DVD REVIEW
By John J. Puccio
A man appears to be imprisoned in a cubicle cell, with one closed doorway in each of the walls, ceiling, and floor. He chooses a door, passes through it into an almost identical room, and is suddenly diced, cubed, into tiny bits by a pair of huge, razor-sharp, large-mesh screens. It´s a startling, grotesque, yet fascinating scene. Regrettably, from this promising start "Cube" goes slowly downhill. Its ripping-good science fiction premise becomes talky, allegorical, and, ultimately, preachy. Viewers can still admire the story idea, the set design, and the fine acting, but those expecting another "Dark City" will surely be disappointed.

The story involves a half dozen people who are locked inside a giant Rubik´s Cube, but unlike the real-life puzzle that has only twenty-six cubes total, this gigantic structure is built of twenty-six by twenty-six cubicle rooms. Some of the rooms are booby trapped, some are not.

The people trapped inside have no idea why they are there or how they got there. They have never met one another before, but they quickly come to realize that each of them has a special skill or talent, which, if used cooperatively, might help them escape. One is a doctor, one a cop, one a math whiz, etc. The doctor figures they have about three days without food or water before they are too weak to continue, so time is of the essence. To further complicate matters, each of the characters is unusual or maladjusted in one way or another, and tensions mount rapidly. It doesn´t take long for the viewer to figure out that these people have as much to fear from each other as they do from the lethal traps around them.

"Cube" is a small-budget Canadian film that looks a lot bigger than it is. Thanks to good acting, inventive set design, creative camera work, and subtle but effective computer graphics, the movie goes a long way to make a negligible, almost-claustrophobic story line seem more complex than it actually is.

The plot intentionally leaves more questions unanswered than answered in order to promote audience thought, certainly, but also to divert the audience´s attention away from the movie´s repetitive, sometimes redundant, action. We´re left to wonder, is the whole setup some kind of space alien experiment? Is the story meant to be a character study of universal human relationships? Is the film a criticism of societal depersonalization? Is it an attack on governmental bureaucracy? Or is it an allegory on the futility of life itself? One of the characters shouts, "There´s no way out." Is hell really just "other people," as Jean-Paul Sartre suggested in "No Exit"? Is the film an existential comment on our place in the universe? Were the writers of "Cube" deliberately referencing Samuel Beckett´s "Waiting for Godot," especially with their ending? Were they purposely reflecting Beckett´s questioning of life´s meaning in the midst of eternal mystery? If the story´s symbolism seems a little vague, apparently it´s supposed to be that way.

Included on the DVD is a feature-length audio commentary by the film´s director, Vincenzo Natali; one of its stars, David Hewlett; and a cowriter, Andre Bijelic. After ninety minutes of listening to them talk almost entirely about production matters, it was clear they were going out of their way to avoid saying anything about the film´s meaning (or they didn´t have any more idea than the audience what the film was really about, which I doubt). They say they left the story´s philosophical questions open-ended by design, but it´s frustrating when their film doesn´t provide enough clues for a viewer to reach any rational conclusions beyond the obvious.

Video & Audio:
Anyway, Trimark present the film in its original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, in reasonably sharp-etched color and acceptable two-channel stereo sound, so it´s good to look at. In spite of the multitude of lines and angles on the cubicle walls, the picture holds a steady image.

Extras:
In addition, Trimark provide storyboard comparisons, several deleted scenes, notes on set and production design, scene access, a trailer, and the aforementioned running commentary. This is more than some studios offer on their DVD releases of big-budget films.

Parting Shots:
Good science fiction movies have often been thought provoking, even moralistic. "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "2001," and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" had something to say, while never forgetting their obligation to entertain. "Cube" might have worked best as a one-hour TV episode of "The Outer Limits." It has a clever story idea and a few good, suspenseful scenes. But at ninety minutes on the big screen, it tends to lose its way, trying too hard to occupy our minds at the expense of our eyes, ears, and heart.