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Cube
Movie

Cube

1997 • Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Woke Score
7
out of 10

Plot

Six different people, each from a very different walk of life, awaken to find themselves inside a giant cube with thousands of possible rooms. Each has a skill that becomes clear when they must band together to get out: a cop, a math whiz, a building designer, a doctor, an escape master, and a disabled man. Each plays a part in their thrilling quest to find answers as to why they've been imprisoned.

Overall Series Review

The film traps six strangers in a mechanical maze, forcing them to use their specific skills—a cop, a math student, an architect, a doctor, an escape artist, and an autistic man—to survive deadly traps. The story is a high-concept, existential allegory about human nature under pressure and the perceived futility of the systems that structure society. Instead of a clear villain, the film suggests the 'Cube' is a pointless, self-operating blunder created by an indifferent bureaucracy. The narrative is driven by the internal collapse of the group, not the maze itself. The character dynamics highlight the dangers of relying on conventional authority, as the police officer transforms from a presumptive leader into the story's violent and misogynistic antagonist. In contrast, the intellectually-skilled woman and the disabled man are shown to be the most critical for solving the puzzle and finding freedom.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics8/10

The narrative makes the police officer, a symbol of established 'law and order,' the ultimate malevolent force who is violent and unhinged. This figure represents the repressive nature of systemic power. The character with a disability, an autistic savant, is initially rejected as a 'burden' but is ultimately the only one who holds the key to the escape and the sole survivor, elevating a marginalized identity above the conventionally powerful.

Oikophobia9/10

The film's central mystery is the Cube itself, which is presented as an allegory for a corrupt and pointless 'system' or 'organization.' The architect character describes the massive structure as a 'headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan,' which is a direct indictment of modern bureaucratic institutions and the larger capitalist machine, framing them as inherently oppressive and chaotic.

Feminism8/10

The male character who initially takes charge, the police officer, is portrayed as a toxic man whose masculinity devolves into violence, attempted sexual assault, and misogynistic rhetoric against a female doctor. The intellectual escape is entirely dependent on the young female math student's intelligence. This dynamic strongly vilifies conventional masculinity while validating the competence of the female intellect.

LGBTQ+1/10

The plot contains no discernible themes, characters, or dialogue pertaining to sexual ideology, alternative sexualities, the nuclear family structure, or gender theory. The focus remains strictly on the characters' professions and survival skills in a life-or-death scenario.

Anti-Theism9/10

The core philosophical message posits that the Cube, standing in for existence, is a machine built without purpose by an unknowable, indifferent mechanism, not a 'grand design.' One of the main characters explicitly states there is no 'conspiracy' and 'nobody is in charge,' which functions as a direct rejection of a higher power, Transcendent Morality, or a Divine Creator that has a master plan for existence.