Plot: What’s it about?
Six total strangers, one weird place, no clues as to where they are or how they can escape. They don’t remember how they got there, but they know they’re there now. Quentin, a policeman, Leaven, a high schooler with a gift for math, Kazan, an autistic, Rennes, a convict/escape artist, Worth, an engineer with a dark secret, and Holloway, a psychologist, are all stuck inside a maze of rooms, each of which is the same size, just a different color. But walking through these rooms, which are about 14′ in every direction, is not as easy as pie. You see, some rooms are safe, others are wired to traps, such as acid, blades, mesh traps, you name it. In other words, you don’t really wanna guess which ones to go into, or might end up without your head. Rennes has been using the “boot” method, where he tosses one of his boots into a room, and if it trigger the sensors, then he doesn’t go in, if the boot survives, it’s safe. This method has not failed him yet, and the others trust him because of his expertise in sensors and escapes. As they progress through the cubes, they notice a numerical pattern on each of the six doors in each cube. As time passes and they get deeper into this maze, they discover that each of them has a talent or skill that may seem useless, but is vital to their escape. Can they work together and make it through this, or will they kill each other before they ever have a chance to escape?
This is a sweet movie. Shot entirely on one set, it gives a perfect illusion of a huge maze of cubes. That’s right, all they did was change the lights, and ::poof:: new cube! It looks fantastic though, and the repetition works well to make us feel what the characters are feeling. Since the film is character driven, the writers made sure to throw some unique personalities in the mix, and supply some surprising twists in there as well. And the traps…oh yes, the traps. Right from the start, we get to see this freak Alderson get reduced to Swiss cheese by one of the mesh traps. This may be low budget, but the effects of the mesh traps looks awesome! It is so cool to see someone just fall to pieces, and actually look realistic. Another interesting trap is the acid flower, which sprays a burst of acid into the cube-dweller’s face, leaving a large hole where their face used to be. Again, the effect looks great, much better than I expected from a lower budget film. I was skeptical about how a film set in the same environment throughout the film would keep me interested, but Cube was thrilling, from chapter one to the closing credits. The suspense is great, and I was always on the edge of my seat, waiting for the “boot” method and the “prime number” method to fail, and give me another excellent death scene. This new Signature Series release offers much enhanced video & audio, plus a nice selection of extras, so fans should upgrade here, without question. The old release still has some exclusive extras however, so perhaps diehard Cube devotees will want both, in order to have all the goodies.
In a movie like Cube, where just six actors perform, they have to work well, or the movie dies. This cast does a very good job at bringing depth and development to these characters, bringing the tension and frustrations of their characters to life. Playing the role of Quentin, who assumes the role of leader, is Maurice Dean Wint, who also starred in Rude, an urban comedy. Leaven, the math whiz, is played by Nicole de Boer, and David Hewlett (Scanners 2: The New Order) plays the role of the engineer, Worth, who turns out to have a history with the cube, but what is that history? The free clinic doctor, Holloway, is acted by Nicky Guadagni, who I find annoying, but maybe she’s supposed to be that way. Andrew Miller is the actor behind the autistic Kazan, and Julian Richings (Urban Legend) plays Alderson, who gets offed before the title logo shows up. And finally, my favorite member of this cast, Wayne Robson (Two If By Sea), who acts as the escape artist Rennes. Rennes is quite the cool guy, informing the others that he only wants them around for their boots (for his “boot” method). What a classic sponge. I also want to give some props to director Vincenzo Natali (Cypher, Elevated), as the visuals are stunning here and the crew really got the most of the minimal resources available.
Video: How does it look?
Cube is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. As well crafted as the last disc of Cube was, it suffered in terms of audio & video presentation. At the time, it looked solid, but as time has passed, the visuals have started to look dull and soft. But for this new edition, Lions Gate has created a brand new transfer and this time, its enhanced for widescreen televisions. The image here offers a sharper, more refined presentation, but the low budget roots of the material are evident, so don’t expect a pristine visual effort. The sharper visuals allow more detail to be seen, so things are opened up in that respect. The colors also seem a little bolder, though not by a lot and contrast is smooth and accurate at all times. This is not a vast improvement, but the added anamorphic enhancement provides us a sharper, better overall presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
A new Dolby Digital 5.1 option is also found here, which offers much more presence and life than the previous ultra-stereo soundtrack. As this film relies on tension and atmosphere, this new audio track is put to good use, which makes for an even more eerie experience. The surrounds are used often here and to excellent ends, as the various sound effects are given a more active, immersive presence. And like I said, this movie thrives on atmosphere, so this new soundtrack is a most welcome inclusion. The power is solid, but expect a more subtle, atmospheric track, until the audio needs to flex its muscles, that is. I found the music to be more expansive here also, while the dialogue is clean and clear, with no exceptions. This disc also includes subtitles in English and Spanish, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This new version includes some of the previous disc’s extras, as well as some all new supplements. A new commentary with Vincenzo Natali starts us off, which contains a more reserved, insightful session than the prior commentary. Even so, it would have been nice to have both included here, to be sure. The deleted scenes have ported over also, but we lose the optional audio comments, which is a shame. We also lose some design galleries, but we still have the special effects artwork, storyboards, and set design artwork, and the film’s trailer, so most of the extras have been brought over from the previous disc. The final supplement here is a new interview with star Nicole DeBoer, which is brief, but worth a look.
