Welcome one and all to the 13th part of my weekly blog, The 52 In 52. The concept is simple I have a large collection of DVDs and Blu Rays that have sat on the shelf and gathered dust. I will watch and review one film every week this year. Last week I reviewed the recently released zombie war film, Overlord.
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This week I will be writing about the 1997 science fiction/horror film, Cube. The story follows a group of people who wake up inside a large, technologically advanced maze. The group must work together in order to navigate between the rooms avoiding a series of gruesome traps in order to find a way out.
I have to admit whilst I did like Cube, I felt that there were some issues I had. The story that runs throughout the film is interesting enough and held my interest throughout. There was a lack of background information about the characters that I enjoyed meaning that the pace of the film wasn't slowed by irrelevant information. The one issue I did have with the story is that, like a lot of science fiction films, it ended on a down beat and not providing a lot of answers. Whilst each character has a function in the film I felt that there wasn't really any characters that were likeable enough to be considered a protagonist.
The acting is really over the top, almost to the point of scene chewing especially by Quentin McNeill (Maurice Dean Wint) who may as well of had a shirt that read VILLAIN in big letters. Joan Leaven (Nicole De Boer) is a positive although I felt she was under used in the story and would have liked to have seen her character developed more. The dialogue is a little cheesy at times, with a lot of one liners that felt a little wedged in.
The obvious statement I have to make about Cube is that it feels very dated. I'm aware that this film was made over 20 years ago but, it hasn't aged well. Whilst the practical effects are well done and pretty graphic the CGI effects, whilst inventive, haven't aged well, feeling really outdated and a little ridiculous.
The camera work is handled well with a lot of shaky camera work and close ups that build tension throughout. The music score builds tension and helps establish the high concept science fiction I felt the film makers were going for.
Overall whilst I did enjoy Cube I felt that it does feel a little dated. The positives are that the story is decent enough and isn't bogged down with irrelevant background information which leaves the audience guessing about each character. The effect work is done well even if the CGI work feels more than a little out of date. The acting is a little melodramatic at times but, fits with the film. Cube is an inventive and daring film for it's era.
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