"A hypercube isn't supposed to be real. It's just a theoretical construct."
--Jerry Whitehall, Cube 2: Hypercube
Before the first Saw movie was released, two films in the Cube series had already debuted. Vaguely similar but very distinct, the series that came first brushed up against moral, existential, and epistemological issues in its initial entry, which focused on a small group of people trapped in connected cube-shaped rooms. Cube 2: Hypercube expands on the geometric potential of a series of large, shifting rooms shaped like cubes by introducing elements that are more explicitly connected with contemporary science fiction: quantum teleportation, tesseracts, and spatial distortions all factor into the plot. The original Cube's relative simplicity and mystery worked incredibly well at establishing a setting and tension between characters, but Cube 2 builds on that mystery by leaping far more overtly into the philosophical waters the series was always floating in from the start.
Production Values
The CGI probably struck many viewers in 2002 as already looking outdated and primitive, but it is thankfully used only in very particular scenes. Many of the rooms within the larger cube need little more than practical effects pertaining to lighting and physical sets. Regarding the latter, the rooms are much brighter this time around, in contrast to the dull, dim environment of the first movie. In typical Cube fashion, the cast is largely unknown to more mainstream movie audiences, which can be a great asset when independent movies handle this factor right. Mostly solid performances animate the characters, even if some of them fall into the exact same broad categories as the characters of the original Cube. For example, at least one member of the group trapped in the cube recalls involvement in designing it, and another member has extensive familiarity with theoretical mathematics. Despite the efforts of the cast, though, the concepts at the heart of the film take the spotlight first and foremost as the plot progresses.
Story
Some mild spoilers are below.
--Jerry Whitehall, Cube 2: Hypercube
Before the first Saw movie was released, two films in the Cube series had already debuted. Vaguely similar but very distinct, the series that came first brushed up against moral, existential, and epistemological issues in its initial entry, which focused on a small group of people trapped in connected cube-shaped rooms. Cube 2: Hypercube expands on the geometric potential of a series of large, shifting rooms shaped like cubes by introducing elements that are more explicitly connected with contemporary science fiction: quantum teleportation, tesseracts, and spatial distortions all factor into the plot. The original Cube's relative simplicity and mystery worked incredibly well at establishing a setting and tension between characters, but Cube 2 builds on that mystery by leaping far more overtly into the philosophical waters the series was always floating in from the start.
Production Values
The CGI probably struck many viewers in 2002 as already looking outdated and primitive, but it is thankfully used only in very particular scenes. Many of the rooms within the larger cube need little more than practical effects pertaining to lighting and physical sets. Regarding the latter, the rooms are much brighter this time around, in contrast to the dull, dim environment of the first movie. In typical Cube fashion, the cast is largely unknown to more mainstream movie audiences, which can be a great asset when independent movies handle this factor right. Mostly solid performances animate the characters, even if some of them fall into the exact same broad categories as the characters of the original Cube. For example, at least one member of the group trapped in the cube recalls involvement in designing it, and another member has extensive familiarity with theoretical mathematics. Despite the efforts of the cast, though, the concepts at the heart of the film take the spotlight first and foremost as the plot progresses.
Story
Some mild spoilers are below.
Following in the footsteps of the first Cube, the sequel opens with a lone abductee waking up and searching for numbers in the passageways between the cubic rooms. Later, a group of people begins to meet inside the cube, finding that certain rooms contain gravitational or spatial distortions, and in some cases even distortions of how aging and deterioration normally occurs. It is suggested that this massive cube comprised of smaller rooms of the same shape has been used to research quantum teleportation. Again, like in the first film, at least one person on the inside was minimally involved with the construction of the place. Each member turns out to have links to the group that do not surface immediately, which only heightens the stakes.
Intellectual Content
The rooms that suspend or otherwise manipulate the natural laws of science intentionally or unintentionally illustrate how the laws of physics never were necessary truths and never could be. By nature, laws of physics, from gravitation to the rate of a particular substance's decay, hinge on the uncaused cause and the specific initial conditions of the material world. Nothing about a given law of physics had to be the way it is in the sense that it could not have been any other way. No, each one could have differed, and each one could potentially change, even if such a thing never happens. However, the logical concept of shapes like a tesseract, a four dimensional cube otherwise called a "hypercube," cannot change. Material environments and objects have shapes; otherwise, shapes do not exist except as logically possible concepts that govern physical matter. In other words, squares, cubes, triangles, and diamonds are not ultimately found in the natural world; objects in the physical world have shapes, but they are not shapes themselves. This means that even the concept of a tesseract is neither a natural object nor purely a human conceptual construct. We may not have any reason to reflect on it or search for something with its properties outside of the mere concept, but the concept is hypothetically accessible to everyone.
Conclusion
Cube 2 does not have the best examples of effects work the early 2000s offered, but it does stand firmly on a unique set of storyline concepts that negate the need for more elaborate effects that could have overshadowed the higher quality of the acting and premise. Cleverness can keep smaller, independent films with little cultural recognition afloat even without a great amount of resources in front of or behind the camera, and that is exactly what Cube 2 accomplishes. Indeed, other than the very primitive CGI, much of the film avoids any need for criticism. This does not mean it is flawless, just that it is not terrible despite its budgetary limitations! Viewers can expect more about the vague lore of the onscreen universe to be revealed without sacrificing the basic aspect of mystery that drove the first film from beginning to end.
Content:
2. Profanity: Different forms of "damn" and "fuck" get used on occasion.
3. Nudity: Female breasts are shown very briefly--as I have said before, neither the female chest area nor male chest area is truly "nudity," but Western ratings systems treat the former as such. In another scene, two nude, intertwined shriveled corpses float in a seeming gravitational vacuum.
Intellectual Content
The rooms that suspend or otherwise manipulate the natural laws of science intentionally or unintentionally illustrate how the laws of physics never were necessary truths and never could be. By nature, laws of physics, from gravitation to the rate of a particular substance's decay, hinge on the uncaused cause and the specific initial conditions of the material world. Nothing about a given law of physics had to be the way it is in the sense that it could not have been any other way. No, each one could have differed, and each one could potentially change, even if such a thing never happens. However, the logical concept of shapes like a tesseract, a four dimensional cube otherwise called a "hypercube," cannot change. Material environments and objects have shapes; otherwise, shapes do not exist except as logically possible concepts that govern physical matter. In other words, squares, cubes, triangles, and diamonds are not ultimately found in the natural world; objects in the physical world have shapes, but they are not shapes themselves. This means that even the concept of a tesseract is neither a natural object nor purely a human conceptual construct. We may not have any reason to reflect on it or search for something with its properties outside of the mere concept, but the concept is hypothetically accessible to everyone.
Conclusion
Cube 2 does not have the best examples of effects work the early 2000s offered, but it does stand firmly on a unique set of storyline concepts that negate the need for more elaborate effects that could have overshadowed the higher quality of the acting and premise. Cleverness can keep smaller, independent films with little cultural recognition afloat even without a great amount of resources in front of or behind the camera, and that is exactly what Cube 2 accomplishes. Indeed, other than the very primitive CGI, much of the film avoids any need for criticism. This does not mean it is flawless, just that it is not terrible despite its budgetary limitations! Viewers can expect more about the vague lore of the onscreen universe to be revealed without sacrificing the basic aspect of mystery that drove the first film from beginning to end.
Content:
2. Profanity: Different forms of "damn" and "fuck" get used on occasion.
3. Nudity: Female breasts are shown very briefly--as I have said before, neither the female chest area nor male chest area is truly "nudity," but Western ratings systems treat the former as such. In another scene, two nude, intertwined shriveled corpses float in a seeming gravitational vacuum.
1. Violence: Overall, the first movie in the series had far more gore than this installment. Among the worst of the violent imagery is a scene where a man's head is struck off by a substance resembling a crystal.
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