Does anyone know of any good websites to explain what a given film means?

May 10, 2004 7:27 AM

In a moment of boredom I watched Cube 2: Hypercube on SciFi and didn't understand very much of it. Why were they all there? What was the actual point of them being there? What was the necklace all about? Why did they shoot Katie? What was she actually trying to do? My question really is: Does anyone know of any good websites where if you don't understand a film, someone else will tell you what it all meant?
posted by ralawrence to media & arts (9 comments total)

One thing: people have historically discussed the crap outta film on Usenet. Give groups.google.com a go and you may find some meaty discussion.

Also, did you ever see the original Cube? Because it sounds like the sequel is superficially very similar. I haven't seen the sequel, myself, though I want to just for the heck of it because I enjoyed the first one.
posted by cortex at 8:04 AM on May 10, 2004

Yeah that's just a weird movie. I saw the first one Cube and didn't enjoy it much. All I remember was that the group of people eventually found out they all had to use their unique talents to get out of the cube together. The cube being there because of some government thing that they couldn't figure out. Interesting premise if it could have been carried out, but it looks like a sequel can't even do that.

But, like you, I like an academic discussion of all things I read/see/experience because if I don't intellectualize everything I get angry. For the best films, Filmsite is an invaluable resource. But there offerings are limited and a made-for-tv-movie is probably not on their todo list.
posted by geoff. at 8:07 AM on May 10, 2004

I've seen both and I too didn't have a clue what was going on at the end of the second.
posted by biffa at 8:57 AM on May 10, 2004

Cube was interesting visually, but couldn't hold its premise together in a compelling narrative. Cube 2 took the previous statement one step further. What a horrible, faux-pretentious film.

Movie Pooper is a good site for learning the endings to movies you can't be bothered to watch, and they occasionally have "explanations" for movies. Cube 2 is one of them, though I suppose you could just insert your own and be just as correct.
posted by mkultra at 9:06 AM on May 10, 2004

The Movie Spoiler generally has a scene-by-scene walkthrough. Limited catalog, though.
posted by Gyan at 9:34 AM on May 10, 2004

Having seen both, I think that Cube 2 really banks on your having seen the first movie. The original was some interesting abstract ambling through theories of social experimentation, and the second builds upon that by adding specific hooks into reality: the immediately physically threatening evil, the betrayer, the access point in the real world.

However, by introducing links to the real world, the paradigm of abstract experimentation is shattered. Everything in the movie becomes more identifiable. The audience naturally loses focus of the abstract argument, and focuses, as you did, upon the physical circumstances, which are not the strong point of the movie.

In conclusion: Cube 2 is an attempt to take Cube and turn it into something edgier; however, it leans far too much upon the mindset evoked by its predecessor. Thus, when viewed independently, it sucks, and things like the necklace and military operation probably aren't worth worrying about. It's not deep; it's just bad.

Disclaimer: my hyping up the relationship between the two movies may be a little overblown, since I saw Cube 2 about five minutes after a viewing of Cube, during a local Cubefest.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:05 PM on May 10, 2004

..and all the characters keep running into each other at the corners of the screen. Because they're tesseractors!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:14 PM on May 10, 2004

I saw "Cube" in a theatre, and enjoyed it in a summer movie kind of way (it was hot and humid outside, I was glad to be cool and not have to think to much). I saw "Cube 2" on the SciFi Channel and all I remember about it - and I recall this very distinctly - is that something about the visual style or the editing made me physically nauseous. I kept having to look away from the screen to clear my vision and settle my stomach. I've never had that experience, no matter how "edgy" the visual style, but I've spoken with half a dozen people who had exactly the same reaction to "Cube 2" that I did...
posted by JollyWanker at 2:10 PM on May 10, 2004

I enjoyed both of 'em. Just see the first Cube now. It's the classic.
posted by Shane at 6:59 PM on May 10, 2004