I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was impressed mainly with the concept as it was entirely new. There is a noticeable lack of any major star power although I think I have since seen a couple of the people in other projects. But at the time of this movie all 7 of the people in the film were new to me. The first person you see doesn’t last long. The other 6 are more important to the story. They are trapped in a seemingly endless collection of perfectly cube shaped rooms. The only difference in the rooms is that the background color changes. They rotate between red, blue, white, orange, green, and yellow. Wait a minute…..a cube with those colors…..anybody else around in the 80s feel a bit nostalgic or possible twitchy? Oh did I mention that some of the rooms are trapped?
This movie, in addition to being a wonderful story driven suspense filled film, is also a wonderful study in human psychology. These diverse people who have no memory of how they came to be here, and with no food or water in sight, must decide who, if anybody they can trust. What happens when the most dangerous enemy you have to face is also one of the people you count on to keep you alive, and how can you tell who to trust? (kinda reminds me of High School but maybe a little less maddening). The sinking into the depths of madness is a beautiful backdrop to the array of more pressing physical concerns.
The acting in this movie may not have won any Oscars, but it was solid enough. Couple that with a body count, that, while not particularly high compared to larger films, is proportionally enjoyable. The variety and creativeness of some of the traps shows the genius of the filmmakers. The budget that would normally be spent on the cast and big effects is used much better in making the traps a lot more interesting. Overall I give this movie 5 stars. The originality of it speaks volumes. The quality despite the lack of top name performers as well as the inclusion of at least a couple of decently quotable lines makes this an absolute must see for all audiences.
-Chris
