Куб: Серия научно-фантастических фильмов ужасов

Canadian science fiction horror film series

Cube is a Canadian science fiction horror film series. The films were directed by Vincenzo Natali, Andrzej Sekuła, Ernie Barbarash and Yasuhiko Shimizu respectively. The films are centered, with slight variations, on the same science fictional setting: a gigantic, mechanized cubical structure of unknown purpose and origin, made up of numerous smaller cubical rooms, in which most or all of the principal characters inexplicably awaken in the opening scenes. Each of these rooms has six heavy vault doors, one on each face of the cube, which lead into adjacent, largely identical rooms, differing occasionally by colour of lighting. Some of these rooms are "safe", while others are equipped with deadly booby traps such as flamethrowers and razorwire. In some cases it is possible to detect a trap by throwing an object into the room first, although this method is not always reliable due to the trigger mechanism of certain traps. In each case, a group of strangers awakens in this mysterious structure, without any knowledge of how or why they are there. In order to escape from the prison, they must band together and use their combined skills and talents to avoid the traps and navigate out of the maze, while also trying to solve the mystery of what the cube is and why they are in it. An American remake, currently on hold, is in development at Lionsgate, and a Japanese produced remake was released in 2021.

The world in which the Cube series is set is kept secret from the viewer of the films throughout. The first Cube, in particular, portrays nothing of the world in which the film is set, who is responsible for the Cube, or why the prisoners are there. Hints are, however, given throughout the second and third films. The film's writer, Vincenzo Natali, apparently wrote a script detailing the world outside the Cube, but destroyed it after deciding not to create a film about it. The plot devices used in Hypercube and Cube Zero (IZON and the government) are likely not (or only very loosely) related to Natali's original idea. The first film is especially most ominous about the outside world; there is no indication of where or when the Cube was built, nor the timeline of it (although it is generally assumed to be present day). Although the main characters are presumably North American due to their speaking English with typical North American accents, there is no evidence of the Cube being built in the U. S. However, in the second film, a U. S. Colonel displays knowledge of the first Cube's existence and layout. The Colonel is referring to the Cube in the first film and not the prequel because he mentions a feature specific to that Cube. The second film reveals that a company named IZON is responsible for the Cube. Several exterior shots indicate that it is set in present time. The Cube's disturbing nature and the sheer impossibility of it being a physical construct (since it is technically an endless tesseract) make the location ambiguous. Furthermore, IZON is a private company, but the presence of the aforementioned Colonel and his knowledge of the Cube suggests that the U. S government is involved, or are perhaps trying to take it down. The third Cube film shows its personnel, consisting of management (known as "people upstairs") and technicians who operate the Cube and oversee the people placed inside. All people trapped in the Cube are death row inmates with their memories deleted and who willingly signed in to be placed inside instead of being executed. The Cube appears to be operated by a repressive, totalitarian government. At one point, when one technician finds no consent form of a woman trapped inside, it shows that the government also imprisons political opponents inside against their will (the technician finds her picture in a newspaper showing her at a political protest). It is also implied in this film that a character from the first film, Kazan, may not actually be autistic and is possibly a victim of the same treatment Eric Wynn received: Having his brain surgically altered so his behavior resembles that of a stereotypical autistic savant).

Cube, the first film in the series, follows a group of seven frightened strangers who find themselves trapped in a bizarre maze of cubical rooms, with no memory of how they arrived there.

In 2011, Lionsgate was reported to be taking pitches for a new film titled Cube 3D, though nothing came of the effort. In April 2015, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Lionsgate Films was planning to remake the film, under the title Cubed, with Saman Kesh directing, Roy Lee and Jon Spaihts producing and a screenplay by Philip Gawthorne, based on Kesh's original take. Development on the film stalled the following year, leaving its future uncertain.

Character Original series Remake Cube Cube 2: Hypercube Cube Zero Cube Kazan Andrew Miller   Zachary Bennett Hikaru Tashiro Quentin McNeil Maurice Dean Wint   Takumi Saito Joan Leaven Nicole de Boer   Anne Watanabe David Worth David Hewlett   Masaki Suda Dr. Helen Holloway Nicky Guadagni   Masaki Okada Rennes Wayne Robson   Kōtarō Yoshida Alderson Julian Richings   Tokio Emoto Kate Filmore   Kari Matchett   Simon Grady   Geraint Wyn Davies   Sasha / Alex Trusk   Grace Lynn Kung   Jerry Whitehall   Neil Crone   Max Riesler   Matthew Ferguson   Colonel Thomas H. Maguire   Bruce Gray   Mrs. Paley   Barbara Gordon   The General   Philip Akin   Julia Sewell   Lindsey Connell   Becky Young   Greer Kent   Dr. Phil Rosenzweig   Andrew Scorer   Tracton   Paul Robbins   Dodd   David Huband   Cassandra Rains   Stephanie Moore   Jax   Michael Riley   Meyerhold   Mike "Nug" Nahrgang   Jellico   Terri Hawkes   Ryjkin   Jasmin Geljo   Quigley   Diego Klattenhoff   Robert P. Haskell   Martin Roach   Bartok   Richard McMillan   Owen   Tony Munch   Finn   Joshua Peace   Anna   Alexia Filippeos   Male Doctor   Fernando Cursione   Female Doctor   Araxi Arslanian

Name Occupation Gender Prison connection Played by Kazan Unknown, possibly former cube technician Male Kazan prison in Russia Andrew Miller David Worth Architect Male Leavenworth Prison in the U. S. A. David Hewlett Quentin McNeil Police officer Male San Quentin State Prison in the U. S. A. Maurice Dean Wint Joan Leaven Mathematics student Female Leavenworth Prison in the U. S. A. Nicole de Boer Dr. Helen Holloway Free clinic doctor Female Holloway Women's Prison in the U. K. Nicky Guadagni Rennes Prison escapist Male Centre pénitentiaire de Rennes in France Wayne Robson Alderson Unknown Male Alderson Federal Prison Camp in the U. S. A. Julian Richings

Name Occupation Gender Played by Kate Filmore Psychotherapist / Soldier Female Kari Matchett Simon Grady Private detective Male Geraint Wyn Davies Alexandra "Sasha" Trusk Computer hacker Female Grace Lynn Kung Rebecca "Becky" Young IZON technician Female Greer Kent Julia Sewell Attorney Female Lindsey Connell Max Reisler Computer game designer Male Matthew Ferguson Mrs. Paley Retired theoretical mathematician Female Barbara Gordon Jerry Whitehall Engineer Male Neil Crone Colonel Thomas H. Maguire Colonel Male Bruce Gray Dr. Phil Rosenzweig Scientist / Author / Nobel Prize nominee Male Andrew Scorer

Name Occupation Gender Played by Eric Wynn Junior cube technician Male Zachary Bennett Dodd Senior cube technician Male David Huband Owen Senior cube technician Male Tony Munch Chickliss Junior cube technician Male N/A Cassandra Rains Political protester Female Stephanie Moore Jax Senior cube supervisor Male Michael Riley Robert P. Haskell Cube soldier Male Martin Roach Meyerhold Unknown Male Mike "Nug" Nahrgang Jellico Unknown Female Terri Hawkes Bartok Unknown Male Richard McMillan Ryjkin Unknown Male Jasmin Geljo Chandler Unknown, possibly doctor Female Sandi Ross Smith Unknown Male Dino Bellisario McCaw Unknown Female Ashley James