Rating: Summary: It was Awesome Review: You know what, this movie really makes you think if there is an alternate reality or another dimension. The characters I would like to know more about, that can only be done in a miniseries which would be cool. So many gaps unfilled. Thats what fustrated me. Know there has to be a three for 2 reasons: to explain EVERYTHING and at the end of this movie, some general of the government said something about phase 2 is complete.......cliffhanger,hello.
Rating: Summary: CUBE 2: Good Concept Ruined by Illogic Review: The original CUBE was a thought-provoking film loosely based on the TWILIGHT ZONE episode in which seemingly unrelated characters are somehow dumped into a oval prison and they have no idea how they got there. CUBE presented a cubic enigma that allowed its imprisoned residents to use their wits to escape from a trap that was in fact escapable. In CUBE 2, director Andrej Sekula changed the rules that now do not allow for personal brilliance and insight to play a role. Instead, in this reincarnated cube, what its designers have done is to have created a time and space vortex that spans from this universe to parallel universes. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with sliding from one reality to another--SLIDERS proved how endlessly fascinating that could be--but in CUBE 2, the prisoners are all thoroughly unpleasant, demented, or just plain geeky. The only common link is that they know bits and pieces of the cube's construction, but none knows enough to use those bits to effect an escape. Instead, as the film winds down to a totally unconvincing anti-climax, all that it manages to leave with the viewer is yet another X-File suggestion that some supersecret government organization is playing games with our lives. In films that present a captive audience with the choice of using its collective brains to break out, that escape ought to be possible or else that captive audience will be seen as the one that just wasted nearly two hours watching a pointless film.
Rating: Summary: After reading many reviews, mine is simple Review: I have noticed two people watch the Cube films for different reasons. Some like special effects, others character development. If you like psychological horror and films like Blue Velvet or Pi, I would see the first Cube and not the second. If you like trippy special effects and a movie where you don't really have to care about the characters but enjoy the guy from Forever Night finally getting that frenzied vampire feeding his morality would never give on that show, then watch and enjoy.I came into Hypercube knowing that it wasn't going to be as good as the first. I really can't even watch the end of Cube without freaking out. The rooms are black, the actors [draw] you into a small, paranoid world. Hypercube is white, like the 180 degree cousin to the first. I didn't as much as jump or care when the characters were dying. Well, because everytime one died, another one of them came back. Still, the ideas were interesting. Cube was more of a character film, Hypercube is more of an idea film. But can an idea go on for two hours. I guess it can! I did like a lot of things about it. I liked the wacko old lady. I liked the rooms and the way everything was starting to implode and I liked the floaty sex scene (never mind I saw in on Sci-Fi and didn't get to see any nudity, darn.) What I didn't like was lack of character motivations. Were Quinten from Cube and Simon from Hypercube both traps? And I swear the blind girl said one of the same lines that the math knowledgable girl in the first one said, that she doesn't really do anything. That is what bugged me. The lead woman was a lot like the bleeding heart liberal woman in the first one. Two psychos who seem ok at first and then go crazy eights bonkers. A person with a disability, well two, if you count Granny. Two young cynical designer guys. Two characters who have cameos, say their piece and die quick, the govt guy in Hypercube and the jail guy in the first one. See what I am getting at? They are about the same yet different. So overall, go see Hypercube if you are young and like special effects. If you like psychological terror, like see the first, but if you are like me, see both and compare. You will get scared by one and amazed by the other!
Rating: Summary: Damn Good! Review: Let there be know doubt about The Cube^2 Hypercube, is one of the coolest movie in history.. Not only is it wird, but also so hard to understand that you have to see the rest.
Rating: Summary: Hyper over the Hypercube Review: Most sci-fi horror sequels tend to get a bad wrap and usually for good reason. Stinkers such as Lawnmower Man 2 and Blair Witch Project 2 are modern examples of movies slapped together just to cash in on the first, leaving a blemish on the first, and ruining any chance of a redeeming third part. Cube 2 apparently follows in that tradition from early fan reaction, but in all honesty, whether you will or will not like C2 will depend on why you liked the first. Many people loved Cube 1 because it had extremely deep symbolism (is there anything after death, is there a higher power, or are we left on our own in life, etc.). The intelligent viewer was left with plenty to think about. C2 is devoid of such rich symbolism, and like so many part two movies, it answered questions which was best off unanswered and left to the viewer's imagination. If you are into the Cube for the horror, gore, shock, traps, maze, special effects, acting, etc, then the second does hold true to the first, although the first does seem to slightly excel at that as well. It's pretty much carbon copy of the first but with a new maze and dastard characters deserving to be in the Cube. Most of the CGI effects was an interesting tease serving very little importance in the movie. A lot of the gore/horror was off screen or suggestive which was a just little disappointing. Sadly we really don't warm up to anyone to care at all if they die. The only likable character in it ending up being a dark comedy character as the person died more times than Kenny in a seasons worth of South Park. These were really minor to me though. My two big disappointments was that the "solution" to this cube was extremely anti-climatic using no logical skills at all and ... well everything that happened after the solution, but to talk further on that would ruin the movie for you. Just leave it said that the ending left a door wide open for an almost certain disappointing part 3 (Cube Cubed?) certain to rob what's left of the cube's mystique. All in all, if you really love the cube and want see how the cube/maze concept was be improved then buy this movie. Also if you love the who-will-survive-to-the-end type mystery-horror then this movie should not fail to disappoint either. Despite it's short comings which I pointed out, I really loved it. It made for an hour and a half of easy viewing fun. I'll be sure to buy the DVD on Amazon.com to check out the bonus features and outtakes as well. I know that if you are reading this then you already seen part one, so why not try out part two? It's not as bad as others are making it out to be and certainly not a bad movie. You could always dig out your VHS of Lawnmower Man 2 or DVD of Blair Witch Project 2 to punish yourself for not buying this movie.
Rating: Summary: HyperDud Review: This movie sets out to answer questions left from the original, but only throws you scraps. About the only answer we get is the name of the company behind the experiment. The original had graphic gore scenes that have become classic and reproduced in newer films, where this one does not even attempt to impress us with any such scenes. They have pretty much skewered the first films plot and candy coated it into this slop. As a horror fan, i am dissapointed. As a sci-fi fan, i am unimpressed. If the rumors of a third film come true, lets pray they try and raise the bar.
Rating: Summary: More gloss, less substance Review: 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.
Rating: Summary: Couldn't stand on his feet without the first one... Review: 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 genĂus 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.
Rating: Summary: Dude...where's my cube? Review: Take one part horrendous acting, two cups of the worst dialogue you can script, a pinch of convoluted plot, sprinkle in some of the worst ending in the history of film and bake it all for 90 minutes at three hundred [and shamelessly ride the coattails of the original degrees] and have "Cube 2: Hypercube". While "Battlefield Earth" will always hold a hallowed place in my heart as "Worst Film Ever", "Cube 2" comes dangerously close to dethroning it. The saddest aspect seems to be that this storyline had some potential. Certain aspects of the origin of the original cube are revealed. The mysterious "Izon" corporation seems to have ties to everyone. The idea of parallel existences is discussed, and the possibility that certain characters are not what they appear to be comes to light. Then it all goes to h#ll in a bug, rusty bucket. The old lady's character needed desperately to be put out of her misery, as she was far & away the least convincing of the lot. Our charismatic heroine was entirely one dimensional. The predictable psycho-dot private detective character never even seemed to TRY to convince us that he was anything but that: a psychodot who we just knew would go nuts and wreak havoc on the others. And what was the whole deal with that poor sweater-vest guy? This poor b#stard was doomed to be killed repeatedly (in "different realities", mmmkay...), ala Kenny from South Park, in increasingly more gruesome fashion. The others in the film should have been so lucky - it would have been more painless than listening to that old lady babble on endlessly. Do yourself a favor: go rent "Ishtar" if you're a cinematic masochist. "Cube 2" just isn't suitable for public consumption.
Rating: Summary: great science fiction, but only for math/physics geeks Review: hmmm, 1,000 words. I guess I'll save my 10,000 word analysis and review for my web site. A few basic comments though - I don't think this movie is self-explanatory, at the level of mathematical theory. Which means, if you don't sometimes find yourself lying awake at night teasing your brain with multi-dimensional geometries, you probably simply won't enjoy it. This is not about being smart or dumb - it's about your interests and pre-existing inclinations. I can think of subjects for films that would leave me wondering what the point is - ones where I don't have enough background or interest in the topic. As a "sequel" this is dangerous. Whereas CUBE 1 was a nice mechanical device presented in a thriller, CUBE^2 is a deviously complex theoretical construct presented as science fiction. I saw a copy of the used dvd for sale at my local video rent-all, and decided to rent the tape first in case, as most sequels do, this one was awful. Watched it twice that night. Bought the dvd. Have watched it about six times in a week... very unusual for me... The film is chock full of presaging and detail. It is flawed, of course. I can think of twelve hours of scenes I would have like to have seen in it, and I bet the creators had to delete ten times that many ideas. It heavily rewards repeated viewing, but, even more so, stimulates curiosity, creativity and confusion for many more hours than it takes to watch it. So my recommendation? If you read Flatland more than twice, if you occasionally dig out Einsteins little book just for beach reading, you'll probably enjoy the mental gymnastics of this film. If not, you'll probably think it is stupid.
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