Search - Cube 2 - Hypercube on DVD

Better than most of the negative reviews here give

Joseph M. Siegler | Garland, TX USA | 01/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say I rather enjoyed this movie.

I did see the first Cube movie, and enjoyed that A LOT. So I wasn't exactly expecting greatness going into Cube 2 - I mean, it's basically the same movie as the first one, right? It takes place in a cube that doesn't change it's sets, right?

For me there were enough differences and additions that made it work for me. Although I did feel as they introduced characters in this movie that I was saying "OK, now how will this one play out in the finalae of the movie", as I had seen the first one, and realized each had a part.

Cube 2 had more special effects than the first one did, as there were things inside the rooms that required them - plus the floaty sex scene was kind of bizarre.

My point in all this rambling is that I enjoyed it, and I tried to convey that feeling without giving away the movie, which I hate when reviews do. If you don't go into it expecting a cinematic masterpiece, you'll probably enjoy it for what it is, which is what I did."

Couldn't stand on his feet without the first one...

Gregor Wossilus | Berlin | 08/20/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Saw this yesterday night at the Berlin Fantasy Film Festival. Cube 2 is in many terms very close to the first one. That wouldn't matter if CUBE 2 would be the same chiller as the original. It is not, yet it tries very hard to entertain. We find the same plot again. A bunch of people wake up in cube-shaped room with doors on each side. This time the rooms all are in white light (no different colours like in CUBE) which doesn't ease the situation for the prisoners but takes away the immediate threat just of the location.
Again we have the same characters. A little shy girl, that has the gift of precognition, a young goodhearted guy who seems to have a dark secret, a Mr. Niceguy who is a physician (the one that can be, has to be and will get killed) and an aggressive psycho who meets his new situation with fear turned into pure aggression and mistrust. They try to find a way out of the Cube by passing room after room. This time there are no lethal traps. But since CUBE 2 has had a much bigger budget - CUBE is one of the best examples for great "no budget" films - and also has to be better and more exiting then the first film the different rooms have different physical laws. Once the gravity is changed, some move in a different timezone, another one offers a hovering square that turns into a giant and lethally spinning saw. But until this thread occurs the movie delivers too much comic relief. There is no threatening and therefore exiting and chilly atmosphere the first film had from the first minute. Again, none of the prisoners knows how he got there nor why they were put in the Cube. That gave the first film a great Kafkaesque touch which offered tons of great ideas about the sheer terror and horror of being trapped in a giant killer machine. The characters had to accept that their emprisonment happened for no particular reason. This kept viewers busy for days after watching CUBE because that movie made you want to answer questions and seek solutions the movie consciously left open. In CUBE 2 there is a much more trivial approach. The prisoners all were somehow connected to one great and evil company working on dark computer experiments...therefore one can figure quite fast they are supposed to be killed for their knowledge but first are used as testers for this new killer machine, the new and improved cube. Trivial!!! Apart from that the movie has to offer some surprises and a little gore but it is never really scary. Too much light everywhere and too much copying of situations from CUBE. Also the sfx is used quite often and ruins the nice and simple geníus like inspirational filmmaking CUBE had to offer. All in all this is an average b picture that nobody would care for if CUBE hadn't inspired so many viewers. CUBE 2 cannot stand on his own, that is his greatest flaw. Yet fans of CUBE might enjoy being in a CUBE environment again."

More gloss, less substance

Trelloskilos | UK | 01/19/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"THe first film 'CUBE', was a well told, but poorly excecuted tale of six strangers who need to work together to escape a maze of identical cube-shaped rooms within a giant structure. Each character has a particular skill that could assist the group with escape, but first they need to overcome their own fears and suspicions.Part of what made the first film so great, was the series of questions about how humans behave in relation to eachother in a community, particularly a dangerous one. It also posed several questions as to what the whole cube was all about.CUBE 2 is set in a similar environment, but with an added dimension. While a fourth spatial dimension is a difficult concept for most humans to grasp, it is not that imperative to enjoying the film, which is a shame, as it would have been interesting to explain a scientific concept and combine it with the predicament that the unfortunate group find themselves in.
The film chooses instead to use other concepts of physics (time-shifting, gravity shifts etc.) to provide some element of action and discovey within each room.Unfortunately, unlike Cube 1, although each character has a skill or specific knowledge that could provide clues as to the nature of their environmet, there is no element of 'contribution' - rather, just a brief explanation of their association with the cubethat just seems to serve as 'filler' and offers little to the whole storyline. Furthermore, because of this, there seems to be no reason for the characters to 'gel'. Also, due to the neature of a sequel, there is less suspense and tension that was evident in the first film.Despite it's many flaws, Cube 2 is better acted, and does have moments of inspiration - particularly involving clever use on physics theories that couldn't be used so much in the first film. There is good use of camera angles that can make the viwer feel claustrophobic at one point, and vertigenous at another. Also, some attempt has been made to begin revealing exactly who or what is behind the whole thing. You see the outside of the cube briefly, and this does provide a link with reality that is non-existent in the first 'Cube'. Finally, while there is more use of CGA (particularly eith the traps invled) it is still in keeping with the rest of the film.The main problem that defeats both the Cube 1 & 2 is that due to the nature of the story, a satisfactory conclusion is practically impossible.The Cube would succeed as a TV mini-series, which would allow for cliff-hangers and a more thorough development of plot, characters and conclusion. As far as entertainment value goes, it delivers, and does answer many of the questions raised in Cube 1, but then leaves a big gaping hole that can only be filled by yet another sequel. If you enjoyed the first film, then this one is certainly worth an hour or so out of your life, but don't expect a resolution. If you haven't watched the first film, or you didn't enjoy it, then don't bother. Bottom line is that the Cube 2 is a movie for hardcore fans and completists only."

Intriguing, but falls short of its predecessor

CreepyT | Colorado, United States | 04/24/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The original "Cube" movie was incredibly original, scary, and thought provoking. Unfortunately, the sequel did not live up to the grandeur of its predecessor. In fact, it fell quite short and pales in comparison (as sequels often do). In the original movie, we are introduced to a group of people who have been dropped into a large cube against their will. Together they must find a way to get out of this nightmare realm without losing their lives in the process. Various rooms within this cube are plagued with horrific traps, and to avoid the traps the group must break the mathematical code that the giant maze operates on. In this sequel, we are introduced to a similar band of characters who are placed into the cube against their will, and again they try to find their way out of the awful waking nightmare. However, there are a few twists this time. In the Hypercube (a somewhat far-fetched theory in both physics and mathematics) the people are not only traveling through 3 dimensions, but four. In other words, these unsuspecting and unwilling participants must face variants of gravity and time within each room of the cube. They come across themselves in alternate realities. Furthermore, there are traps as in the original film, but they seem to have a supernatural element. They aren't the simple, explainable mechanical traps that we encountered in the previous film. One thing I enjoyed about the first film was that the concept was somewhat believable. The maze and traps were mechanical and based on mathematical principles. There was a solid explanation, and thus a way out. In the sequel, there really was no big mystery (mathematical problem) to resolve. Furthermore, in the original film, the group of people stuck in the cube were all there for a purpose. They were specifically chosen so that they could each bring strengths to the group in order for them to find a way out. In this film, however, the group of people was chosen merely because they were affiliated with a specific company that made the cube, and thus needed to be eliminated for knowing too much. In addition, the group of characters weren't developed as much in this film as they were in the previous one. Thus, you, the viewer, don't feel as compelled to see them make it through the cube. The ending, unfortunately, left something to be desired. Many things are left up in the air. You are left with the notion that there might be a third film. If that does turn out to be the case, I certainly hope that more thought and attention goes into making that movie than went into this one.Overall, I'd say that this movie is a renter and not a keeper. It has it's good moments, and it is an interesting concept, but not as well done as the first movie (which I think should be in everyone's collection)."