For some reason I feel the need to watch movies that deal with cave diving.  Even though it scares the bejesus out of me.  No other type of movie will put me on edge or make me feel as anxious as a movie set in a cave.  So naturally when I saw the trailer for Sanctum, there was no question on if I would go see it.  Of course I would!  But would it be any good?  That was the question.

Sanctum is the new 3D extravaganza that’s produced by James Cameron.  He didn’t write the script, or direct it however.  Written by John Garvin (who also plays a minor role in the film) and Andrew Wright, the film is inspired by an actual near death experience that Andrew Wright had.

Photo from RottenTomatoes.com

Directed by Alister Grierson, Sanctum follows a team of cave / underwater divers as they fight to stay alive after a freak storm hits and floods the cave system they are exploring.  Like the tagline says, the only way out, is to go down.  Meaning they have to navigate the unexplored sections of the cave system in hopes that it will lead them to the ocean.  Sounds exciting right?

Frank (Richard Roxburgh) is an experienced cave diver and is the leader of this particular expedition.  His son Josh (Ryhs Wakefield) is there too albeit unwillingly.  Their relationship is strained to say the least.  Carl (Ioan Gruffudd) is the money behind the operation and shows up at the beginning of the film with his girlfriend, Victoria (Alice Parkinson) who is an experienced climber.  A freak storm sends those in the cave scrambling to get topside, but when access to the top gets cut off, the four along with Frank’s right hand man Crazy George (Dan Wyllie) have to dive to find a way out.

The foreshadowing of death is incredibly prominent in this film.  You can pretty much pick out who’s going die and when and I had the end pegged from the get go.  Never a good sign.  But then again, when you go traipsing around the bowels of the Earth, you kind of expect bad things to happen.  I’m just sayin’.

Photo from RottenTomatoes.com

Roxburgh and Wakefield however do a convincing job as a father and son team that has issues.  Each of the characters serve their purpose but there is no room for any type of character development and I found myself not really caring who lived or who died outside of Frank and Josh.  Oh and Crazy George because he’s a pretty decent character.

Photo from RottenTomatoes.com

I wasn’t able to see Sanctum in 3D which was a bit of a shame.  Since it’s been out for a few weeks, the only theaters left in my area that are playing it only offer the 2D version.  I could still see how the 3D version would be a beautiful sight however.  Shot with the same technology that Cameron used for Avatar the scenery is the real star here as there are some incredible shots both above and below the surface.  On the flip side of that though, I was quite glad I didn’t have to shell out the 3D ticket price because, as far as I’m concerned, the film wasn’t worth it.  Sorry Jim, this film just doesn’t deserve to have your name attached to it.  Harsh, I know, but true.

I will give the film props for having some colorful death scenes and for portraying the act of drowning as the painful form of death that it is.  I’ll also give it props for making me a bit nervous.  It didn’t achieve the level and anxiousness that I experienced in watching The Decent, but I found myself squirming in my seat during certain scenes.

Overall, I would say that the only reason to see Sanctum is to see the 3D of it, but on the flip side, I don’t think it’s worth the money.  Maybe just hold out for a rental.  Then you and your friends can pull an MST3K session on it, because frankly, that would make the movie much more fun.

Verdict: Sanctum gets wrapped a measly 1.5 togas

*Header photo from ShortcutLife.com

About the author

Tracy Ladd has written 402 articles on this blog.

Tracy has been writing about film since her days on the her high school newspaper. Even though she took a decade or two off to explore other things, she's back to doing what she loves. She also bakes, can knit a pretty nifty scarf and makes lightsaber sounds with her knitting needles. Or chopsticks. Especially with the lightsaber chopsticks. Follow her on Twitter: @baddladd

• Twitter
• Facebook

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 20th, 2011 at 10:21 am and is filed under Film, Film Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.