Australian Penthouse

THE LOWDOWN

CUBE proves that just because an actor appears on the front of a DVD, it doesn’t mean he’ll make it past the first five minutes. After the faux protagonist shows us how deadly his strange surroundings can be, we meet a seemingly unexceptional group of clueless survivors.

Quentin (Maurice Dean Wint) claims to be a cop, Worth (David Hewlett) is a morose architect, Leaven (Nicole de Boer) is a brilliant maths student, Holloway (Nicky Guadagni) is a conspiracy-spouting doctor, and Rennes (Wayne Robson) is a savvy ex-con who has escaped his fair share of prisons.

Thanks to Leaven and an autistic man named Kazan (Andrew Miller), who the group meetswhile trying to find an exit, they figure out a mathematical method to the cubic madness, but that doesn’t stop them asking impossible questions and eventually turning on each other.

NUTS AND BOLTS

Director Vincenzo Natali and actor David Hewlett are old school friends who created the short film Elevated (find it on YouTube) to show potential investors the kind of horror that could be achieved in a confined space. While most of Elevated was shot in a lift, Cube upscaled to a 4.3 x 4.3 x 4.3m set with interchangeable lighting panels to give the illusion of multiple cubic rooms.

Rumour has it early drafts of the script had the characters discovering peculiar alien food that suggested a definitive explanation for the cube. However, this idea was scrapped in favour of deliberate ambiguity, with Natali reportedly vowing never to reveal what is actually outside the cube. The characters are all named after American prisons.

DVD EXTRAS

Unfortunately, the Cube DVD is as sparse on extras as the film is on locations. Standard features such as audio commentary by Natali, a handful of deleted scenes and a trailer are on offer, but the afterthought inclusion of production art and storyboards act as more of a tease.

Scandalously, the Cube/Cypher (the latter is also directed by Natali) Blu-ray combo has no extras whatsoever.

VERDICT

Instead of relying on the cheap gore of many fright flicks, Cube focuses on the infinitely more interesting and ever-fallible human psyche. Thirteen years after its release, the breakthrough low-budget indie still holds its own as a compelling and unique sci-fi/horror romp.