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Cube(SE)/C,A

Trimark/1997/90m/WS 1.85
     Cube is ultimately an empty collection of cubes, a maze to test the mettle of a group of uninteresting people and patient viewers. It begins with great promise in the best tradition of horror movies. A man trapped in a cube opens a door and climbs into the adjacent cube. The mistake is shattering. But there is not another moment in the ninety minutes of Cube that compares to the excitement of the opening. Too bad. Elements other than the script are quite good. Production design achieves mystical proportions and the cinematography creates many interesting views of the confined spaces.
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Looking for a way out of the green cubeŠTrimark

       Co-Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. Cube seems inspired by computer games with a definite nod to the spirit of The Twilight Zone. But the endless repetition that goes on for ninety minutes would even stretch the bounds of a half-hour TV show. Mathematics plays an important part in Cube as in another recent successful Indie film Pi. I have the sense that the math principles are not accurate, but writing majors often can’t add two plus two. The logic of the Cube space is also questionable. With a successful script I would not even have been thinking about whether the governing concepts worked.
     Is it the actors or the script? They are totally unconvincing. Given their horrific predicament, the responses are blatantly false. The claustrophobic stage required terrific ensemble chemistry, but just as Cube fails to deliver satisfactory math, it's chemistry is lacking.
The DVD is remarkable in its accomplished replication of Cube’s very interesting lighting scheme. Each cubic space is defined by its own color wash. It’s all done under rather dim circumstances, yet detail is maintained over the array of colors. Sound too is impressive in this low budget effort. It resounds around the confining spaces with authority. Cube is presented as a special edition with audio commentary by Natali, co-writer Andre Bijelic, and actor David Hewitt. There’s nice by-play between the trio with lots of frank explanation. Natali does explain that the math concept works for a much smaller cube model but their math expert that creating an accurate model for the 26 by 26 cube would be equivalent to earning another. Also included are deleted scenes, production designs, cube schematic and storyboards.