Customer Reviews

Cube 2: Hypercube

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Straight to video sequels that come years after the original are almost never a good sign, but in the case of Cube 2 it just meant the geeks were taking the time to work out all the story's kinks and build a new arena. The result: A hypercube--wherein you take a normal cube and add a theoretical 4th dimension. So impossible to physically create that a place called the "mercury room" is created to somehow transport people there. The story once again revolves around a group of people bumping into each other and trying to discover why they're all there, but this time to a greater end. And how cool is this "hypercube?" Well, since it can't exist in physical space, it can be composed of a virtually infinite number of rooms, all taking place at different times and with different time signatures. So you can go through the door in one room only to run into a character from the past or future in the next one. Or a person in one room could be moving (and thus aging) extremely fast while someone following from the last is left in their dust. Rooms pass through each other and inflict their time on anyone left in their path. So in theory someone could either be aged to death or regressed back to infancy. This makes for some tense scenes and emotional breakdowns between the characters. The only area where Cube 2 lacks is special effects and that may have been easily corrected if the creators ideas didn't go beyond their means. I also have to admit the direction could have been better (and even may have hurt the effects) had a more geeky director had been tapped. Otherwise, though, overall Cube 2 is on par with the original, making up for it's weaknesses in some excellent concept. And this time it's the Cube that implodes in the end, not the story.

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.

in some ways,i liked this movie better than the first.it is much more
complicated than the first.there is a lot going on and sometimes it is
very confusing.there are some things that don't make sense.however i
liked the characters better.i thought there was a better mix than in
the first one.if you're a gore hound,this movie likely won't satisfy
you in that area.i thought the movie was much faster paced than the
original and had a bit higher budget.i liked a some of the special
effects,although they are a bit cheesy.the acting was pretty good,i
thought.i did find the movie a bit too technical at times.the other
thing i didn't like was the ending.it seemed too abrupt and and didn't
make much sense.overall,though i liked it a bit better than the first
one.i give "Cube 2: Hypercube" 3.5/5

I have to admit, that I have liked the first Cube more, this one was still a fun/weird movie to watch. It's just a completly different movie genre than many people are used to.

A survivor, lost people story that isn't happening in the woods but in a game/trap world. This Cube is much more advanced, with mostly CG effects that are the killing traps, and it gets confusing when the gravity, time and dimentions collapse into one another.

I didnt mind the ending really, I dont always need all the answers on a silver platter in order to enjoy a movie. It's not just about the end, it's about everything you experience watching it.

Overall, this is more modern, fast and graphic, the Cube is white inside, and the doors open with a touch of a palm. It feels like a big square spaceship, where as the original Cube felt more like an ancient creation.

The original "Cube" movie was incredibly original, scary, and thought provoking. Unfortunately, the sequel did not live up to the grandeur of its predecessor. In fact, it fell quite short and pales in comparison (as sequels often do). In the original movie, we are introduced to a group of people who have been dropped into a large cube against their will. Together they must find a way to get out of this nightmare realm without losing their lives in the process. Various rooms within this cube are plagued with horrific traps, and to avoid the traps the group must break the mathematical code that the giant maze operates on.

In this sequel, we are introduced to a similar band of characters who are placed into the cube against their will, and again they try to find their way out of the awful waking nightmare. However, there are a few twists this time. In the Hypercube (a somewhat far-fetched theory in both physics and mathematics) the people are not only traveling through 3 dimensions, but four. In other words, these unsuspecting and unwilling participants must face variants of gravity and time within each room of the cube. They come across themselves in alternate realities. Furthermore, there are traps as in the original film, but they seem to have a supernatural element. They aren't the simple, explainable mechanical traps that we encountered in the previous film.

One thing I enjoyed about the first film was that the concept was somewhat believable. The maze and traps were mechanical and based on mathematical principles. There was a solid explanation, and thus a way out. In the sequel, there really was no big mystery (mathematical problem) to resolve. Furthermore, in the original film, the group of people stuck in the cube were all there for a purpose. They were specifically chosen so that they could each bring strengths to the group in order for them to find a way out. In this film, however, the group of people was chosen merely because they were affiliated with a specific company that made the cube, and thus needed to be eliminated for knowing too much. In addition, the group of characters weren't developed as much in this film as they were in the previous one. Thus, you, the viewer, don't feel as compelled to see them make it through the cube.

The ending, unfortunately, left something to be desired. Many things are left up in the air. You are left with the notion that there might be a third film. If that does turn out to be the case, I certainly hope that more thought and attention goes into making that movie than went into this one.

Overall, I'd say that this movie is a renter and not a keeper. It has it's good moments, and it is an interesting concept, but not as well done as the first movie (which I think should be in everyone's collection).

Despite its title, this film must be taken on its own terms and not compared to the landmark "Cube." On those terms, it has excellent special effects (including a knock-your-socks-off soundtrack). But (as many previous reviewers have noted) it is seriously lacking in character development and dialogue; I never came to feel I really knew -- let alone developed any empathy with -- any of the protagonists as they babbled their repetitious lines.

In summary, if you liked this movie -- or even if you didn't -- you would probably also enjoy the (entirely different) movie "Cube."

What can I say, this is an excellent film - subtle and sophisticated. It is a perfect sequel to the first film, and like a perfect sequel actually makes the first better to. The special effects aren't that expensive but their not bad and the hyperspace thing is pretty convincing. The best thing about this film though is that it has that grasp of subtle realities that puts it up there with the early Hellraiser films. This achieves exactly what Event Horizon tries and utterly fails to do.
The people in this film come face to face with the reality of hyperspace, a reality that most of us cannot accept, where they meet multiple realities and realities that conflict. At the end you still don't know the purpose of the Cube (other than to torture people), and its obvious that the first cube in the first film can be seen as a prototype for the second in the second. (OK I am into hyperspace and ftl geometry which makes me kind of prejudiced, and I'm not sure you'll even get the punch line or much of the film without the ability to grasp HS (hyperspace). (Donnie Darko has exactly the same problem)).

Set in the same reality as the first Cube, in a world surrounded by an utterly merciless military that killls without thinking. A film that never needs to tell you everything or lead you by the hand, where the author leaves you some genuine sense of mystery.
My only warning is I don't know how many times you can repeat watch it, a problem with Donnie Darko to! Saying that this is definitely in my top ten films for the last ten years.
Really good

Do not expect any suspense or horror from this movie. You will mostly find discussions on math, physics, and multiple/parallel dimensions. There are only a few traps that are followed with long pauses where the characters try to figure out everything. And most of the characters are copies from the first Cube, like the guy that goes crazy and kills everyone.

The graphics were kind of embarassing to watch, the acting was pretty good, and the ending was a setup for a third cube, but what this movie needed was more traps and more excitement. It even seemed that the characters were bored in this movie at some points!

Overall, a pretty good movie. You just have to make yourself get into these mathematical discussions the characters have. There just wasn't any suspense when they moved from room to room that the first Cube had. They should have had the first director do this film!

quality must always be inversely proportional to the amount of money
involved, so you have to excuse them to some extent because of less
freedom they had. it's not that bad as it could be given how much more
money was involved compared to the first part. it doesnt mean it
couldn't be much better, it means it could be much worse. the actors
played just fine for their parts. as to the plot, a global control
a'la m$cr*s*ft is much exaggerated IMO (by the time such things are
possible people dont follow fashion like long hair in females and
fancy beards in males) but i do like the anti-commercial point. it is
less that the terminator2 was to the terminator1, but it is more that
t3 was to t1 (and t2); it is just what the matrix reloaded is to the
matrix. good music and desing by the way.

in-ter-es-ting and od. a few good twists like someone mentioned people that were dead came back, but its made to confuse you but you can still follow the plot. mediocr movie. wouldn't see it twice. only saw it cause of geraint wyn davies, im a forever knight fan. i would suggest watching it on tv or renting it, not buying it.
overall not bad, i think. good if you like seeing GWD go insane :P