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Cube [VHS] [1998]
 
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Cube [VHS] [1998]

VHS ~ Nicole de Boer
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Nicole de Boer, Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller, Nicky Guadagni
  • Directors: Vincenzo Natali
  • Writers: Vincenzo Natali, André Bijelic, Graeme Manson
  • Producers: Betty Orr, Colin Brunton, Mehra Meh
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: 4 Front Video
  • VHS Release Date: 1 July 2002
  • Run Time: 87 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004CYQ1
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8,721 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

If Clive Barker had written an episode of The Twilight Zone, it might have looked something like Cube. A handful of strangers wake up inside a bizarre maze, having been spirited there during the night. They quickly learn that they have to navigate their way through a series of chambers if they have any hope of escape but the problem is that there are lethal traps awaiting if they choose their route unwisely. Having established some imaginative and grisly punishments in store for the hostages, cowriter and director Vincenzo Natali turns his attention to the characters, for whom being trapped amplifies their best and worst qualities. The film is, in fact, similar to a famous episode of Rod Serling's old television series, though Natali's explanation for why these poor people are being put through hell is a lot closer to the spirit of The X-Files. Cube has some solid moments of suspense and drama and the sets are appropriately striking: one is tempted to believe at first the characters are lost inside a computer chip. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis

Six strangers awaken to find themselves trapped in a surreal prison with only a limited time to escape. They must cooperate to escape the endless maze of interlocking cubical chambers which are armed with lethal booby traps.

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Customer Reviews

68 Reviews
5 star:
 (29)
4 star:
 (22)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (68 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Cubed, 23 Feb 2007
By E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Cube [DVD] [1998] (DVD)
"Cube" is a cult hit. That basically means that it's good or innovative, but not many people know about it.

Vincenzo Natali (also creator of "Cypher" and "Nothing") made his full-length directorial debut with this film -- a low-budet, innovative sci-thriller that feels like an episode of the "Twilight Zone," as written by Mark Danielewski and Franz Kafka. Yes, it's that surreal -- and that intelligent and well-written.

Seven people have been placed in a cubical room, which is connected to a bizarre maze of thousands more. Among are a cop, a disabled man, an architect, a student, a doctor and a criminal, and all of them have wildly disparate personalities. But they soon learn that behind the countless doors, there are deadly booby-traps.

So of course, their chances of survival don't seem so good. But they soon learn that their placement in the Cube is no accident -- each one has skills that the group needs. To escape, they will have to band together and use their brains. But why are they in the Cube in the first place -- and is the maze even the same as when they started?

Vincenzo Natali's "Cube" is a perfect example of what Hollywood can't seem to grasp -- it doesn't matter how much money is poured into a movie, because it's the concept, brains and skill that make it good or bad. Not the special effects or the big names.

And Natali did a magnificent job with his first full-length movie, infusing what seems to be a straightforward thriller with a taut, claustrophobic atmosphere, and some ominous hints about morality (or the lack of it) and sociology. It also has an unusually intelligent script, with prime numbers and their powers playing a big part, right next to the gruesome deaths. And of course, the solid dialogue. ("You've got a gift." "It's not a gift. It's just a brain.")

At the heart of the creepiness: Natali only reveals the secrets of the Cube as they are revealed to the characters, which adds to the suspense. What is this thing? Why are they in it? We know as much as they do. And we're only going to find out more about it when they do.

It's also a movie that bothers to have real characters. No screaming teens here -- the movie's plot depends on them being very different. Natali and André Bijelic reveal the characters through their action and dialogue -- some are whiny, some are cruel, and some are just annoying. Some of the acting is rather flat, and a few of the arguments ring hollow, but overall it's very like watching real people.

Vincenzo Natali's "Cube" gives a good name to shoestring budgets and eerie plots. Definitely deserving of its cult status -- bizarre, twisted and creepy.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastical Horror, 6 Dec 2000
By A Customer
Cube is one hell of a film.

The beginning sequence - where a man climbs into a red cube and is sliced into bits - and falls apart - by a giant net of knives - is a freezing horror that is sustained throughout the film.

There are many twists that leave you gasping with dread, and the few special effects that are used are used in a grippingly sinister way, mostly involving the painful death of a character.

What is most frightening and disturbing about this film however, is the agressively claustrophobic atmosphere, the desperate confusion as to why they are inside the cube and where, and the lingering possibility that they will die before they escape.

From start to finish, a shocking, chilling, thriller of a film. Don't be put off by the lack of big names - this film is absolutely SUPERB.

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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating and Unique cinema, 31 Oct 2002
By H. Trivass "snuffle007" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This film restores your faith in Sci-fi films that has been lost with all the trash that has been thrown out over the years.
All too often sci-fi films are just boring, repeative nonsense playing on the same themes and fears.

This film breaks the mold. It is an intelligently written modern masterpiece, acted superbly by 6 unknowns with a tiny budget and shot very quickly with only one or maybe 2 takes for each scene.

The story of "Cube" is a strange but extremely facinating one.
Cube begins with 7 people waking up inside what resembles a massive Rubik Cube.Amoungst the many thousands of cubes that make up the structure are many rooms with have a deadly booby trap which will kill anyone who walks into it (usually in a very nasty way!)There are rooms which are safe to go into, but they have no idea which is which!

The poor souls have no recollection of how or why they came into the cube, and no one knows the purpose of the cube or who is ultimately responsible for their incarceration.

Stripped of practically every possession and tool, the small band of people are left to work their way around the maze of cube rooms in an attempt to find the exit before they die of starvation and thirst. In the process, they must avoid lethal traps, which dog their path.

The only apparent source of help is endless mathematical formulas engraved into each cube's door, apparently there to pinpoint the travellers' position within the entire structure and to identify traps - therefore providing a safe route out.

BUT, as with much of "Cube", these formulas turn out to be frustrating riddles whose properties change at every turn

Each character (mainly 5 as 2 die very early on) goes through a transformation as the pressure, fear and paranoia set in and it becomes increasingly clear that the cube exerts no more danger on the prisoners than they do on each other. As time goes on, it is obvious each person has a skill that, used as part of a team, can help them escape the deadly Cube. That said, the team gradually crumbles as the clock ticks and it becomes a mad race for survival from both the Cube and each other.

Brilliant idea that is masterfully brought to our screens!

Behind the obvious plot is a more subtle sub-plot which involves the human need for answers and explantion. The prisoners in the Cube spend much of their time questionning why they are there and who put them there, a question of which none of them know the answers too, but paranoia and suspisions run through the group. This is pretty much part of the human psyche. We question our existance. Why are we here and how did we get here???? etc etc... questions which ultimately have no answers but we continually ask them anyway!

This film plays on so many of our fears! Trapped in a strange place with strange people! Claustraphobia, lack of information, death, persecution, accusations, and the worst of all, not even trusting those people you have helped and supported.

Brilliant film! a Cinematic triumph!

A must have for ALL DVD/Video collections!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A film without time or place
I bought this randomly in a Virgin megastore based solely on the blurb on the back (this was when DVDs were 15 quid a chuck) and I loved it. Read more
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4.0 out of 5 stars Intense
This extremely original thriller/Sci Fi is one of the most underrated films of the nineties. It received a limited showing in only a select few cinemas in the UK which was a real... Read more
Published 12 months ago by S. Clarke

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure escapism
Cube is almost a perfect fit for fans of science fiction and horror. I've noticed a lot of negative reviews here, and I can only put it down to whether you buy the set-up and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. P. Julian

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius.
This is one of the most intelligent films ever made. It is a metaphor for the prison that is the limitations of the human mind/western society. Read more
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1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely poor script and even worse acting! Beyond Cliche.
This is an appalling film. With an extremely poor script and even worse acting, it's filled with cliche after cliche. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Pinter Milk

1.0 out of 5 stars terrible
You can suspend your disbelief that people can be in such a situation, of course, but what you can't ignore is the awful dialogue, riddled with cliche, delivered by the worst... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Filip Muzsky

4.0 out of 5 stars The mother of all cubes!
Amazingly well-made SF-thriller. Super-low budget, but that only adds to the charm. Lack of money forced the makers to be inventive and come up with a fantasticly gripping,... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2007 by micheal zeeland

5.0 out of 5 stars Low-budget, thriller/social study
This is one of my favourite films - a bit of a thinker and the tension is brilliantly conceived.

The acting is better than many hollywood blockbusters, and the sets... Read more
Published on 25 Sep 2007 by V. Bailey

1.0 out of 5 stars If I could give it minus one I would !!!!
No explanation is ever given on how these people ( By the way the worst bunch of actors I have ever seen) got into the Cube in the first place. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2007 by G. Kyriacou

1.0 out of 5 stars If I could give it Minus One I would !!!!
No explanation is ever given on how these people ( By the way the worst bunch of actors I have ever seen) got into the Cube in the first place. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2007 by G. Kyriacou

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