Cube²: Hypercube

Well, I guess it's an OK movie so long as you pretend the first Cube doesn't exist. Interesting characters, interesting plot, and lots of panic and violence... gotta love that.

But... the question must be asked: How can you have a sequel to Cube? Cube was a deeply philosophical movie that had nothing to do with conspiracies or governments or Izod or anything nonsense like that. It wasn't some government project - it just was. It was a means of putting the various kinds of "humanity" to the test.

Hypercube obviously missed that. It missed the deeper meaning of Cube because whoever wrote it was too superficial to see past the glossy exterior to its true meaning. In making Hypercube, they insult Cube, as well as all its fans who understood it for what it really was.

Cube was a philosophical statement. Hypercube is a pointless sci-fi thriller. As a sci-fi thriller, it's not bad - but when you watch it, disassociate it with its predecessor, or else you'll absolutely hate it.

So the math took a backseat to the first movie. This one, however, is all about the completely ridiculous result of what happens when you build a hypercube. Where did the simplicity go? Where's the magical screen writing that made the first so excellent? Fans of the first one absolutely should see this movie, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the new things Hypercube throws at you. Literally throws at you, in fact. And throws at the seven new characters.

But where did it go wrong? The opening sequence is nothing short of the greatest moment the Cube series has ever seen. Draws you straight into the action, even if the first actor is bad at falling... up. From that point on, the characters take a seat and move along with a poor attempt at additional plot. We don't ever get any insight into character motive, as we did in the first movie. This person goes insane... wait, explain that one again? In addition to no character motive, the characters are completely static. Unless you had seen the first movie and were actually expecting focus on character archs, you would find yourself thinking how terribly predictable the characters are. Even more, the Cube's logical image has been destroyed, replaced by this machine gone horribly wrong in the fourth dimension.

The best part of the film is how it continually keeps you on your feet, long after you've seen it. What gave me hope for Lion's Gate was the frightening beginning and the fantastic ending. I'm still plagued by social, theoretical and mathematical problems posed in this second installment, and the ending will not disappoint. However, for those looking for intelligent theoretical sci-fi, I would look to the first, and watch it perhaps a second time.

When I first saw the first 'Cube,' one thought ran through my mind: "How is it that a Canadian movie achieved all that?!" The first movie was a delightful surprise; when I heard about the existence 'Cube 2: Hypercube', I was somewhat excited. I wanted it to be good so badly. Luckily, it wasn't very sequel-y. It was the same movie, for the most part. Conflict was the same, and I could pick out a handful of scenes that had the exact same content as the first movie. I half expected to see the Ren jump out of a door, throwing a boot.

Once again, set and direction were great. There were a few camera tricks I'm still marveling about. (360 shots... no crew?!) But that's about all I can say for this travesty. Terrible writing, even worse acting, and half explained characters led me to the barely formed conclusion in which I merely said, "Huh?" I assume the film makers were attempting to create the same atmosphere of the unknown as in 'Cube.' What ended up occurring was a somewhat mish-mashed situation that didn't fit into the movie at all.

To be honest, I don't think the film makers even knew what was going on. My advice: stick to the first one.

This movie is ugly and unnecessarily messed up, sometimes it's so bad that it's funny, but in general it's too messed up to make any real sense. The ending is difficult to understand and even once understood it still makes no sense.

I saw the first film and loved it. Although some of the dialogue was... well, insert word. The point of the second one is not so much about the cube, but the organization behind it. Questions that remain about who they are, what they're doing and the rest of the 5 W's.

If you like films that leave you with questions instead of answer, this second cube only adds to the general intrigue and I suspect that they may be more to come.

It's not for everyone. It's not for most of the population, but those who've gone a little more to the cinematic edge may still appreciate it.