Cube Zero

The 1997 Canadian Cult Film “Cube” spawned a sequel called “Cube 2: Hypercube” in 2002. Both motion pictures derived much of their suspense by taking place within a claustrophobic structure built of interlocking cube-shaped rooms. There was always the sense that the characters trapped inside the labyrinth were being observed and manipulated by mysterious unseen forces. This is their story. This week’s movie was “Cube Zero” from Lions Gate in 2004, written and directed by Ukrainian-born Ernie Barbarash. This is intended to be a prequel to the previous entries. Technicians “Wynn” and “Dodd,” (Zachary Bennett and David Huband), operate the consoles that control the Cube. We learn that the inmates are all convicted criminals who agreed to have their memories wiped to avoid a death sentence. Wynn discovers that the lovely prisoner “Rains,” (Stephanie Moore), does not have a consent form on file, so he enters the Cube to rescue her. This triggers the arrival of a Senior Supervisor named “Jax,” (Michael Riley), who is determined to correct the errors of his underlings.

This movie weakens the claustrophobic tension established in the two previous films, and eliminates much of the mystery by providing very ordinary explanations for most of the events. Worse still, Barbarash can’t seem to select a consistent tone for his movie. The Cube injures the prisoners with gruesome and horrifying traps, which establishes a dark tone. But the scenes involving the technicians and their supervisor attempt a weirdly comic tone, (although not very successfully). This also dissipates the mood the director is trying to build inside the Cube. The result is a disjointed and disappointing effort.

In 2021 director Yasuhiko Shimizu crafted a remake of the original film for Shochiku Studios in Japan.