Just as mysterious as the first, but with a twist that any fan of the first will love to see. Check out The Cube 2: Hypercube!
--Jay
Cube 2: Hypercube
Directors: Andrzej Sekula
Producers: Ernie Barbarash
Writers: Sean Hood
Features: Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailer, Commentary-Crew, Photo Gallery, Storyboard, Interview-Director, Featurette(s)
Characters:
Kate Filmore - Kari Matchett
Simon Grady - Geraint Wyn Davies
Sasha - Grace Lynn Kung
Max Reisler - Matthew Ferguson
Jerry Whitehall - Neil Crone
Mrs. Paley - Barbara Gordon
Julia - Lindsey Connell
Becky Young - Greer Kent
Colonel Maguire - Bruce Gray
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Review:
One night last week I sat down to channel surf on my TV. While flipping through station after station wearing out my remote I came across a commercial for The Cube 2: Hypercube showing on the Sci-fi channel. I was ecstatic because I am a huge fan of the first Cube movie (read George's review and Ken's review of the first Cube movie). I then immediately jump onto my computer and contacted Lions Gate Films to request information about the movie and a screener copy. Two days later I open my mail box and there is the screener! However, to my disappointment it didn't have any of the special features on the screener disc. None the less I pop the disc into my dvd player in hopes to be just as mystified as I was with the first movie.
As I hit play, turn up the stereo, and pump up my sub I'm greeted by a woman who is crawling through a small doorway into a bright white room. Then all of the sudden she is sucked upwards. Then the movie immediately shifted to the opening credits. This wasn't as cool of an opening as the first Cube but it still caught my interest.
After the opening credits you are then put back into the cube where there is a tortured man with a briefcase handcuffed to himself. He seems distraught and scared out of his mind. Then you are wisped to another room where a blond named Kate (Kari Matchett) runs into a violent man named Simon (Geraint Wyn Davies) and the adventure begins.
Throughout the movie you run into eight characters. Kate Filmore, a psycho therapist. Simon Grady, a management consultant. Jerry Whitehall, an engineer. Mrs. Paley, a confused old lady who seems to have Alzheimer but plays a very important role because she is a theoretical mathematician and introduces the idea that there could be more than 60 million rooms in this cube! Max Reisler, a computer game designer who's ideas about video games are implemented in some of the rooms of the cube. Sash, a blind girl who is mysterious from the beginning. Julia, an attorney representing the IZON Research Affiates. Becky Young, a computer hardware engineer working for IZON, which is a weapons manufacturer in Washington State.
The premise is the same as the last movie. These eight strangers wake up in a cube-shaped room not having a clue as to how they got there or why they are there. The difference between this cube and the last one is that they keep seeing alternate realities of themselves. Some rooms still have traps, others have different gravity, and even others have time that go by either slower or faster than other rooms. In all their travels between each room after room they come by one number over and over 60659. They even find a dead body of some man who has written a ton of mathematical equations all over himself and walls trying to figure out something. The only constant is this one number. They see it all over this man and in numerous rooms.
As the plot thickens they come to the realization that they are in a theoretical cube called a Hypercube. In this hypercube there is a fourth dimension What you don't know is what the fourth dimension is. Is the fourth dimension time and space? Is it parallel universes of their own reality?
I won't go into the plot more than this because the fun about this movie is the mystery that surrounds the cube. I will tell you that the ending did confuse me. Even after a couple of days being able to think about it I'm still lost as to what they were trying to tell the viewer. Despite this small flaw that I could not figure out it's still a wonderful movie. It flows very well and it has all the elements that the first Cube had. The characters who are stuck in the cube even reflect the personalities of the characters in the first cube. The acting I thought was very well done. I had never heard of any of the cast but in my opinion that made the movie even better because it made the movie that much more mysterious.
I would comment on the features of the dvd but since this was the screener version of the movie it did not have any of the features. Although the video was excellent and the audio wasn't the best it didn't seem to take full advantage of the rear surround speakers. It was still very clear and loud.
If you are a fan of the first Cube movie it is a definite must buy. However, if you are skeptical about the movie it is a must rent. In all right now without seeing the special features I can't recommend this movie for a buy just yet, but I feel like it's going to be worth the price when it comes out. Until it comes out on dvd keep checking the Sci-fi channel for it to be shown because it's a can't miss on there!
----Jay