CUBE is an engaging and thought-provoking remake/re-imagining of the 1997 movie of the same name.

 

The focus of today's blog post is a remake/reimagining of a 1997 cult classic Canadian independent sci-fi horror movie. I've already articulated my thoughts on remakes in a previous post and so, for now I'll simply state that I think they need to have heart and soul. Remakes need to be faithful to the original and only make changes that are necessary and not convolute things. CUBE, the 2021 Japanese remake/reimagining of the 1997 original, is a remake done right. 

The very first thing we see in the remake is Tokio Emoto's very unlucky cameo that serves as a stark preparation for what's to come. We see just what the cube is capable of and just how deadly the traps are. After this short, but tense introduction, we are introduced to the 6 central characters that we will be following throughout the movie. Yuichi Goto awakens in a mysterious room and is greeted by Shinji Ochi and Chiharu Uno. Shortly after they begin conversing, the trio are joined by the active Hiroshi Ide, a man who has already begun traversing the structure using his shoes to check for traps. A mysterious female figure, Asako Kai, then asks what the group are before introductions are dished out. The group, whilst wary of each other due to being strangers, begin to traverse the cube in hopes of finding an exit. Along the way, they bump into an older gentleman by the name of Kazumasa Ando and he joins the search for an escape. 

What stands out about the Japanese remake of Cube is the production quality. The set design is absolutely phenomenal. The fact that it's a studio project (Shochiku as it's known in Japan) means that it's had a decent budget behind it. The cube itself has beautiful, clean, spacious rooms that are easy on the eyes with the vivid use of various colours being a delight. The actual design is much smoother than that of the 1997 Canadian original and doesn't have that low budget industrial feel. Toyomichi Kurita's cinematography also helps to sell the tense atmosphere as the use of various different, dynamic shot types conveys the horror of being trapped inside the death trapped environment. The camera work sets the setting up as a character all by itself. 

Yasuhiko Shimizu's direction was smooth and competent as he managed to pull some decent performances from the main cast. 

As far as the plot is concerned, the remake is quite faithful to the original as far as the basic premise is concerned. It does however, differ from the social messaging of the original. The remake tackles elements of Japanese society and culture such as generation conflict between the youth and the old as seen with conversations between Ando, Ochi and Chiharu. It also tackles the use of honne/tatemae in daily interactions, this is particularly prevalent during the last half of the movie as tensions rise between Ando and Ochi. There's even some group mentality vs individualism thrown in for good measure. The group are forced to work together in order to circumvent the various death traps whilst not quite fully trusting each other. Ide at the beginning is content with going off solo before he is convinced to team up with the rest of the group for just one example without spoiling too much. 

A lot of the plot and backstory comes out in the dialogue between the various characters. We learn who the individuals were before they got into the unfortunate situation, how some of them believe they got there and some subtle hints as to why they're there. There's some subtle story-telling as we get to learn about the character of each individual through small lines of splendidly delivered dialogue. Some stuff is left quite vague and is open to interpretation, but I love that the movie doesn't hold the audience's hands and instead leaves an element of mystery and intrigue. 

As far as performances are concerned, Masaki Suda is great as what is essentially the leading role of engineer Yuichi Goto. His use of body language, facial expressions and emotions are on point and convey his character's strength and vulnerability really well. 

The standout for me was Takumi Saito as mechanic Hiroshi Ide. His courage and stoic charisma really shines through and he looks really cool. Saito-san also performed well in the physical aspects and came across as looking quite heroic in the end. 

Kotaro Yoshida was tremendous in the role of company executive Kazumasa Ando. He's essentially the grumpy old man that wants out of the cube in any way possible and will use any means necessary in order to escape. His scenes with Masaki Okada are amongst the best in the movie as there's some real tension built with the conflict between the two men from different generations. He has a pretty solid character arc in which he reveals his true nature to the group after certain events occur and I won't spoil what happens. 

Masaki Okada does a splendid job portraying convenience store clerk Shinji Ochi. He has the most development out of all of the characters as he completely changes over the course of events. I think that his character arc is earned as we see him gradually break down and he's quite emotive when describing his life as a clerk. 

Anne Watanabe might come across as one dimensional in her performance, but it actually serves a purpose as far as the plot is concerned. There's a plot twist towards the very end of the movie that justifies her existence. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Cube as a standalone movie and as a remake of the 1997 original. It was definitely worth watching as Koji Tokuo's script is quite mature in it's adaptation and offers something new whilst also honouring what came before it. It's not much of a horror as it's more of a drama and so horror fans might be disappointed, but the character interactions make the movie enjoyable.