Cube (1997)

Cube (1997)

Fun fact: it’s an ‘A Cube Libre Production’!!!

Cube is one of those low-budget cult films that I was deeply angry about. And I have a long history with this film.

In fact, I waited impatiently for more than eight months for it to come out… but I was very disappointed. However, it’s one of those films that I don’t like, but watch regularly. There are some things that really can’t be explained, absolutely! To date, I must have seen it three times. It’s really fascinating and has something extraordinary about it.

In fact, I realise that I really like the first hour. It’s the last ten or even twenty minutes that I hate and that spoil it for me.

It’s quite funny to think that the first time I saw it was at the cinema… and that there were still intermissions in films that didn’t even last an hour and a half.

This film has great staging and fairly decent direction. It’s crazy to think that everything was filmed in the same room, but they simply changed the colour of the lighting each time to make it look like we were in different rooms. And that’s pretty incredible! And well done, I must admit.

In general, I admit that I am a little wary of Canadian (or Australian) horror films. Unfortunately, they are rarely my cup of tea. I wonder if they consider Cube to be an incredible masterpiece, or even the undisputed best film ever made? I hope not, otherwise I’ll have to spend hours debating it to try to understand what is naturally incomprehensible to me.

So, in a moment, I’m going to dissect this film a little… which means that if you haven’t seen it, there will be spoilers! You have been warned!!!

If you absolutely want to see it, just know that it’s clearly a mind-fuck, but for me, it’s also torture porn on a small scale. The third Cube appeared when the first Saw came out. I don’t think it’s just a coincidence.

There are some good dialogues, interesting messages (but not where people see them, in my opinion) and even avant-garde ones…

We’ve always wondered about how we’re being manipulated, about the government, aliens, hidden truths, or people who follow orders or execute people without asking questions.

I’ve seen all four: the prequel, the sequel and even the Japanese pseudo-remake. I didn’t like any of them. And my anger stems from the fact that the concept is so incredible that I resent them for never having done anything great or perfect with it. It tries to convey powerful messages, keep us on the edge of our seats, create suspense… but it drowns in unnecessary gore and unhealthy imagery. And no, I still don’t love it! Fans of blood and gore won’t find me praising these films, with a few exceptions. I’m always looking for scares and subtlety. I know that’s asking too much, as I rarely find them. I don’t watch these films to be disgusted or traumatised for life, or to be unable to sleep, turn off the lights or walk alone at night.

It was when I started watching the Japanese remake that I decided to rewatch the other three and give them another chance. And although I thought the Japanese version was my favourite, it’s clear that it’s the first instalment that remains unrivalled. What’s more, it seems to me that this film is the only one in the franchise that touches lightly on basic needs such as drinking, eating, sleeping and urinating.

It should be noted that none of the actors in these Cube films really made it big. I don’t really feel like I’ve seen them anywhere else.

There you go! Warning: Spoilers ahead!!!
Thank you for reading this far.

We are talking about 17,076 pieces in the entire giant cube. So 17,076 cubes in the large cube, 17,076 cubes to form the huge cube. Yes, it makes your head spin! But that only makes the film even more unrealistic, without being meaningless. We don’t know what people who see us as pawns that they can eliminate at any moment are capable of.

The image that the policeman gives in this film is that of the most horrifying and unstable person. Quite like in A Clockwork Orange (1971) by the excellent Kubrick. Another cult film, in which two of the major criminals become police officers at the end.

This character becomes increasingly detestable and is one of the reasons why the film becomes unbearable. Detractors will add that he is the only mixed-race character and that, as a result, the film could also be called racist. But this is where we see that everyone sees things from their own point of view!

We can compare the Cube to hostile nature, to the jungle (including the urban jungle). We can compare this cube to life itself!
And what do we see? Yes, exactly: that human beings cause more damage than the traps set everywhere.

I find the ending deeply sad and unfair. And this is the only work that makes me feel this way. I can understand that you can’t have only happy endings with people kissing in front of a crowd applauding. But what I can’t forgive about this ending is that it was extremely poorly executed, as well as being rushed and sloppy.

Let me explain: since the autistic character is the one who survives, the message understood by the masses is that you have to be disconnected from this world to survive. Sorry, but that’s not what this film shows at all. If he gets out, it’s also because the other two get killed in his place, since they’re caught in between. Even more so: one of them uses all his last strength so that the autistic guy can get out. So, the latter wouldn’t have escaped on his own. What’s more, you can clearly hear the doors making noise when they open… whereas the policeman manages to enter and kill without being noticed before he enters. For me, this is another mistake that was supposed to go unnoticed by the masses. Just because the door is closing while we see him looking terrifying and covered in blood doesn’t justify this scene. Sorry for pointing everything out!

I really like the mathematician and the architect. The first one, who uses shoes to test rooms with traps, is also interesting, but since he is the first victim of the group, we don’t see him much. As for the autistic character, he is also fabulous. But we also see him differently after watching Cube 3. Was he really born that way? Or is it another punishment from the authorities, or even the government? Which could be seen as very politically incorrect.

As I wrote above, I just rewatched the trilogy after discovering the remake. I thought the remake was the best of the franchise. But it has to be said that this excellent idea, despite my disappointment at the time, which lasted all these years, works best here, in this very first film, without which there would never have been the others. Without it, there would never have been a sequel, prequel or remake. So, in this case, I found the first instalment to be better.

There will always be people who say that it’s not a horror film or a thriller at all, while others will say the opposite. It’s all a matter of sensitivity.

These films aren’t completely badly made, but they’re always a bit the same. For example, there’s always someone who loses their mind and kills everyone except one person, who then manages to escape the cube!

I remain disappointed by these Canadian films, which could have been so much better. But Cube is a film that gets to the heart of the matter. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Cube 2. So I’m even more disappointed with the others. Okay, maybe I should have watched them without any expectations. But that’s very difficult.