I worry that people will get the wrong idea about Sanctum. With its ominous title and dark, moody poster, it’s likely that people will confuse it with recent films about adventurers exploring underwater caves, only to be preyed upon by underground monsters living there. At least two of those come to mind.
Sanctum is not a horror movie. It’s a story of survival in an impossible situation, and on those terms, it’s okay, if you can see past its flaws.
In Papua, New Guinea, inside a massive hole in the jungle, an expedition is underway in one of the deepest cave systems on earth. We’re told that the team is trying to figure out where rain water entering the cave eventually drains out to sea. Nothing is said about why this is important, but we know enough about adventurers to believe that “because it’s there” is a good enough reason.
The dive team is lead by Frank (Richard Roxburgh), who is the best cave diver on the planet, but not much good at regular human-type stuff, like speaking nicely to people, or parenting his son Josh (Rhys Wakefield), who resents his father’s insistence on dragging him along on these trips. Seeking a break, Josh has angered his dad by leaving the expedition without permission, to go meet Carl (Ioan Gruffudd), the wealthy benefactor of the research, who is arriving with his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) to check on the team’s progress. Bad timing, it would seem, as a major storm is approaching, and everyone is preparing to evacuate.
As you might predict, these characters and a few more find themselves underground when the cyclone arrives too soon and begins flooding the cave, triggering a rockslide which traps them inside. The only way to escape before they drown is to push forward into a new part of the cave that Frank has just discovered, and hope it leads them to the sea exit they’ve been searching for. On the way, father and son will have some serious issues to resolve.
The performances here are all quite good, despite the script by John Garvin & Andrew Wight, which causes a big problem for the film. These characters are all experienced adventurers, even Victoria, who isn’t a diver but has climbed Mount Everest. The story, however, calls for them one-by-one to ignore Frank’s advice, get into trouble, panic, and suffer the consequences. I agree it’s human nature to behave this way, but the film sticks so closely to this pattern that it detracts from the excitement.
And the film is exciting, thanks to some fine direction by Alister Grierson, who paces action sequences well, creates a nice claustrophobic atmosphere, and even gets a bit of mileage from some 3-D effects. Executive Producer James Cameron has clearly also lent his experience from The Abyss, Titanic, and Avatar.
In the end, though, Sanctum is weighed down by wonky dialogue and a predictable story. And we all know what too much weight does to a diver.
Tags: movie review, Sanctum
About the author: David Raitt
David Raitt is a writer and lover of pop culture. He lives in Oakville. He has also worked as an actor for The Second City, and has written, produced and performed his own sketch comedy, including the Canadian Comedy Award-nominated ALL THE RAGE. Semi-retired from performing, he still teaches improv and communications skills to students and corporate groups through his association with The Second City. Check out Dave's website at http://davidraitt.com
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