Cinematically, the first film often posed the camera as a real observer, watching the Cube's victims. The theme is expanded upon here naturally and elegantly. Unknown, unseen controllers watching those inside the Cube, themselves being only "button pushers" for the real(?) controllers, who reside upstairs, but who themselves may be just one more layer of the onion.

The acting is fine, no true standouts, although Terri Hawkes makes quite a bit out of a small role as Jellico, one of the Cube's "residents."

A word of strong warning: this movie is extremely graphic. If you've seen the first one, you've seen gore, but some of the scenes in this one will make you think you were watching a Disney movie. I don't generally support that level of graphic content, but it did drive home the brutality of the content in a very powerful way. Those in control of the Cube are sadists, dehumanizing monsters, without question, from frame one of Cube. Cube Zero takes their horrors to a new level, with violence to match. That having been said, some of the "new" traps are positively beautiful in their cruelty, marking a sharp contrast to the often quick-an-dirty nature of those in the first film.

The ending? I won't give anything away, but I will say I saw it coming from the very beginning of the film. But did anyone ever think for a moment that the Death Star wouldn't be destroyed at the end of Star Wars, or that Luke wouldn't be the one to do it? It's the journey that matters, and this journey had every hair on my neck standing on end, and me on the edge of my seat. It has made me want to show it to all of my friends, so I can talk about some of the thoughts it's left in my head. What more can anyone ask?

I would have to recommend this movie for people who have been able to enjoy Cube and Cube 2. If you haven't seen either of those, then you might enjoy this. But if you saw either Cube or Cube 2 and didn't like them, then this won't be different enough for you to enjoy. Yes, this is supposed to be the prequel, but it will probably be confusing if you haven't seen the other two.

Cube Zero focuses more on some of the Cube's technicians then just people who are inside of the cube. It was definitely interesting and very creepy to see how much control they had, and how much they were involved. When I watched the original Cube, I felt like the people had just been dumped inside the cube and ignored, but that is clearly not the case. They are being carefully monitored.

One of the technicians is asking too many questions, and he is clearly becoming bothered with some of the things that he has to do. So he goes into the cube to help a woman. And things continue to get interesting, and scary.

You will see traps like in the previous movies. Did you know that the people in the control room can completely surround your room with rooms with traps?

There were a few discrepancies with the previous movies, but since this one is supposed to be taking place before the other two, they can be ignored. There is nothing glaring that ruins the movie.

Cube Zero is definitely a nightmarish scenario, but altogether a very enjoyable scary movie. Just appreciate the fact that you aren't in it.

I know I should focus only on "Cube Zero" in this review, but it's tough because I watched it (and most others will watch it) with some familiarity with "Cube" and "Cube 2." So, let's get this out of the way now: "Cube 2" was awful. One of the worst movies ever made. Horrible acting, a pathetic excuse for a plot, cheap effects, and a lot of unnecessary scenes. The Cube itself looked like the next in line of Apple products (iTorture)instead of something grisly and frightening, and the people trapped inside were paper-thin caricatures that never really amounted to anything before they died.

When you watch "Cube," you wonder why anybody would think a movie like that needs a sequel. It was a wonderfully existentialist horror movie---creepy, suspenseful, and inexplicable. It was a wonderful puzzle; you watched it for an hour and a half and then you spent weeks trying to think of your own explanations for why it happened. The acting was (mostly) excellent and the set design was wonderful: terrifying and gritty. The violence was kept to a minimum. There was gore, but not a whole lot of it, which means that the focus of the movie was on the suspense, not on the gore. (When a movie has over-the-top death scenes, it's not easy to really pay attention to the plot or characters anymore.)

So now we have "Cube Zero." When I began watching this, I was very worried about what kind of movie it would be. I didn't think there should be another Cube movie, and from the cover of the DVD (and the pictures on the back), it looked like this would just be another hack 'n' slash gorefest.

And for the first twenty minutes that's pretty much all it is. Needlessly gory death scenes and a whole pile of awful, awful acting. I was certain I would hate this movie.

And then something marvelous happened---the movie began to focus on the character of Eric, the technician operating the Cube from the outside. Suddenly, the movie became interesting because it had a plot and suspense and---best of all---GOOD acting. The gore is toned down and doesn't become a problem, and then the story kicks into full gear and becomes a tale of repression and rebellion.

This is why "Cube Zero" gets four stars instead of one. Despite the fact that the leading actress does a bad job and even though there are needlessly cruel death scenes early on in the movie, Eric's story redeems the movie and makes it worth watching---whether you've seen "Cube" or not. I would even say that Eric is the best character out of all of the Cube movies, and I really love the way he is tied in to the first one. The scriptwriter does an excellent job by simply pretending that "Cube 2" was never made, which is a good thing.

"Cube Zero" works because it is like talking to another person about "Cube" and seeing his interpretation of the story instead of just hearing it. It should be watched as a separate entity from "Cube." It's not a sequel or a prequel; it's just one guy's explanation for how "Cube" MAY have come about. And it's a fine story.

And the ending in this one is perfect. It gives you just the right amount of information to extrapolate and come up with your own happy ending or your own depressing ending---just like the first "Cube." I thought there was no way to make a good sequel/prequel to "Cube," but this movie changed my mind.

One last comment---the music video on the DVD is awful. Not only is it a bad song, it also has no place in the movie and really ruins whatever atmosphere the film creates.

"Cube Zero" mearly satisfied my curiousity about what existed outside the CUBE but still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Perhaps "CUBE 4" will answer these questions...someday. Try renting it first.

I find myself experiencing two schools of thought when it comes to the CUBE series. On the one hand, they are all poorly acted, with mostly redundant plots and predictable dialogue. On the other hand, their structures are so blatantly philosophical, so unabashadly symbolic, it's kind of a treat to sit back and fiddle with the concepts it represents. Sorta the same way you'd fill in a few of the boxes on a crossword puzzle you know you're never going to finish. It's addictive like that; a plate of cheese that people talk around even as they pick it apart.

And if you're wondering if these plates have the kind of cheese you like, then this review is for you.

Cube - People wake up in a labyrinthine cube with no idea of how they got there or why they've been kidnapped. They must navigate through a series of deadly traps, without knowing just what it is they're headed for (or even where it is). A doctor, a famous escapist, a cop, a mentally handicapped fella -- personalities clash, and what could've been a tight little parable of existentialism becomes a squabbling social commentary about the brutality of big, mean men. It's tense, but not paced particularly well, although the ending has a thankful spot of hope. Like the Rubik's Cube, most people will find this cube compelling for a few twists and turns, but are unlikely to find the ending all that rewarding. 3 1/2 stars.

Cube 2 - Hypercube - The cube has gone hyper! Dimensional that is. Gone is the first cube's relentless dankness, replaced here by sterile, unapologetic white. Although the new cube is also fraught with hidden perils, these are mostly of the multidimensional variety. What this means for you, the viewer, is that the traps are now CGI contraptions that look not convincing in the least. It also means that many rooms have their own gravity and "variable time speeds." Oh, I almost forgot, the most awesome thing it means is that it exists in multiple dimensions at once, so there are apparently about fifteen different copies of each person wandering around at the same time.

Did I say "awesome"? I'm sorry. I meant "unfortunate." Because this cube has basically no rules, virtually anything can happen, making what DOES happen less important in the long run. We've got some crazy characters -- a senile physicist, a blind girl, a private detective, a video game desinger and a lawyer -- and they all have connections with a scary-big corporation named Izon, but who cares? The least plot driven of the three movies, this film is also the darkest (in spite of how well-lit each frame is). And, of course, it succumbs to the same mistake as the first film. Instead of being about the little people coming to terms with the bizarre futility of their circumstances, it devolves into a big man going crazy and chasing everyone around with a knife. 2 stars.

CUBE ZERO - I don't know why they called this CUBE ZERO instead of CUBE CUBED. Maybe it's supposed to be a prequel, but I doubt it. It's possible they just thought "zero" sounded better than "three." Or maybe it's because, for the first time ever, the viewer is treated to life outside of the cube.

Don't worry. The cube is still there, just as gloomy and lethal as ever (and in far more vividly gross ways), but the group of people inside the box are at least as important as the people watching them. The watchers in this case are a couple of be-jumpsuited guys named Wynn and Dodd who sit around, play chess, and record people's dreams. These guys give the series a chance to do some more overt navel-gazing, but the end effect isn't that bad, even if it mostly just feels like a Pinter play. Specifically, THE DUMBWAITER. (Read it. It's good.)

Still, no matter how full of dread and terror his plays were, Pinter always kept the terrible and dreaded things off-stage. When Wynn begins to question his duties, eventually taking drastic measures to get some answers, he causes chaos in and out of the cube. Enter three of the dreaded higher-ups. An effete and over-acted character named Jax pops in, followed closely by two well-groomed go-fers. (Everytime Jax talked to them, I could swear he was calling them Thin and Quickly, but the credits list them as Finn and Quigley.) They are heralded with whimsically creepy violin music, like an incidental theme song, and although they aren't fooling around, their presence makes the whole thing far less ominous than it normally would.

Still, the wackiness they provde is menacing and self-assured, and it disguises a story with far more heart and smarts than its predecessors. Even if the story contains, yet again, a big, angry man chasing people around, that is a minor part of the much larger, much more hopeful picture. Satisfying in a lot of ways, this film also pays homage to fans who've endured the films from the beginning. 4 stars

I didn't realise that there had been other "Cube" films (for which this is apparently a sequel.) I suppose it could be written off as a taught, tense slasher film depicting a sadistic police state in our near future. Or is it an allegory for something else?

Perhaps because I had no preconceptions from the earlier films I saw something else. The Cube is an allegory for earthly existance. The first tip was the wiping of memory before being placed in the great sadistic puzzle. Is not our memory of previous existance wiped clean before our incarnation in flesh on earth? Take a look at the nature of the Cube as a series of arduous, painful, even fatal traps that the inmates struggle through. Those that survive do so through teamwork and concern for their fellows. Heroic sacrifice and risk taking is generally rewarded. It is those who show little or no concern for their fellows who meet bad ends. Even the "techs" correspond to those individuals who think that by serving the evil, sadistic powers-that-be that they will be rewarded and protected- when the truth is that they are merely tolerated as long as they are useful- afterwhich they will be fed to the Cube themselves. As for the masters- they are clearly demonic and take great pleasure from their job of running the Cube. They are the Princes of the Earth- masters of the great machine of trial by suffering and hard choices. Yet, they are also capable of breaking the rules- until an even higher power calls them to task.

Finally, what is the last answer to be given if one makes it to the Exit? It is, "Do you believe in God?"

As for the ending, I won't reveal it. But maybe, just maybe, it was a judgement on one who did the right thing, but relied too much on pride in his own intellect and ability instead of the gods. That gives it the final taste of a Greek tragedy.

If you go into this film expecting wild rides and visuals that will leave your socks at the other end of the room, you will be utterly disappointed. Now, if you walk into this film expecting a lower-than-low budget, some slightly above average acting, with a fun twist at the end that seems to aptly tie the series only closer together, than you will enjoy this film. I, personally, walked in with no expectations. I was a huge fan of the original Cube film and even of the second film (the one that most disliked) called Cube 2: Hypercube. I thought that overall the story was strong and it opened more doors and possibilities to the birth of this unknown monolith. So, when the opportunity came about to see this film, I walked into it skeptical. How well could a "prequel" be to a series that already started so well? Again, not expecting much is key to enjoying this film.

To begin, the story is decent. While I do believe it overloaded itself by answering too many questions, it did provide us with this world outside the cube that seemed like a cross between Brazil and The X-Files. This was great because it provided us with a visual of the unknown that our minds have grappled with throughout the entire series, but it also hurt the film because it did put that "visual" on the unknown. Half the excitement from the second two films was that you never really knew who or what was behind the chaos and destruction that these unwilling participants encountered. I will say that this film leaves the door still open to several possibilities, but the questions that were answered seem to shut so many more. The fear of the first two films was the participants inside the machine that didn't know the menacing smile of the person watching their death, we also experienced that fear because there was that "unknown". Now, the "unknown" is answered (somewhat) and it doesn't quite paint the picture that was created in my mind.

I don't want to sound like I am crashing this film into the ground, far from it, but there were several moments while I was watching this movie that I thought to myself, "well, that kinda works for me..." as if I was agreeing with the images that the director chose to use. You know all these years I kept saying to myself that I wanted the answers, yet now that they are presented to me, I am not happy. There was nothing that the director, cast, or even the writers did to make me feel that way, but I just didn't feel comfortable with the translation. It was like seeing your Christmas presents the day before and having to pretend to be excited when you open them ten hours later. It is very difficult. Again, I don't want it to seem as if I am cutting this film, because I thought that it added a decent chapter to the series, just not the best chapter.

The acting was at par or a bit under for this film. You could tell that budget was not as big as the first or second film, but the passion that director Ernie Barbarash (who worked as writer and producer of the second Cube film) has for this series and for this story is unmatched. He tries diligently to bring new and exciting characters to the screen, while also keeping us familiar with the other films. He doesn't try to build a new cube and give us this artsy feeling of originality, he keeps consistent, and you can definitely give him credit for that. I just wish he had built more suspense with the story. I was patiently waiting on the edge of my seat for this big "hurrah" at the end, or perhaps middle, but it only seemed to sizzle and give me the excitement of a small bottle rocket exploding. There was a "cute" twist at the end that helps build for Cube, but mustering up the strength to tell your grandmother would be a waste of time.

This may be the most confusing review that I have ever written because there is this gray fuzzy line staring me in the face. I love the movie, yet disliked the images that it produced for me. It was innovative, but nothing spectacular. It will be added to my collection, but does not rank among my favorites. There was some great work done by Barbarash, but nothing more than a pat on the back. He did good work and he did hard work, but was this exactly what the series needed? The religious undertones coupled with the apparent "superhero" themes felt like bits of cheese on a wafer of metal known as the cube. Barbarash, I think, had a bigger plan for this film, but do to apparent budgetary cutbacks, he just couldn't fit everything together.

Overall, I loved this film, and yet I had problems with it. It was an apparent "Eyah" film. I had so much excitement for it because of my keen interest on the two other films that I think it hurt my imagination and theories behind the cube more than help define this machine better. The segway near the end excited me, yet at the same time felt forced and needed to appease the original Cube fans. This film will make it to my collection of films one-day, but it does not rank up well compared to the films that are supposed to succeed it. I recommend this film only to die-hard Cube fans, but to the untrained eye, this will not brood over well.

Arg, I give up.

Grade: **** out of *****

Cube is the very best. This one explains what went on with the people that built the thing and it was quite creepy really. In essence they have a couple of moniters watch what goes in the cube with the unlucky victims and the people recording it start to realize that they are condoning it and feel guilty about it and try to help. I recommend this film to anyone who loved the first one, it isn't as good, but it is good.