Cube
From Metaverse
Seven strangers wake up to find themselves trapped in an enclosed cube. Some of the rooms in the cube have booby traps that are activated by noise detectors, motion detectors,retinal scanners etc. The group is forced to trust one another and work together in order to find a way out. While working together, they begin to discover more about themselves and each other. Each prisoner has a different skill that conributes to the survival of the group.
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Characters
- Maurice Dean Wint-Quentin: A middle-aged African American police officer. He has 3 children and is separated from his wife. His agressive and controlling behavior hinders his chances for survival.
- Nicole de Boer-Leaven: A young student who uses her math skills to help escape the Cube.
- Nicky Guadagni-Helen Holloway: A middle-aged clinic doctor.
- Andrew Miller-Kazan: An autistic man whom the other prisoners assume is not going to be of any help in getting out of the Cube. However, he proves them wrong when he assists them in determining factors of prime numbers.
- David Hewlett- David Worth: An architect, who designed the exterior structure of the Cube.
- Wayne Robson-Rennes: An older man who quickly dies at the beginning of the movie when his theory of throwing a boot into each room is proved wrong by a retinal eye scanner.
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Themes, Symbols, Motifs
- Trust- Every character possessed a different skill that enabled them to contribute to the group's escape. However, they had to trust each other and have faith in each other's skills.
- Leaven: deciphered numbers in each room in order to determine if a room had booby traps
- Holloway: provided medical assistance for injurys
- Worth: gave insight into the outside structure of the Cube
- Quentin: assumed control of the group and guided them through the rooms
- Kazan: helped Leaven determine if a room had booby traps
- Imprisonment- The characters were trapped in a enclosed structure that was similar to a prison. Each character was named after a prison located in Russia or Canada. In addition, their personality traits are similar to that of the prison they represent. (trivia link)
- Discovery of Self: Throughout the movie, the characters discovered good and bad qualities about themselves. Although, they realized that everyone was in the Cube for a specific reason (their knowledge or skills), not everyone knew how to use their skills. For example, although Quentin had strong leadership qualities, which is a gift, he did not know how to use these qualities for the benefit of the group. He became too controlling, which eventually cost him his life.
- Control: Although the viewers do not know who created the Cube, it is obvious that the group was controlled by a higher authority.
- Human Weakness: The movie gives the audience a glimpse at the actions people take when they are fighting for survival. People will do anything for their own survival even if their actions are harmful to others. For example, Quentin violently fought against the other prisoners for the sake of his own survival. However, ironically, sometimes, it is not beneficial to fight for your own life, such as in Quentin's case. By fighting for his own survival, he lost their trust and was unable to escape the Cube.
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Discussion Questions
- Who created the Cube?
- What is the purpose of the Cube?
- Are we, as humans free or is there a greater force controlling us?
- Although Kazan has little control over the actions of the group and is immediately forced to depend on everyone, he is the only one able escape the Cube. In some situations, is it more beneficial to allow others to control you rather than controlling others?
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Related Links
- Cube at imdb
