One positive of doing these reviews is that it is giving me a reason to watch a lot of films that I would have otherwise not considered watching. 'Positive' is used in the loosest of terms, as there have been a handful of films that I have watched as a result of these reviews which are terrible. But then we get films like 'Cube' (1997). Here is a film that I had no interest in it at all. The narrative sounded similar to that of the 'Saw' films, a franchise that I just have no care for, and this similarity did put me off. But, with the lockdown it seemed fitting to give it a go. And colour me surprised but I actually really enjoyed it. The film follows a group of strangers who all wake up in a mysterious cube with doors on each wall that lead to other cubes. Some of these cubes are filled with death traps that are triggered through different means; sound, movement, etc. The group need to work out the secrets of the cube so that they may find a way to escape with their lives.
As you can see, the plot of this film is very simple. A group of people stuck in a mysterious building all fighting for their lives, with all the arguments, suspicion and teamwork that goes along with it. The simplicity of the story is a big positive for the film. It doesn't attempt to create a huge mystery or create a convoluted reason as to why these people are all here, they just are. The reason why doesn't matter. The film also doesn't bog itself down with major backstories of the characters. It gives just enough to flesh the characters out without making it a focus of the film. The focus remains on the relationships they form with each other while in this cube and it helps to keep the film engaging, tense and exciting. Everything remains focused on the task at hand and this focus allows the film to flow really well. It also manages to remain visually interesting despite the very limited sets. Again, it is through very simple means. Just a change of colour between the different cubes means that the film doesn't becoming boring to look at. Not only this, but it allows us as an audience to understand when our characters have moved cubes rather than becoming confused as to where they are. The film also has a couple moments of superb cinematography which I have to applaud. There are some moments of CGI which haven't aged very well at all, but the practical effects are all done really well, with one moment of practical makeup that is both visually brilliant and quite horrific.
I'm not going to beat around the bush here, the acting in this film is not good. It is not so horrendous that it makes the film difficult to watch, but that doesn't mean that it is good. Some of the actors are better than others. David Hewlett is probably the best of the bunch in his role as Worth, but this may also be down to the fact that he is mostly silent for the first half of the film. The main problem with the acting in the film is that it is properly over the top. There is very little scenery to chew on in the film, but that doesn't stop our actors from giving it a good go. The two biggest culprits of this are Nicky Guadagni as Holloway and Maurice Dean Wint as Quentin. Both start kind of hammy but go full ham as the film continues, and it all culminates in an argument between the two which genuinely made me laugh as they tried to out overact each other. One good way of showing how hammy the performances can be is in the image that has stuck with me after the film has ended. That image is Quentin's face with bulging eyes and mouth agape in sheer terror. Or at least that is what he was going for, he instead managed to make one of the best comedic visuals I've seen in any film recently.
'Cube' is not a perfect film by any means. It is filled with poorly aged CGI effects, and the acting leaves a lot to be desired. But the concept, storytelling and visuals are all done really well and lead to a film I couldn't help but get sucked into. It was an engaging, tense, exciting and, above all, surprising. I had no confidence that I would enjoy this film going in and yet it has been one of the better ones I have seen while doing these reviews. It is a definite recommend from me, and that is something that I was not expecting to be saying when I first put it on.