Cube 2 – Hypercube (2002)

Cube 2 – Hypercube (2002)

The intro is interesting and original. We see lots of unconscious people in beds covered with a kind of transparent plastic sheet that covers them entirely. We might wonder whether they are alive, unconscious or dead.

Here, there are no uniforms with names on them. The protagonists are wearing their own clothes. We quickly discover an even more blatant unrealistic aspect than in the previous film(s), following the chronological order in which we watch the Cube films. There are changes in gravity, for example, in certain rooms. That is to say, instead of being pulled downwards, towards the floor, gravity suddenly shifts to one side. But there are also rooms with variable temporal speed.

The entrances seem to work with a simple push of the hand. There are no cranks to turn or pull here. The ladders lead directly to them and not from the sides this time. The rooms are all the same colour, or rather, they are all white, which makes this film feel cold and completely charmless, with a clinical, hospital-like or death-like atmosphere.

Here, there are no prime numbers indicating whether a room is booby-trapped or not. No clever calculations to try to get out. No shoes thrown across the room to test for danger.

While the original Cube is a B movie, this one borders on a Z movie in terms of atmosphere, effects and actors.

Once again, we don’t know much, but we can suspect everyone: the government, the mafia, aliens. That said, it’s not a problem not to be a conspiracy theorist if you manage to be happy! It’s good to be aware that we’re being manipulated without letting it obsess us and ruin our lives.

Unfortunately, here too, we don’t know who’s behind it all. However, we can guess more than in the first part.

We have to wait half an hour to see a woman in a red evening gown. She will be the only sexy character in the saga to date. So, inevitably, she will be involved in the only sex scene in Cube. She could have been an actress, but she says she’s a solicitor! ^_^

I had a friend who used to say that very often, you make a good first film… but then you make a second one that’s rubbish, often giving free rein to all kinds of debauchery. I don’t know if I always agree with her, but in any case, she used Blair Witch 2 (2000) as an example.

This time, it seems there are 60,659 pieces!!!
Even 17,076 seemed unimaginable in the previous one. Unless… these numbers represent something else!

The way each character introduces themselves is quite well done (even if most of them are lying!), with images from their pasts flashing by like the opening credits of an American series such as Dallas or Dynasty. We see them again, locked in their transparent bags from the beginning, when they were unconscious. They all come from different American states, apparently.

The phrase ‘Blessed are the simple-minded’ is mentioned in this film. This is an important detail, as there always are in these films… even if they are not necessarily what we think they are.

‘This place changes your perception of things’ is also an essential phrase. We know that we do not see or feel the same things depending on where we are. And new information can always change our world and make us do a complete U-turn.
I understand why this film was panned, ignored and forgotten, as it is really bad… but it was already talking about the Quantum Universe in which there are several parallel realities. And that… we have to give it credit for!

In fact, all the dialogue seems far-fetched, but if we consider that science fiction is there to give us information about hidden projects classified as top secret, it’s very interesting… even if it’s obvious that we’re not going to take it all seriously and that we’re even going to laugh at it or shake our heads.

Everyone contributes to the whole. It is highly likely that the messages are not as powerful as those in The Matrix (1999), which explains that we are in the matrix, or Star Wars (especially 1977–1983), which explains the Force and the Dark Side.

Being a very good audience and very forgiving, I could surprisingly say that this film is okay for the first fifty minutes. But after that, it’s very hard for me to admit that I wasn’t wasting my time. And yet, I watched all these films at least twice, mainly for my reviews and to make sure I didn’t miss anything in my analyses.

Those first fifty minutes are what stuck with me, apart from the rather striking ending. That’s why when I thought back on this film, I didn’t see it as being that bad. Now, I’m definitely not going to watch it again!

A small reference to Gaddafi as a great villain reminds us that we are in a time when he and Saddam Hussein were still around.

In any case, it’s always the same kind of people who are detestable in these films, often from the same profession.

Be aware that this film is completely crazy! It must not have pleased the director of the first film, Vincenzo Natali, who certainly thought he was being mocked with a parody.

Well!
What else can I add?
Reading other comments, I can summarise just to make my review last longer:

The film isn’t as brutal as the previous one. You might find yourself smiling at silly things like ‘the time lag’.

You can’t say the setting is pretty… unless you’re referring to actresses Lindsey Connell, Kari Matchett or Grace Lynn Kung. However, they haven’t really been propelled to superstar status! It just goes to show that beauty alone isn’t the best way to shine. In fact, none of the actors in the Cube films ever made it big. Neither did the film’s director, Andrzej Sekula. What a shame!

In fact, it’s all a shame! Cube 1 created something special and, despite its minimal budget, was a huge success. This one isn’t worth watching, except for fans of bad films, I suppose.
I found this review: “Oh my God, don’t do this to us! The second one comes with a new far-fetched theory (about the 4th dimension called time) and well… watch it for yourself, but don’t buy it. Refuse it, steal it, or whatever! REALLY BAD!”

And this one: ‘For those who don’t know Cube: it’s an interesting film and worth seeing! For those who have seen the first part: this is another absolutely useless and ridiculous “part 2”…’

However, there are those who preferred this film: ‘I like it better than the first part. Not because it seems less logical, but because the dramatic scenes (people losing their minds, etc.) in the first part got on my nerves.’

Or again: ‘The second part is much better than the first. Something is happening throughout the film. The whole thing is much more complex. What happens in this thing is just brilliant.’

‘The second part is definitely more than disappointing. They would have been better off giving the money to refugees! At least they would have had something to sink their teeth into!’

If I had to use two words, I think ‘incomprehensible’ and ‘unrealistic’ would be perfect! The ending is meant to be subtle, but it doesn’t fit with everything that happened. Maybe we’re fooled the first time around. But when you watch it again, it’s very poorly done and very poorly executed.

My advice as a friend would be: don’t touch this film! Really!!!

It’s nowhere near as good as its predecessor. The characters are still similar. The traps look more expensive, but they’re not as effective and don’t have the same shock effect. I don’t know if there are really any mega fans of the whole trilogy. I don’t know if this film was recommended to Cube fans as a whole.

Here’s another interesting review:
“Sequel to Cube = Next dimension!

I think that those who criticise the film simply because the story is, admittedly, absolutely identical to that of the first instalment, are forgetting something: ‘Cube’ was a three-dimensional experiment. The sequel to Cube also shows the logical continuation of the experiment: ‘Cube’ moves on to the next dimension. Like the first part, Cube 2 thrives on what I would call “the idea of theoretical possibility”. If you can imagine the possibilities of a four-dimensional structure, the film is first-rate and exciting right to the end!”

So… No! It’s still very poorly made!
And certainly one of the worst films for some at the time. And to think that the third film hadn’t even been released yet! The computer effects looked like they had been done with MS Paint, and the story is very thin and leaves a lot to be desired. It wasn’t worth paying for. Sorry for those who bought it. In fact, the story and plot are pretty much the same as in the first part, but this film has special effects that are meant to be cool and tries to make you think even more. Mission failed!

Here is a more appropriate review: ‘For me, this is one of the three worst sequels of all time. Why can’t some films just be left alone? For those who can’t distinguish filmmaking from money-making, this is certainly a passable way to fill an evening…’