Hyper is a prefix meaning "over". It has a common meaning of the extreme of a thing. So, if "Cube" was good then "Hypercube" should be great. Right? Wrong.

Everything was wrong with this. All of the things that made "Cube" endearing were totally lacking in "Hypercube". This time there were ten people in the cube except they only focused on six of them. There was the misplaced alpha male, Simon (Geraint Wyn Davies),who is only there to create conflict. The ultra-protective nurturing doctor, Kate (Kari Matchett),who's there to help everybody. Two handicapped persons, Sasha (Grace Lynn Kung) and Mrs. Paley (Barbara Gordon),both whom were typical burdens until their function was revealed. Two engineer types, Max (Matthew Ferguson) and Jerry (Neil Crone),both whom were unwitting participants in the creation of the cube. I think that covers the very same characters that were in the first version. There were a few other ancillary characters thrown in there but their purposes were insignificant and more-or-less a diversion. Ten cube captives in all and ten terrible actors.

The cube itself was a suped up version of its predecessor and it wasn't any better. It was like the classic car that's stripped of its original parts and replaced with a bunch of gaudy upgrades. It may look shinier and newer but it doesn't hold the same value. This cube was a CGI nightmare. Now it moved silently and had a bunch of cartoonish ways of killing the cube members. I know that CGI was still a relatively new toy in 2002 but it cheapened the movie and made it less likable.

Even the story was a sham. They tried to give us a little more information while still leaving us guessing. It did nothing to enhance the plot.

If I were to run down a checklist grading this movie here's what it would look like:

Acting: exaggerated version of all the characters in part one, all more terrible.

Story: More convoluted than the first.

The cube: Hyperized. In attempts to make it more uncrackable they made it more absurd.

My math isn't good enough to get me out of a cube but I know when things don't add up. Poor acting, poor story and a cheap set equals bad movie.

"Cube 2: Hypercube" is a weak and confusing entry after such a great original.

**SPOILERS**

Waking up alone, Kate Filmore, (Kari Matchett) Simon Grady, (Geraint Wynn Davies) Sasha, (Grace Lynn Kung) Max Reisler, (Matthew Ferguson) Jerry Whitehall, (Neil Crone) Tom McGuire, (Bruce Gray) and Mrs. Paley, (Barbara Gordon) each find themselves trapped in a large structure together. Trying to determine a way out of the structure, they find it is a series rooms with weird numbers scratched all over the walls. Discovering that they are in a hypercube, which has four dimensions across it and can fold back in on itself, which forces them to believe that an alternate reality is inside, as well as their self. Forced to take action, they try to solve the riddle of the cube and escape before they're killed off.

The Good News: There isn't a whole lot here to really like. The hyper-dimensionality allows for a lot of fascinating ideas to play around with. Gravity operates at a different angle in some rooms, time operates at a different pace in other rooms so that at time, they see other people alternately sped up or slowed down, and of course, doors open up into alternate realities and points in time, which allows them to constantly meet different versions of themselves. In one simply fascinating scene, one of the characters opens a door and sees them-self staring back. Reaching out to grasp the hand, another character appears from behind, kills the parallel version before being wiped out by a wall of crystalline shapes. It's a compulsively fascinating moment that works quite effectively for it's creativity. Another scene shows on of them stabbing a character in the eye, only to then turn around and encounter them on the other side of the room a moment later, having aged several years and seeking revenge. Outside of these great ideas, the film is pretty hollow.

The Bad News: There's a lot here that doesn't work. As a whole, this is a mess of a movie. It differs so much from the original that it's almost in a different series, with only the main premise and the cube structure remaining. Gone are the numerous, and quite cool, traps from the original, replaced here with a trap that will spring only if too much time is spent in a room rather than being the structure of the room itself, and in their place is a much too talky, confused, and poorly written movie. Not once does it fall together so that a simply answer can be arrived at that will explain everything, and instead, it just chooses to get more and more incoherent ending up being way too complicated for its own good. Even the traps that do spring up aren't that great, being simply a multiplying square that morphs into a spinning shape, not at all that creative or impressive. The laser-wall isn't that bad, but otherwise, the traps in here are barely worth mentioning, not being that great at all and nowhere near the inventiveness or cruelty of the originals. The extreme amount of down-time in here is also a problem, since it takes nearly forever for the film to get going. After introducing themselves, it takes nearly forty minutes before the first trap is sprung, and that's far too long to be standing around arguing with each other. That's the main gist of the middle of the film, long sequences of everyone arguing about what each clue supposedly means or where each person came from. This is a downer and makes the middle seem like it takes forever, and coupled with the weak, confusing story and lack of inventive traps, really brings this down.

The Final Verdict: With a couple of decent scenes and ideas thrown in, this is a really hard movie to recommend to anyone. Fans of the original might like it, but it only has to be the most forgiving fans to do so. If you want to really watch it, watch it before seeing the original or not back-to-back, the differences will be quite startling.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Brief Nudity

I admit to being a huge fan of the CUBE trilogy. The first film is obviously the best, vicious and exciting in its simplicity, while the third, CUBE ZERO, is an interesting idea that takes the form of a prequel. CUBE 2: HYPERCUBE is a straightforward sequel to the first film, with significant changes that make a difference.

Although a number of characters are once again trapped inside a cube, the emphasis this time around isn't on solving puzzles and avoiding traps. Instead the characters must figure out a way to escape from their prison and to avoid the impending death which follows them at all times. There's lots of tension and interplay between the various characters, as before, and I liked the acting from the unknown cast which carries the story along.

There are some good twists here, especially with the climax that heads into the fourth dimension, although with a little blood and death for people who like that kind of thing. The special effects are very average on a low budget but as usual it's the ideas which make this film work. It's not on the level of CUBE but I do appreciate the fact that they did something different instead of just doing a slavish copy for a sequel.