User reviews

I just returned from watching this movie. I was curious to see how it would compare to the original movie. The move followed the original fairly well, with a few exceptions. The cube kills were fairly uneventful. This day and age I expected something better. There was an odd sub story that detracted from the suspense of the cube and felt a little out of place The acting was below average...Give it a watch but the originals were better.

So the Japanese tried to remake the classic survival horror movie "Cube". They did a poor job of it. Not only are the characters annoying as hell, but they introduced some psychic connection with the cube and an occupant that was idiotic. Aside from the lack of interesting trap rooms, coherent characters and wired psychic reaction within the cube, there is really nothing worthwhile in this poorly conceived remake. If you are curious still, then give it a watch. I don't recommend this for fans of the original film. Until this stupid review character requirement is lifted you all will have to spend your time reading bloated reviews with no substance because we have to fill the last part of the review with this nonsense just to get it submitted now. We all need a new rating website. This one has gone in the dump.

There's really no reason to see this film if you've seen the original. It's mostly the same plot, same mystery, and the same utterly unsatisfying ending that doesn't answer a single question you might have.

Back then, the first Cube movie was epic, exciting and a fine surprise, this remake is redundant and adds nothing really good or new to the original one. In every aspect inferior, well, the share of drama is big sized. Next.

Well, I could write a long review about it, but the review title I've put up there says it all. So how I could reach 150 characters when there is really nothing else to say about that...

Let me start with this, Im adept to the Asian side or J horror side of movie production. I understand the long pondering looks the phrases or scenes that don't seem to make sense at the time but all done together at the end for a satisfying wtf moment that come only with superb narrative good visuals excellent storytelling.. Definitely not here! Can't give an Xtra star for the visual because the 97 version was just as striking and most likely cost less to make with little to no CGI? The filmmaker tried to invoke a life lesson but failed to make a good movie. Backstory on wrong character no story on strongest character this movie was All over the place! Some say it was better than later Cube additions I the series yes possibly, but this is labeled a remake. I was very excited seeing asian characters ready for an amazing take on this well known story among sci-fi horror fans.... So disappointed I believe it was green lit to grab the squid game crowd..even down to the greenish garment.... Lastly for those who liked it great!! But do yourself a favor seek out the 1997 version and you'll get a better understanding of my dissatisfaction plus see an awesome movie to boot!

This one is more of a "Mystery, Drama" as opposed to Cube (1997)'s "Psychological Thriller" status. These Cube films are all over the place in terms of genre and tone, so that's not a bad thing at all. I like the variety this franchise holds while somehow being as formulaic and repetitive as a Scooby-Doo film.

It also repeats a lot of the plot beats from the Cube (1997) film, that this is technically based on. The film has different characters that are different character archetypes than the original film too, which was nice to see. The characters rely less on their archetypes and more on their emotions, which made for an investing and riveting drama. This film stands alone and sets itself apart by changing so much about the characters, while keeping most of the plot beats of the original.

It's also almost 25 years after the original film's release, and VFX have advanced a lot since then. This film is able to fully replicate and in some places even surpass the effects of the original film. The gore is almost non-existent in this one, but the more mysterious and dramatic tone didn't leave me longing for gore. The cutaways to a CGI cube graphic was really annoying, but it added to the mystery, and it payed off, so i can't complain. This might actually have the most satisfying ending of any Cube franchise film, even though it leaves you on such a great hook for a sequel. One of my biggest gripes is these films' inconsistency with continuity and technology. I really hope this film gets a sequel directly following this film and is able to tie up its loose ends completely satisfactorily, for the first time in Cube (1997) history.

Keep in mind that i am an official member of the Cube (1997) appreciation society, so you should know i like me some Cube franchise media. I really enjoyed this film, but I don't think any of this Cube sequels surpass 3 stars.

Anyways, if you have a way to watch this, you should. It's a Cube film, you know what you're getting into.

Being a fan of the original cube series, I expected this remake to add a bit more to the story or at least have some good twists and better effects. This is basically the same movie as the original cube with worse effects.

For some reason reviewers on this site are adamant on remakes being "faithful" to the original. They want crazy CGI and super scary horror scenes (not that the original was scary at all... can we talk about that? People complain that the remake doesn't fit the horror genre when the original wasn't in the first place), but unfortunately for them, this movie doesn't deliver on that. It does, however, deliver on other fronts that actually make the movie a worthwhile watch, like more drama, better character development, a more interesting ending, etc. What bothers me the most is that people complain about the introduction of backstory that occurs outside the Cube when all it does is give more insight on a character's motivation. There was never a "magic" of only seeing the Cube in the first place, so don't pretend like it mattered.

Well the original movie from 1997 had more mystery and action , this remake has more psychology and drama. I will say its nicely done, but left me somewhat empty, especially the ending, So i gave it a 7.

I'm a huge fan of the original cube, the idea I thought was epic. Bit less of the 2nd and cube zero but that's arguable. But this...is an abomination. Remake are lame but we reached a new low.

Character utterly stupid with cheap drama backstory that bring absolutely nothing to the story.

They could at least give us some good CGI and interesting trap (the main point of the film btw) but that was disappointing also

What's next? A Saw remake where the two people chained in the bathroom fall in love?

I guess Japanese like the Drama, but its boring for us. No point for everything that happens, its not interesting, its like a normal movie not a cube one.

Like others who have written reviews here, I'm a fan of the original. It had been a while since I'd seen it, so I was intrigued by this remake, I wanted to see what would be changed.

The answer is... nothing. Or at least nothing that improved on the original, which it seems to follow beat for beat. While I don't think it's done shot for shot, I was reminded of Gus van Sants Psycho remake. When I saw that, I felt growing horror (not the good kind) as I realized that, yes indeed, he really made it as close as the original as possible. Why do a remake of a great movie if you have nothing new to say? Remake a bad one.

So this version of Cube feels more like a copy, but slower, dumber, longer, and cheaper. When I watch a film in another language, I sometimes find it hard to evaluate the acting. Not so here - the acting is bad. The oldest actor appears to have some screen presence. Everyone else is sub par.

So if you're a curious fan like me, skip this and rewatch the original.

Such a poor remake! Nothing makes sense, not the puzzles, not the characters, not even the gory moments... Such a waste of time. I watch it until the end just to write this review and let you know that there isn't a good scene/sequence in the whole movie.

One dialogue before the final one is the only thing that have a little bit coherence to me... Besides that, the rest of the movie is pure bad acting, over stressed dialogues, not even the visuals within the Cube make sense. Can't imagine why the director got interested in doing something so boring.

It would be bearable if gore was the core object...

I have never seen a remake failed this much.

Everything that is great about the original is absent : the music, the tension and most importantly the philosophical conversations between the characters.

All this is replaced by a cheesy subplot that doesnt add anything to the story. Showing life outside the cube completely distroys the concept of the movie.

We don't know much about the characters either so it is difficult to understand the progression and there is zero subtility in the way the story is written and developped.

It's amazing they could make such a bad movie based on this cult classic.

The original is one of my favorite movies. This remake is boring and the traps are just pointless and lacking. There was no need or reason for this movie to have been made.

The characters have no charisma and I did not care for them. Some of the characters aren't pivotal to the story at all. Until certain revelations at the very end.

The twist at the end just didn't work for me.

There was a lack with the characters and I just didn't care for any of them.

It was just uneventful and boring. The traps weren't anything special and I was expecting more.

I highly recommend those who have watched the original not to bother with this movie.

This movie, although not better than the original, does deserve more than a 4.6 in my opinion. It has decent drama in terms of psychology, but the logic is sloppy or questionable at most.

Why make a remake of a indie masterpiece and destroy everything that was briliant about it...

Terrible Script, copys many ideas from the original, but bad plot, poor actors, very bad pacing makes this movie a very boring experience... Even the traps on the rooms are lame in general.

The writers choose a terrible villain with terrible motivations, and the emotional parts of the movie with a particular character are weak at best.

It's the worst cube movie by far... The worst thing, is that japonese movies are usually gritty, gory and tense and this film is the complete oposite.

I Give a 3 out of 10.

If you have seen the first cube movie , this one should feel very familiar. I have to admit - it was still an enjoyable ride. This movie is still different enough to get a kick out of it. It has Japanese themes portrayed, like seniority, childhood drama, childhood vs adulthood. It has mystery elements, lowkey mathematical elements, but most of all interpersonal drama.

Don't expect a big budget and lots of effects. This one plays it safe. If you are a fan of these type of movies (actors trapped in a room e.g. The platform, Coherence, 12 angry men etc) I'd say give it a go.

In conclusion, the Japanese adaptation of "Cube" is an enjoyable ride for those who appreciate the original film and are fans of the genre. Although it plays it safe in some respects, the movie is different enough to keep viewers engaged and entertained. If you're a fan of suspenseful, character-driven films, give this one a go.

It's been a long time since I last watched it, but I'm a huge fan of Vincenzo Natali's original 1997 film. It's unique, smart, and imaginative, and it very much caught my attention when I first saw it in the late 90s and whenever I've seen it again. No, I've not seen either of the "sequels" to follow in the 2000s, but Natali's progenitor remains a sci-fi horror-thriller that I think about a lot. I was chuffed to learn it was getting a Japanese remake - not because I'm especially keen on remakes at large (the opposite, actually), but rather, no one does horror quite like Japanese filmmakers do. What might 'Cube' look like twenty-four years later in the hands of Shimizu Yasuhiko? Well, the good news is that if you like 'Cube,' you're getting more 'Cube.' Shimizu's 'Cube' reflects love for Natali's 'Cube' and its inventive concept. The bad news is that Shimizu and writer Tokuo Koji drew the wrong lessons from that prior ingenuity, because when I say that this 2021 feature is a remake, I mean that in some ways it is nearly an exact duplicate of what Natali gave us with co-writers André Bijelic and Graeme Manson. And where this rendition does differentiate itself, it's with expansion on ideas that take the storytelling in an ill-advised direction. This doesn't mean that the new iteration isn't still enjoyable or worthwhile on some level. It does mean that it's frankly unnecessary, and simply not as enjoyable or worthwhile as the film it's reimagining.

Granted, it's certainly not as if the Japanese version is a shot for shot recreation. New traps were devised to fill some of the rooms, or even just updated visions of some we've seen before, and with these comes an opportunity to foster tension and suspense even as we know the broad story. The rooms have a different visual design. We get some filler shots of computer-generated imagery, existing outside the boundaries of the small group of characters and their path, that I actually don't think were necessary as they reinforce the sci-fi angle; there are times when this 'Cube' definitely recalls the wild creations of contemporaries like Miike Takashi, for better and or worse. The audio is crystal clear, and the sound effects lend to the viewing experience more than I think was true before. Overall I do like Yamada Yutaka's score, flavorful as it complements the proceedings, though I think it's a bit of a mixed bag: the more atmospheric themes are superb, be they harsh and searing, emotive, or otherwise primed to help build pressure; the more melodic themes, however, and those that employ EDM beats, may be swell in and of themselves but aren't fully appropriate to the broad tenor in the first place, and in some specific instances are pointedly ill-fitting.

If all that comes off as a grab bag, though, unfortunately it gets worse from there. Some scenes and characterizations are taken quite directly from the 1997 origin, not to mention the general thrust of the plot. Some of those characterizations are twisted into new directions, or expanded upon, or receive heavier focus, and I do think there were some good ideas as far as these go. Case in point, to some degree the new material that Tokuo infuses into the proceedings bears its best potential when zeroing in on how the personalities and histories of the characters make them as much of a danger to each other as the traps. This is hardly the first horror flick to explore that notion, and indeed, Natali touched upon this in some measure. Yet to be blunt, Tokuo's character writing is entirely too thin and unconvincing to carry the weight of the plot they are made to shoulder, and this ultimately becomes the critical downfall of the whole picture.

We're treated to many scattered shots and brief scenes portending characters' memories and backstories, and at first they just come off as misguided additions to pad out the length in a fashion that we commonly criticize when, say, international movies get a Hollywood remake. Were that the case, I would say that these tangential story beats would be worth pursuing in another title, but here they kill the pacing and momentum instead of heightening the stakes. However, what at first seems tangential and misguided increasingly becomes a major facet of the narrative, placing at least as much emphasis on the characters if not more than on the titular structure(s). As the character writing is insufficient to hold any proverbial water, the characters just become kind of annoying, and then the dialogue; some of the actors do fine, and some of the direction is fine, but some actors are given dubiously little to do, some of the direction must overcompensate, and the acting suffers in turn. It's hard to care about these insubstantial characters, and as the plot begins to center them more than their geometric nightmare, it becomes easy to somewhat check out. That might be recommended, actually, because when late in the runtime one actor is given a ranting screed to recite, the dialogue almost comes off like a block of text cobbled together by "generative artificial intelligence" from manifestos scraped off the Internet.

Natali's 'Cube' succeeded because it was the straightforward story of a group of strangers finding themselves in an extraordinary, deadly scenario, and they butted heads as they exercised their capabilities to try to find their way out while speculating on their situation. It was fit and trim at ninety minutes. This is essentially all that Shimizu's 'Cube' needed to be, albeit with new thoughts to distinguish itself, and with the expectation that, like much of Japanese horror otherwise, the violence, blood, and gore would probably be more extreme. Shimizu's 'Cube' instead veers off more in the direction of "who are worse, the monsters or the people?" - but without the strength to make that approach work. Shimizu's direction is technically proficient, the cast do the best they can with the material, Tokuo has some good ideas, and all those operating behind the scenes turned in excellent work: effects practical and digital, stunts, sound, cinematography, and absolutely the sets and lighting. Without a script that can make any of it count, however, the end result is sadly middling and disappointing, and 108 minutes feel longer than they are.

I don't completely dislike this 2021 remake. But I regret to say that in all honesty, one is likely better served by just rewatching the 1997 movie. Check it out if you want, and may you get more out of it than I do, but in my opinion there's just not enough value here to warrant spending the time.

I dont really remember the first original one, but I started to watch this remake definitely because of the 1st one.... and yes, this is another master piece, master of crap!!! Never knew Japanese actors are so damn bad, or somehow they accidentally recruit all the worst actors in one movie.

I am begging everyone of you to go see your living room floor for 120 mins instead of this master crap.

This film begins with a man waking up and finding himself in a symmetrical room with an exit hatch on all four walls along with one on the floor and one on the ceiling. After choosing to go through one of the exists leading into a similar room, he accidentally triggers an unseen mechanism which results in square-shaped beams quickly protruding from one side of the room which kill him instantly. Then scene then shifts to another man waking up in a similar cube-shaped room and, after venturing from one room to the next, comes upon two other men and a boy who have found themselves in the same situation. Although none of them have any idea what they are doing in this place, one thing they do know is that some of the rooms they came upon were booby trapped. It's during this time that a female named "Kai Asako" (Anne Watanabe) joins them from an adjacent room during which time they all identify themselves. Not long afterward, they come upon an older man named "Kazumasa Ando" (Kotaro Yoshida) who initially believes that these 5 people have come to rescue him. Needless to say, he is quite disappointed to learn that they are also looking for a way out of this predicament as well--and the longer they remain in this environment the more hostile some of the people become. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this remake of the 1997 movie wasn't nearly as good due in large part to some rather bad overacting from some of the cast members. Ironically, although the plot was very similar to the original movie, it did have a twist at the end which I thought was somewhat better. That being said, while I don't consider this movie to be bad by any means, I firmly believe that the original was better, and I have rated this particular picture accordingly. Average.