Hooptober 7.0 #33/31*
*Extra Credit Film #2/2

I love Cube. I would argue that it's one of the best low-budget claustrophobic sci-fi/horror movies out there. When I watched it for the first time in 2017, I had no idea that it had spawned two sequels.

Gosh, I was happier in 2017, huh?

This movie is wildly unnecessary and just...doesn't work. Gone is the mystery of the first film, gone are the taught interpersonal dynamics and simmering tension, and gone are the clever traps and well-paced reveals. Instead, we have a new cube—a HYPERCUBE, which I cannot stop dramatically saying aloud—that kills its unwitting inhabitants like a Windows 95 screensaver brought to life. We also have a cockamamie attempt to ground this HYPERCUBE into the real world, with shadowy government/military agencies and a weapons manufacturer that apparently should strike fear into my heart.

I would like to move forward in life pretending that the Cube franchise does not exist, but I would like to keep dramatically saying "HYPERCUBE" every chance I get. At least this schlock gave me that.

Scariest Moment: The first time we see the parallel universe doubles legitimately spooked me. Easily the best sequence of an otherwise unremarkable and unnecessary film.