Cube (1997) With Trailer (contains a lot of plot points which may spoil ones enjoyment)

A group of strangers wake up to find themselves trapped in a never ending maze of rooms which all look identical but differ in colours and with some sprung with traps....That's all there is to it, to this simplistic yet highly inventive science fiction flick. Shot on a shoestring budget where each room is in fact just one room, lit and filmed in such a way, where our perceptions are skewed and the reality of thousand rooms seem possible.

Each person seemed to be picked at random where no one remembers how and why they were put in this giant maze. With the first character we come across merely on screen for a matter of minutes, is soon getting sliced and diced into a million pieces, we know it probably won't end well for the remaining people in the cube. The people that are left include a cop, a maths student, a doctor, an office worker, an escape artiste and an autistic adult. Each display the usual genre traits found within a film like this. A conspiracy theorist who suspects everything from the government to aliens, to a driven and angry man who will do anything to get out, a pessimist who see no point, to a maths whiz who may have the answer to solve the puzzle of the cube...which leaves our idiot savant. They all have a part to play in escaping to the real world and the only way they will do it, is by working together.

It's an original and obsorbing idea where the reason and logic of why they were ever put there isn't the driving force of the narrative or the most important thing. The questions are bought on by the characters when they bicker and argue about the purpose and reasoning behind the cube. The unravelling of each character is the main focal point and the inventive use of the rooms drives the film forward. As time goes by,  more secret is revealed. It's a study of the hidden side humanity and psyche.

Great use of low angle shots and tight close up provide a great sense of claustrophia which reflect in the characters' actions and repsonse to each other. As time wears on and hope begins to wan you already know where things are leading up to. A film not without faults though with such great ideas and vision it's hard not to like it's concept. Sure, some of the characters may seemed like they've just rolled off the factory line at villians r us but overall the characters are fully explored with each

given clear personality and purpose within the narrative.

Simple yet very effectively woven story with many clever ideas which pulls them off successfully and leaves you wanting more. With all small successful independant films though you know sequels will be made and made they were. They're not a patch on this original concept. Cube 2: Hypercube believes more is better and Cube Zero (a prequel)  tries to explain the unexplainable. Watch only to remind yourself what a great film this is, otherwise avoid.

Acting 3/5

Technical Merit 4/5

Narrative 4/5

Entertainment 4/5

15/20