Rating: 
Summary: Maybe there is a "Cube 1.5" out there we can watch instead
Review: There was a point while watching "Cube 2: Hypercube" that I found myself thinking this movie was half as good as the original, therefore it deserved half the rating I gave "Cube." The other movie I was reminded of, strangely enough, was "A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge," because that was another time where I found myself wondering if the people who made the sequel had watched the original. Yes, we once again have a group of strangers making their way through a series of cubes, wondering how they got there, what is going on, and how they are supposed to get out.
But whereas "Cube" was grounded in reality to the extent that if you had the money and the resources you could create a maze like that, "Cube 2: Hypercube" goes the science fiction route where the laws of physics do not apply, especially to the laws of time and space. Consequently, this 2002 film from director Andrzej Sekula does not really qualify as a sequel because except from the notion of the cube maze and one character's complaints that there are no numbers and that the first one had rules, there is nothing that really connects the first film with this one. That cold, hard fact is reinforced by comparing the conclusions to the two films, which try to play with the audience's minds in totally different ways. No wonder so many people are bitterly disappointed when they see this one. I did not care that the first film did not provide answers to wrap everything up, and I was rather insulted by what "Hypercube" tries to pawn off on us in its place at the end.
The alternative hypothesis for watching this film is that if you are like the characters in the film who are smart enough to have a reasonable but convoluted explanation for what is going on, then you may be able to appreciate this film on a level that most of us are just not going to be able to access. For that matter, if this was the first "Cube" movie it would have picked up another star. The tag line in the trailer for "Cube 2" is "There are no rules," which makes it clear the makers of this film are only too happy to embrace the idea that they have thrown out everything that made the original film so engrossing. The creative death traps that were in some of the cubes were what gave the first film its edge, but here we have some weird entity whose setup is not worth the payoff.
The characters are similar to the first time around, although there are more of them so that the potential body count can be a lot higher, which is not really a good thing given that we have lost the creative ways of meeting death in the cubes from last time (you can see how impossible it is to judge this film without using the original as the frame of reference and the standard for condemnation). In "Cube" there were some interesting character dynamics going on and we had the feeling that the maze was more a psychological test than anything else, where the trapped humans were the key resource needed to get out alive, but too many of them were busy losing it to work together successfully to get everybody out alive. At least in the first film if you did not like a character there was the possibility of a gruesome death involving razor wire or other interesting things. No such luck here.
I should have known this film was in trouble as soon as I saw the inside of the first cube, which was bigger, brighter and cleaner than the smaller, darker and dirtier cubes of (altogether now) the original film. Maybe their big mistake was in thinking that using the same cube again would not go over with fans. Let me just say I think they were wrong. I am going to be watching "Cube Zero" next and I have to admit I am apprehensive because I have to be open to the possibility it could be even worse than this one. Maybe, if I am lucky, I can pretend "Cube 2: Hypercube" never took place and pretend "Cube Zero" is the true sequel.
If you are a physicist and actually like what they say is going on in this film, then you will probably enjoy the DVD extras here. You have a director's commentary by Sekula that goes along with the documentary on the special effects, both of which will give you a better idea of what is happening in the film than watching the film itself. One of the problems with this film turns out to be that they were driven by what neat CGI effects they could come up with more so than by the story (another big and classic movie making mistake). You also get some deleted scenes (including an alternate ending which adds insult to injury because it tries to insist that there is a logical connection between the two films even if we ordinary folk are too stupid to figure it out), several trailers, storyboard and stills galleries, none of which will help you like "Cube 2: Hypercube" more than "Cube."
Rating:
Summary: Not very good
Review: I wanted to rent CUBE after reading fairly positive reviews of it here, but it was out. So I picked up CUBE 2 instead. I won't go over who's in it or the basic story because that's already covered in so many other reviews. I'll just stick to my general opinions of the movie.
First off, it's not a horror movie. I wouldn't even say it's SCI-FI-HORROR. It's pretty much SCI-FI. It's more like a really long episode of "outer limits" with ingredients of an x-files episode.
Contrary to what I would have believed, there really wasn't a lot of action in this movie. It moved very slowly. I was under the impression that as the group moved between rooms of the cube, each room contained some sort of device or puzzle to get through or else die, but most of the rooms didn't have anything in them!
One character makes reference to the first CUBE, saying the first one had "rules", but that's pretty much all there is to say about the first one, and then the dude dies. I never learned in the movie what the heck he was talking about. Hopefully I'll figure it out after watching the first one.
If you're not a SCI-FI fan, don't even bother, you'll be bored out of your mind and hate it. The power of this movie is that it has you imaging what will happen next, not in what actually happens. But if you don't like to ponder and question things, and would rather have it just straightforward, this movie will not be for you. To say it's deep is an understatement.
Another review here compared this series to the phantasm series, but that's WAY OFF. The phantasm series had so much more action and horror then this silly movie.
Bottom line, the plot was interesting, and the movie COULD have been cool, but it just fell short. Is there an overall message? If people work together they'll figure it out, but human nature is essentially selfish and was that their undoing? Doesn't matter in the end anyways, as you'll be so unfortunate to see if you sit through the entire thing. Like I said, it's just a really long episode of "outer limits". Except "outer limits" would probably have been much better.
I'm still going to try and rent CUBE because it looks like most people liked that one better anyways.
Unless there's NOTHING else to rent, I'd stay away from this one. I hope CUBE and CUBE : Zero are a lot better.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent
Review: Naturally, whoever expected Cube 2:Hypercube to be better than the original Cube was dead wrong. I am huge fan of the first Cube and I always knew (since I heard that this was in works actually) that this sequel was not going to blow the first one out of the water. It's basically the same thing all over again and the only better thing about it is the visual aspect. The story line took a difference approach to it and the actors had some really cheesy lines which made me roll eyes quite a few times. However, this is a straight to video/dvd release so I guess everything was expected. All in all, the damn movie takes place in a Cube! What more can you really do that wasn't done and explained in the first one?
In the first movie the Cube the atmosphere was much more suspenseful and the characters were just plain better and generally seemed terrified with their situation. Sadly in Cube, some of the characters just did not display the same genuine fear that the first cast had. It almost seemed like a joke at certain parts. By all means, the cast was good, it's just that the script was weak and they could not do a whole lot. Cube 2 also focuses on different things that the first one, more of a 'fantasy' and nothing exists type of deal which just made the movie seem like one of those nightmare flicks with a different universe which often seems like a cheap way out of a good story that just did not have a good ending in the first place>
Visually, this movie was stunning. The music was good and suspenseful but everything else was unfortunately below the bar. When it all comes down to it, this is a fun movie to watch on cable or even a decent rental from your local video store if you happen to be a huge fan of the original Cube. Be warned, this movie is not as good as the first one, but it is still cool to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than most of the negative reviews here give
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 hours of my life lost to the hyperdimensions forever!
Review: Preface: I have not seen The Cube.
Body: This was the most dreadful waste of 2 hours of my life next to be being snowed into Chicago O'Hare for a day. The bad acting can be forgiven. It's a B movie. Ditto the dialogue. But c'mon, 2 hours without a set change? Yawn. This movie is not so nearly as clever as it would like to think. The Hypercube idea has lots of potential, all wasted. The movie makes no sense. We learn:
A)Everyone who is in the Cube had something to do with it's making.
b)The Cube kills you.
So what?
Conclusion: Go read Alastair Reynold's Diamond Dogs and give up movies entirely. If you insisnt on brainless tripe, see the original 1970s Phantasm, or even Zardoz, they're a lot cooler.
Rating:
Summary: more painful to watch "hypercube" than to be in one
Review: this film is crap.
for a far more entertaining time sit down and read the 53 other reviews left by other people, they are wittier and more exciting than the movie, have more plot twists, and you get to see the characters develop a lot more...
ps i'd give zero stars if i could.
Rating:
Summary: 2 Cube by half
Review: Cube 2: Hypercube, wasn't a bad premise. In fact, it was very much in the Twilight Zone vein, which was a great show, indeed. The problem with Cube 2, in my opinion, is that the characters are FAR too polarizing. There isn't much of ANYTHING about any of them which makes one want to LIKE them. Even the sensitive, bleeding heart heroine is quite unlikeable. Just when you want to root for her, because she takes pity on a young, blind girl, she spits out venom with language any self-respecting SAILOR would say. This Jeckyl/Hyde routine kept up throughtout the flick, making her one of my LEAST favorite characters. I was rooting, with all my might, for her to get offed, however it's doubtful that would have mattered, because she probably would have just returned as a 'parallel' character again, anyway! I thought it was incredibly unrealistic the way she easily overpowered the sadistic psycho with his own knife and stabbed him to death. He would have had her for lunch!
As for the blind gal, even she isn't very likeable for me. She begins as a cowering, frightened cripple, and I want to take pity on her, but even SHE isn't who she pretends to be. I like her the best, only because I never get a chance to really KNOW her. I believe had I been able to do so, I'd find her as repugnant as the others.
The alternately hysterical and coherent old biddy is also a bit much to take. Her early death was a welcome respite for my insulted senses. The young game programmer guy was a loudmouthed little cretin and how UNREALISTIC is it that the party girl in the red dress is a LAWYER!?!? She doesn't talk like a lawyer, nor does she act like a lawyer. In fact, before she mentioned she WAS a lawyer, I'm willing to bet most viewers thought she was a HOOKER!
So, why do I give this movie 3 stars, if I think the characters are so unrealistic and repulsive? First off, I like the fact that most of them DIED! It was a sweet bit of silent justice, I felt, for having invested 1-1/2 hours watching and listening to them all! Every one of them had a major attitude problem.
Secondly, as I mentioned, I like the premise. People of very different backgrounds stumbling around in a strange place in which no one knew where they were, how they got there or how to escape. It was more of a character study than an action movie.
Finally, I felt that Cube 2 was more or less a watered-down version of Cube 1, remade with less gore and violence, so that people with easily offended sensibilities would be able to watch it without turning it off in disgust after 15 minutes.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Sequel to a Cult Classic
Review: "Cube 2: Hypercube" is a surprisingly effective and thought-provoking sequel to the 1997 cult classic, "Cube."
In many ways, the fact that the sequel even exists is a testament to the power of the home video market. After all, the first "Cube" didn't exactly break box office records. If it was released in theaters at all it must have only been on a limited basis. But after coming out on video and DVD, it became something of a word of mouth phenomenon as viewers who'd been blown away by it rushed to recommend it to friends.
In fact, no less a notable film critic than Roger Ebert even praised the film on his show, "At the Movies," noting that he'd gotten e-mails urging him to check it out. That film's success in the secondary market was clearly big enough to prompt the sequel.
Not surprisingly, the basic plot here is identical to the first film. A group of strangers awaken to find themselves trapped in a mysterious cube containing several interlocking rooms. They have no memory of how they got there or who is responsible for the cube's existence.
As with the first film, each character's motivations, skills, possible connections to the cube, and hidden traits are revealed as the film progresses. And of course, this cube also contains it's own share of lethal traps.
Though one character makes a brief reference to the "first one," "Cube 2" is a self-contained film and seeing the first movie isn't essential to enjoying this one.
If anything, the movie is actually more ambitious than the first film. Where the first cube was basically a huge machine with shifting rooms, the Hypercube is rooted in quantum physics technology that allows it to fold space and time. As the prisoners move from room to room they begin to experience space and time shifts that keep them off balance and guessing about where and when they'll wind up next.
The DVD release contains a surprisingly exhaustive documentary on the making of the film, an interview with director Andrzej Sekula and deleted scenes. Surprisingly, one key deleted scene actually reveals the origins of the Cubes but since this scene was excised from the final release don't be surprised if this story element never rears its head in the inevitable "Cube 3."
Some fans will doubtless complain about this film's overly talky nature and the fact that it is less violent and action-packed than "Cube." This is not a "park your brain at the door" type of movie, but if you're up for the challenge, this film offers more than its share of rewards.
Though the character types are, in some cases, too reminiscent of those from the first film, the cast of mostly unknown actors does an able job of fleshing them out.
Both these actors and the behind the scenes personnel, deserve credit for crafting a well-made, ambitious sequel that aims to break new ground rather than walk that already covered by the original film.
And though I still prefer the brutal simplicity of the first movie, "Cube 2: Hypercube" is a better than average sequel that stands as a worthy installment of what looks likely to be an ongoing film franchise.
Rating:
Summary: Boxed Into A Corner
Review: As someone who enjoyed the complex fun of the '99 original, directed by Vincenzo Natali, I was both eager for and skeptical of the sequel, Cube 2: Hypercube. As it turned out my skepticism was well founded. Rather than give us another entertaining puzzle to solve, instead, all we get is a retread that makes no sense, with very little to hook you in as a viewer.
Eight more strangers wake up within a bizarre cube in which every door leads to more cubes just like the last one. Some of which are equipped with deadly booby traps. As they explore their strange habitat, the prisoners come to realize that they are now inhabiting a strange dimension where the laws of everyday physics no longer apply.
Directed this time by Andrzej Sekula, who is previously known for his work as cinematographer on Resevior Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and American Psycho, certainly knows a thing or two about how to make a film look good. But I'm afraid that's just not enough here. The sameness of the script, to that of the film, is made more noticeable as those responsible try and hide that fact under too much technospeak and no fun to balance it out. The characters themselves aren't written well enough to draw you in either. By the last act I didn't care what happened.
There's almost nothing harder in the world than to listen to an audio commentary for a film you didn't like. Producer/co-screenwriter Ernie Barbarash and film editor Mark Sanders team up for a rather techie track that offers little in the way of anything else. The 35 minute making of is perhaps the most worthwhing about the DVD. Seeing how they did it should never override the results of the finished product though. Sekula sits down for six minutes to talk about his vision of the film. There are seven deleted/extended scenes that would have done little to improve the film. A motion photo gallery, a storyboard sequence, and a series of Cube related trailers tops off the DVD.
All I can say is Cube 2 is a dud. Watch the original or paint dry--you'll have a better time
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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