Movie Review: Sanctum

Feb 20 • Movies, Reviews • 262 Views • 1 Comment

The only two reasons you would choose to watch this film are that its posters scream ‘James Cameron’ and it plays in 3D. You’re not wrong – these really are the only two things that work for the movie.

Sanctum is a dramatic underwater cave-diving expedition action-thriller directed by Alister Grierson (of course nobody knows who he is. Trivia for you – Grierson was on the set of Avatar and James Cameron selected him to direct Sanctum)

The film is based on co-writer Andrew Wight’s own experience of being trapped in a system of underwater caves and having to escape the tight labyrinth.

There is no story to this film and whatever little present is very poorly written. It starts with explorer Josh (Rhys Wakefield), rich-ass Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd) and his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) reaching the esa-ala cave site in a helicopter. The sight is spectacular as the camera gives an aerial view of the gigantic cave opening amidst the dense forests of Papua New Guinea. The shots taken of the characters rappelling down the cave are breathtaking.

Richard Roxburgh plays Frank, Josh’s father and the leader of the team. He is a tough man with a practical mind and a merciless heart. It would have been a lot more convincing and captivating if he didn’t have a stone face at all times.

As the story proceeds, they explore a section of the caves underwater, called Devil’s restriction. The magic of 3D blows your mind here as they squeeze through a very narrow passage to come out into a huge cavern with a massive ceiling. This is also one of the very ‘aesthetically good’ visuals.

The team’s dilemma begins when a crazy storm starts shaping up on the surface and water starts gushing into the cave. They need to reach the surface as quick as possible and the way up is not easy. To make things worse, they meet with a storm and jets of water bursting to throw them off.

A series of deaths follow with one being more horrifying than the last. After a number of failed escape strategies, the father-son duo is the only one that remains alive (quite typical, I’d say). They share a few moments of bonding but later, Josh has to ‘mercy kill’ Frank as he gets attacked and cannot move further.  The film ends with Josh swimming on a single tank as he struggles through darkness with lack of oxygen. Just as he is about to give up, he finds the sunlight ahead and breaks to the surface, emerging on a beach (did I say typical already?)

Despite the fact that the story is absolutely uninteresting, the characters are practically lifeless and there is no point to the film really; it can be suggested as a definite one-time watch for the sheer beauty of the use of 3D. The locale is beautiful and the film tries to explore the side of the caves that no human has set their eyes on. It is brilliantly photographed. What it also captures exceptionally well is the harrowing experience of being trapped underwater. The pain and trauma actually make you uneasy.

So I would say catch the film for sure and in 3D. But keep all your expectations outside the theatre!

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