The indie sci-fi/horror cult classic indie horror movies that has a concept ingenious enough to overcome its lack of resources. It's a testament to how much one can accomplish without millions of dollars.
Years before Saw came along to make a story about characters who don't know each other that wake up in an unfamiliar location surrounded by elaborate traps into a pop culture staple, Cube arguably did the scenario a lot better. It also leaves viewers with lots of lingering questions to ponder after the credits roll, chief among them being what exactly is the Cube, who created it, and for what purpose was it designed.
Sometimes though, questions like those are better left unanswered, which is what Cube creator Vincenzo Natali thought when he trashed a script he'd written to answer them. Direct to video sequel Cube 2: Hybercube and prequel Cube Zero offer up some interesting answers of their own though, Natali-endorsed or not.
Cube: Everything the Sequels Reveal About Its Origins & Creators
The only information about the Cube that's revealed in the first film is that the character David Worth (David Hewlett) helped design the outer layer of the structure at the behest of a mysterious organization, not realizing what it would ultimately be used for. In Cube 2 though, it's revealed that a company called IZON are the creators of the Cube, and it's implied that the U.S. government commissioned it, in a turn of events that sure wouldn't surprise Fox Mulder. An alternate ending makes the government connection clearer, and also reveals that the characters were actually only in the time-bending Hypercube for about seven minutes, although it felt much longer to them.
In the prequel film, Cube Zero, much more of the behind the scenes aspect of the Cube is shown, with Dodd (David Huband) and Wynn (Zachary Bennett), two technicians who perform the daily operation of the Cube, being central characters. As far as they know, everyone inside the Cube they're monitoring is a death row inmate that had opted to be part of this experiment instead of execution.
However, that's later revealed to be at least partially untrue, as the forces behind the Cube's creation are shown to have inserted political enemies into the mix against their will. To that end, the government in control of the Cube appears to be some kind totalitarian religious dictatorship, as those who survive the Cube are asked if they believe in God, and if they say no, are killed. It's also heavily implied that Kazan from the first film wasn't actually an autistic savant, but was instead a genius who had his brain surgically altered.
