Plot
In this Canadian-filmed sequel to (what else?) The Cube, eight strangers awaken in a cube-shaped room with no idea of where they've come from or how they arrived. All they do know is that they've been plunged into a fourth-dimensional netherworld where all physical laws seem to be made up as they go along. Presented with cryptic clues as to the nature of their plight, the tiny group desperately tries to find a way out of their constantly shape-shifting environment, certain that if they don't escape, they will die slow but spectacular deaths. First shown at the Fantasy Filmfest in Munich, Germany, in the summer of 2002, Cube 2: Hypercube bounced around the sci-fi festival circuit until its American cable TV debut over the Sci-Fi Channel on April 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
Cube 2: Hypercube is essentially a higher-budget, better-scripted version of the original, only not quite as satisfying. There isn't the same thrill of discovery, and crucially, when people die, they don't stay dead. You see, the hypercube environment features the fourth dimension of time, which adds further pretzels to the logic of a multi-roomed maze from which there appears no escape. But as the group of trapped strangers comes across still-living versions of their dead companions, or already-dead versions of their living selves, it lowers the stakes, removing Cube 2 from the reliable realm of horror frame story in which the characters are steadily picked off. While this has its existential advantages, and allows limitless possibilities, it loses something in the scare department. Those limitless possibilities also mean the hypercube rarely adheres to any specific rules -- the ways it attacks its prey can seem like random screenwriter whims more than necessary outcomes of the established conditions. Director Andrzej Sekula conjures a crisp look that's an advantage over the original -- which did terrific things on a small budget, just not quite this fancy. Having twice served as cinematographer for Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction), Sekula makes strides beyond a visual stylist in his second directing effort, getting good performances from the cast, notably Geraint Wyn Davies as an increasingly unhinged private eye. However, it's the dialogue that's the big nontechnical jump over Cube, as Lauren McLaughlin and Ernie Barbarash have written the perfect brand of sarcastic retorts and befuddled questions for their characters. (And what a smart idea to include a senile character who's always forgetting her predicament.) The complete package is a better thriller or sci-fi movie than horror, but well worth checking out either way. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
Kari Matchett - Kate Filmore; Geraint Wyn Davies - Simon Grady; Grace Lynn Kung - Sasha; Matthew Ferguson - Max Reisler; Neil Crone - Jerry Whitehall; Barbara Gordon - Mrs. Paley; Lindsey Connell - Julia; Greer Kent - Becky Young; Bruce Gray - Col. Maguire; Philip Akin - The General; Paul Robbins - Tracton; Andrew Scorer - Dr. Phil RosenzweigCredit
Jon P. Goulding - Art Director, Andrzej Sekula - Director, Mark Sanders - Editor, Michael Paseornek - Executive Producer, Peter Block - Executive Producer, Norman Orenstein - Composer (Music Score), Diana Magnus - Production Designer, Ernie Barbarash - Producer, Suzanne Colvin-Goulding - Producer, Sean Hood - Screen Story, Lauren McLaughlin - Screenwriter, Ernie Barbarash - Screenwriter, Jeff Skochko - Special Effects Coordinator| Cube (1997 Film), Cubbyhouse (2001 Film) | |
| Cube Zero (2004 Film), CubeFreak (2007 Film) |
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