Cube

Vincenzo Natali’s directorial debut, Cube follows several strangers, including Maurice Dean Wint’s Quentin, David Hewlett’s Worth, and Nicole de Boer’s Leaven, as they find themselves confined to a series of seemingly identical rooms (some of which contain deadly traps) – with the movie subsequently detailing the dwindling survivors’ efforts at escaping from the maze. There’s little doubt that Cube gets off to an impressively engrossing start, as Natali kicks the proceedings off with a grisly sequence detailing a hapless victim’s (Julian Richings’ Alderson) encounter with one of the Cube’s aforementioned traps. It’s a solid introduction that paves the way for a sporadically captivating yet decidedly uneven narrative, with the rather limited nature of the film’s premise – the entire thing does, after all, transpire within a series of identical-looking rooms – resulting in a hit-and-miss feel that is, fortunately, more hit than miss. The inclusion of several absolutely spellbinding stretches – eg the survivors attempt to cross a trap-laden room without making a sound – goes a long way towards sustaining one’s interest through the erratic midsection, although, by that same token, there’s little doubt that the film does begin to palpably run out of steam as it crosses the one-hour mark. It’s clear, too, that the decision to offer up a human villain smacks of desperation and needlessness, as the Cube itself is menacing enough to ensure that said villain’s exploits can’t help but come off as a lamentable distraction (ie his presence is seemingly a result of Natali’s need to pad out the running time). The movie rebounds nicely for an impressively enthralling final stretch, however, which ultimately does cement Cube‘s place as an inventive (if inconsistent) bit of sci-fi fun.

*** out of ****