we watched cube 2: hypercube last night. while it was certainly more visually stunning than the first cube, i didn’t think the characters were as developed. they seemed to be leaning too much on the visual effects and not putting enough effort into the story.
the story is basically the same as the first movie; nine people wake up in different rooms in this huge maze of almost identical rooms. the characters themselves don’t seem to have anything in common that would lead them to believe they are there for any other reason but random selection. however as the movie goes on we learn that unbeknownst to them their lives are connected.
without any food or water, their only option is to try and find a way out. each character holds some piece of knowledge that is essential to the groups survival, however as much as human beings are social animals, if you put them in a stressful environment tensions begin to mount, and cooperation dies away. this idea was much more developed in the first movie, and character development is minimal compared to the first, there isn’t that sense of loss when members of the group die.
the movie as a whole feels rushed, and the mystery of the cube gets solved for the audience in just a few scenes, rather than let the audience try and figure it out for themselves, which was what made the first movie that much more engaging. my recommendation would be to see cube one, and if you like that, then go see cube two, if for no other reason then to have something to compare it to.