Cube Zero (2004)

A young programmer whose job is to watch over the reality-warping Cube defies orders to rescue an innocent mother trapped in one of its rooms.

Director:

Ernie Barbarash

Writer:

Ernie Barbarash

Stars:

Zachary Bennett, Stephanie Moore, Martin Roach

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zachary Bennett	...	Eric Wynn
David Huband	...	Dodd
Stephanie Moore	...	Cassandra Rains
Martin Roach	...	Robert P. Haskell
Terri Hawkes	...	Jellico
Richard McMillan	...	Bartok
Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang	...	Meyerhold
Tony Munch	...	Owen
Michael Riley	...	Jax
Joshua Peace	...	Finn (as Josh Peace)
Diego Klattenhoff	...	Quigley
Alexia Filippeos	...	Anna
Jasmin Geljo	...	Ryjkin
Fernando Curcione	...	Doctor
Flossie McKnight	...	Female Doctor (as Araxi Arslanian)

Storyline

Set before the events of the previous films. As group of strangers awaken with no memory to find they have been involuntarily placed in a maze containing deadly traps, a young man whose job is to watch over the Cube endeavors to rescue a woman trapped within.

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Plot Keywords:

room | rescue | alternate reality | locked in a room | trapped in a room | 

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Taglines:

Every nightmare has a beginning.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

22 February 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cube Ø

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mad Circus Films, Lions Gate Entertainment, Mr. X

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the monitor room at the beginning of the film, there is a blurred shot of a controller for an Atari 2600 as the CD of Ryjkin's demise is being collected.

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Goofs

During the chess game in the beginning after Dodd, who is playing White, moves K-Kb8, Wynn then puts him in check by moving Rook takes Quees-check (RxQ+), Dodd's next proceeding move is Bishop to Queen Knight 7 (B-qN7) which would not move his King out of check from the Black Rook on the 8th file which would be required.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ryjkin: I hate this place.

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Crazy Credits

Zero the fish as himself

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Connections

Referenced in Re-Entering the Nightmare (2005)

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Soundtracks

Message From Buddha
Performed by Norman Orenstein
Written by Norman Orenstein
Published by Norman Orenstein Music (Socan)

User Reviews

A decent, sincere effort to add to the original "Cube" mythology, but in the end underwhelming

Yet another group of unwilling participants wake up to find themselves in a giant maze full of nasty booby traps that kill them off in wonderfully gruesome, painful ways. This time, however, a man working on the outside, Wynn (Zachary Bennett), decides he no longer wants any part in this "project", so he throws himself into the cube to help the few people still alive get out...well, alive. "Cube" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's got everything--an imaginative plot, suspense, great acting (Nicole DeBoer being the only exception), superb music, well-developed characters, and a thought-provoking ending that doesn't give us any explanation for WHY the cube exists. I actually enjoyed Hypercube, I'm a bit embarrassed to admit, in fact I liked it more than most others did, despite the horrible ending. Cube: Zero, the latest entry in the series, is good—though unfortunately far from being as good as it could have been.

Spoiler WARNING!!!

Cube: Zero writer/director, Ernie Barbarash—who penned and produced Hypercube—makes his directional debut with "Zero", and he does a very nice job behind the camera. The film looks good and he introduces an entirely new, different mood then either of the two previous cube films, which in my opinion works well. His writing has a flair of creativity to it as well—the "Food pills" and file cabinets full of previous Cube victims add a nice degree of realism to the film.

The acting is hit or miss. Zachary Bennett, Michael Riley, David Huband, Richard McMillan, and Mike 'Nug' Nahrgang all gave good to excellent performances. The rest of the principal cast members weren't so good.

Like the previous two films, Cube: Zero also showcases lots of visual and make-up effects. The CG ranges from fairly believable to so-so (The external shots of the cube's shell being noticeably unconvincing), though I've seen much worse CG from bigger budget fairs (See anything made Stephen Sommers for proof of that!).

The gore effects are very nasty. The opening death scene in which a man's skin melts right off his skeleton, complete with delightfully unnecessary close-ups of flesh falling to globs to the floor, is worth the price of admission for gore fans alone. There are lots of other gory treats as well, including a sonic weapon causing a man's body to literally burst, a guy cut to piece by razor wire, and more.

Norman Orenstein's score is terribly out of place accordion music. Why? Why accordion music? It sounds more fit for a comedy. His music for Hypercube sounded cool, but needless to say the score in both sequels are only a pale shadows compared to Mark Korven's fantastic music for the original Cube.

"Cube: Zero" has many good qualities but also lots of annoyances that keep me from giving it a higher rating than a 6. Still recommended though.

6/10.