Cubing the Gleam

I guess Cube (1997) is kind of a cult movie, a low-budget high-brow horror flick. I can hardly tell you why I decided to queue it up. It got mentioned in a few podcasts, Ms. Spenser likes horror, done.

It takes place in a series of cubes, identical except for color and tiny id number plates. Each cube has an access door in each side, top, bottom. They doors only lead to other cubes. There is no food, no water, no communication with the outside world. A few people wake up in nearby cubes with no memory of how they got there. They include a policeman, a doctor, a student, an escape artist, and just a guy. They soon find out that some of the cubes are empty, but some contain deadly traps.

And that's about it. I won't spoil it by telling any more, like if they ever get out, or if they find out how they got there, or if they find out but it's so random that there must be something else... But I'll say no more.

Director Vincenzo Natali made this movie on a shoestring. For one thing, there is only one set, the cube. It is re-used with different colored panels for all the rooms. The script, characters, and acting do almost all of the work. It's incredibly suspenseful and tense, although not as bloody as you might think. Still, it's pretty bloody.

There's a sequel, Cube 2: Hypercube. I don't know if we are up for the experience.

In conclusion, here's why we queued it up: The last Mission Impossible was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. He also produced Persons Unknown, which has a plot that reminded me of Cube. So we watched this to get ready for that. I guess I should have kept that to myself.