Review of Cube (1998) by Rogerinho S — 27 Jun 2012

This might be a pretty low budget sci-fi horror film, but, all things considered, it's surprisingly pretty good, and a great example of using a small budget to maximum effect by getting as creative as possible despite limitations.

The plot is really Kafkaesque and follows a group of people trapped in a series of interlocking cubical chambers, some of which are booby trapped. None of them recall exactly how they got there, or why, but all they know is that they only have so much time to figure out a way to escape (if possible) unless they want to be trapped in there forever.

In a fun little nod, all the characters are named after various prisons, and their personality traits are related to some aspect of the prison they are named after. Cool. I also really liked that this film is a nice blend of math, psychology, philosophy, and bits of sci-fi and horror. For a low-budget B indie, they sure swung for the fences, and thankfully it mostly pays off.

Yes, the acting isn't that great, but the scenario is cool, the execution is pretty decent, and the art direction and set design are well done. I also really love how there's a lot of mystery to things, and it's not all completely spelled out in the end.

All in all, a decent and worthwhile watch. Give it a shot.