Cube Hypercube (2003)
Directed by Andrzej Sekula
Written by Sean Hood, Ernie Barbarash
Starring Garant Wyn Davies, Kari Matchett, Grace Lynn Kung, Matthew Ferguson
Release Date April 15th, 2003
Published April 29th, 2003
In 1998, a pair of mathematically themed films gained cult followings in multiple festival showings. One was Darren Aronofsky's first masterpiece Pi. The other was a uniquely constructed, low budget sci-fi movie called Cube. The inventively low budget Cube was a series of interconnected rooms that make up a seemingly inescapable maze that can only be properly traveled through a mathematical equation. Using minimalist sets and unknown actors, Cube became a cult favorite.
No one was surprised then when Lions Gate announced a sequel. In fact there was little surprise involved at all in the making of Cube 2, a joyless exercise in low budget sci-fi. Building on the same conceit of the original, Cube 2 begins with a group of strangers awakening inside a giant cube. Tiny doors lead them through a maze of varying realities and the only escape is a mathematical equation that leads to the end of the maze.
This time, there are 8 contestants including a psychopath played by B-movie star Geraint Wyn Davies from American Psycho 2. Well, he wasn't always crazy but watching yourself die a couple of times and killing the same person a few times will drive a man a little nutty. The hero of the film is a plucky blonde therapist named Kate (Kari Matchett). Kate, along with a blind genius played by Grace Lin Kung, wander through the various realities followed by Davies’ psycho killer.
Of course Cube 2 isn't about it's story or characters but rather it's special effects which get all the attention in the DVD features. Some of the effects are quite attention grabbing, while others are a little cheesy. The opening credits sequence is eye catching and impressive.
If your watching for the gore that was present in the original you will be disappointed, though there are plenty of dead bodies there is surprisingly little gore. That is likely because Director Adrzej Sekula spent most of the film’s budget on his computer effects and surprisingly polished look, leaving little left over for the buckets of fake blood you might expect from a low budget sci-fi sequel.
What's not impressive about Cube 2 is the characters and dialogue which are maddeningly lame. As is the ending which devolves from sci-fi to cheesy thriller and sets up Cube 3, though that is not official. Based on the cult following of the original Cube, Cube 2 should do quite well in the straight-to-video market. It's not as bad as most straight-to-video trash but another sequel is not justified by this lame reworking of the original.
