Cube (1997) review

 Number 922 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1997 Canadian science-fiction thriller 'Cube.'

A group of strangers wake up to find themselves trapped in a prison of cubed-shaped rooms. They aim to escape while avoiding deadly booby-traps. The group includes cop Quentin (Maurice Dean Wint,) office worker Worth (David Hewlett), mathematician Leaven (Nicole de Boer), doctor Holloway (Nicky Guadagni), escape artist Rennes (Wayne Robson) and the autistic Kazan ( Andrew Miller).

I often find that science-fiction walks a fine line between prioritising its big ideas over its characters or its characters over its big ideas. However, Cube failed on both fronts. It was certainly entertaining, if a creepy affair, but there was probably a reason that it ranks so low on this list of films.

The concept is intriguing, but the execution is not. We learn that Worth helped to design the cube, but he doesn't know the true meaning behind his actions. He theorises that the cube's original purpose has been forgotten and they were placed inside it to justify its use. This unsatisfactory payoff flies in the face of Quentin's idea that they were all put there for a reason. This would be a more satisfying answer. Another answers could be that all the characters were falsely imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. 

Compare this is to the Saw films where the characters are trapped in a series of hellish games as punishment for taking their lives for granted. This specific reason does give you some reason to care about the characters. The same doesn't quite happen here.

As it stood, the characters were all unlikeable in their own ways. Quentin is an autocratic bully, Worth is a pessimistic nihilist, Leaven cries at every obstacle while Holloway is overly-righteous and Rennes is arrogant. Even Kazan seems more like a loose sketch of an autistic character rather than a character in his own right.

It didn't help that the dialogue was incredibly on the nose. Nowhere is this more true than with Quentin. I get it. He's in a claustrophobic environment consumed by paranoia as he desperately tries to escape and avoid being killed by deadly booby-traps. I can understand why he becomes the film's villain, but did we need the constant reminders of everybody's function and purposes? Maurice de Wint's delivery was also over-the-top. I could have done without his incessant gruff demeanour and shouting.

As the film progresses, he becomes more antagonistic while Worth and Leaven go through more of a hero's arc - I did find myself warming to them as the film progressed. Considering the film was made on a small budget with unknown actors and a handful of sets, it certainly could have been a lot worse. It also could have been a lot better.