Cube (1997) Movie Review

Cube (1997) IMDB Prime Video

Cube maze poster

Today I want to review the 1997 sci-fi mystery classic movie Cube. Any time I sit down to watch a movie I am always looking for a unique story concept and Cube has just that.

6 strangers wake-up in a giant cube shaped maze that is bobby trapped and trying to kill them. They don’t know why they are there or how they got there but they know they need to try and escape. Are they making the right or wrong choice as they choose each passageway ? Only one way to find out. Now this is some maze horror ! And yet the story really resolves around the mystery and the science fiction of the space they are in. I do not know if this is the first movie with this concept, but I believe it is the first big one to use: x # of strangers wake-up in X place and do not what how or why they are there and must overcome x. The original Saw (2004) film starts with 2 strangers, House of 9 (2005) starts with 9 strangers, Unknown (2006) has 5 people, Shadow Puppets (2007) has 8, Nine Dead (2009) has 9 and the list goes on. Cube found a plot device that works and has been copied many times since. For this movie I give it a 7/10. Definitely worth seeing.

Now this movie is part of a trilogy that includes

  1. Cube 2 : Hypercube (2002) IMDB Prime

  2. Cube Zero (2004) IMDB Prime

and

This film was remade by a Japanese director in 2021, with Japanese actors and a new twist that would require a spoiler alert. Cube (2021) IMDB Amzn

Here is a trailer for the original movie:

The Collection (2012) Movie Review

The Collection (2012) IMDB Prime Video

The Collection movie poster

The sequel to the 2009 movie The Collector, each directed by Marcus Dunstan.

After escaping from a serial killer known as The Collector a man is sent back to the serial killer’s hideout to rescue a kidnapped girl. The only problem is that hideout is a booby trapped maze he needs to get thru to save the girl. And by booby trapped, I mean Saw levels of pain and creativity. Can he save her in time ? If I told you I would need to write spoiler and then give you the answer. But I didn’t so you’ll need to watch this on your own to get the answer.

If there is one thing I disagree with the critics on is that this movie is more poorly reviewed than the first installment The Collector. I completely disagree. While that movie is fine, this sequel is a much better movie. I give The Collection a 7.5 / 10. See this movie and enjoy the carnage !

Into the Labyrinth (2020) Movie Review

I review any movie containing a maze or labyrinth. And there are some great maze movies that have been made ! But also there are movies that are the complete opposite. Today I will review Into the Labyrinth, or L'uomo del labirinto in Italian and see which list it fits on. The good news is this movie can usually be streamed for free on variety of websites. You can check the current availability using this link to justwatch ! If you are a reader you can also check out the 464 page book from Donato Carrisi on Amazon or better yet your local bookseller / library.

Into the Labyrinth (IMDB) (Amazon)

Of all the movies I have reviewed this has the most different posters. Check out the 4 I found below: 2 with labyrinth imagery and 1 with maze imagery.

Into the Labyrinth movie posters

First, I must say that we live in a world where we are constantly multitasking and electronic devices always want our attention. This is not a multitasking movie. You need to pay attention to the storyline and could easily get confused even if you do pay attention !

Into the Labyrinth is a thriller starring Dustin Hoffman. Should be good. The storyline follows an unfolding narrative that tries to explain how a missing woman, now recovering in a hospital came to be there after escaping her kidnapper. Who is that kidnapper, and what was their motivation ? Also, is that Donnie Darko on the movie poster (poster #1 & #3) ?

The story takes place in 2 different locales with 2 different sets of actors. Dustin, playing a doctor who is a profiler working with the woman in the hospital to find out what happened to her. She seems to have lost her memory and he is helping her recall what has happened to her. All of this happens in English. The other half of the movie shows a private investigation into the same case, all taking place in Italian. As the movie progresses new clues give us a variety of possible suspects. Tension builds. There is a weird rabbit story. The occult is introduced. Tension builds. and 75% of the way into it, the thing starts to show cracks. The story falls apart. Eventually things get tied up at the end, but the great start has already fizzled out. I’m not going to spoil any plot points, but there is a lot going on at the end (something reading the book could much easier explain).

So, what is the deal with the labyrinth ? Well, while the woman was kidnapped she was trapped in a dark stone labyrinth by her captor that included many locked doors. In order to get the supplies she needs she must solve a small 3D labyrinth/maze puzzle that has been left in her cell. Basically, her captor is a big fan of labyrinths.

Overall I give this a 5.5/10, but it had much more potential that was wasted.

SPOILERS: What happened at the end

There are the main twists in the movie Into the Labyrinth (2020):

  • The true identity of the kidnapped girl. Throughout the movie, we are led to believe that the woman in the hospital is Samantha Andretti, the girl who was kidnapped 15 years ago. However, in the final act, it is revealed that the woman in the hospital is actually Mila, a police officer who has been newly abducted and drugged.

  • 2 cases. Although presented as one case during the movie, these are 2 separate cases shown side by side. There are 2 serial kidnappers (at least) on the loose. Our labyrinth lover, “Dr. Green”, played by Dustin Hoffman and a series of “bunny” kidnappers who appear to be passing down the tradition as victims become perpetrators.

After you have seen the movie and you wonder what exactly was going on I suggest you read this long and detailed explanation !

Barbarella (1968) Movie Review

It is time again to review a movie that contains a maze or labyrinth. And there are some great maze movies out there if you were looking for one. But there is also the complete opposite, with a lot of terrible, mostly weak horror movies. So today we will will figure out which movie list the 1968 Fantasy movie Barbarella .

Barbarella (IMDB) (Amazon)

Barbarella movie poster

Describing a movie like this can be difficult. It takes place in the year 40,000 and since I do not have a time machine (but would not admit if I did), I cannot say for sure that this is how people will dress in the future, but this looks like a fashion show gone wrong. But, someone would say the same thing about today from 1920, 1820, 1720, 1620…so what do I know.

I know that this is a bad movie. The kind of movie that if you are forced to watch it you do yourself a favor and watch it at a minimum of 1.5X speed. Jane Fonda looks great in 1968. You see a lot of her because she doesn’t seem to have enough clothing most of the time. Not to interrupt myself, but shouldn’t you mention the maze/labyrinth in the movie ?

When Barberella crash lands on a planet during her mission, she must find Durand Durand in the evil city of Sogo. Surrounding Sogo is a labyrinth that contains all the good people who have been expelled from the city because they are not evil. Barb needs to find a way out of the labyrinth and into Sogo. Some of the walls are made of people. Like Soylent Green. Did I ruin it ? It came out in 1973. Deal with it.

The music is terrible. The fashion is questionable. The acting is frightful. The special effects are horrid even adjusting for time, but the poster is kind of awesome ! I give this a 5/10.