Sanctum

For a film that goes so deep underground, Sanctum is a remarkably shallow experience. Playing out like The Descent with more water and no monsters, it's a beautifully shot survival flick but it's populated with characters so bland that you won't care one bit if they survive or not. And you'll probably be able to figure out what order they'll run out of oxygen in as well.

In fact, it's not that surprising that as his sticky fingers are all over the post-production and cinematography, this feels like a James Cameron flick where the script never got past the first draft. So when Grrr, Aaargh (Frank MacGuire), Whinging Son (Rhys Wakefield), Millionaire Jerk (Ioan Gruffudd), Comic Relief (Dan Wylie), Woman (Alice Parkinson) and Expendable Foreigner (Cramer Cain) find themselves trapped underground, you'll be more interested in how they're going to die than in the clunky dialogue.

That said, there's some eerily beautiful moments of utter horror to be found. From the ethereal splendour of a vast underwater cave to the pockets of air bubbling like mercury on the rocky ceiling, it's a feast for the eyes even when it leaves the brain starving.

Yes, it's clunky. Yes, the cave is surprisingly well-lit and yes, saying "what could possibly go wrong" before abseiling into the bowels of the earth is utterly stupid. But it's pretty, has a couple of cool death scenes (the "hair" moment is horrible) and it's much, much shorter than The Abyss.

Going into "Sanctum", I was relieved to know there would be zero cave monsters jumping out of the darkness. This was going to be a cave movie for thinkers, trying to get out of a flooding cave, with no clue what lay ahead. "Sanctum" is totally acceptable, if you perceive the film as being documentary-like, and can overlook lack of character development, and simply watch the action. The 3D experience is marginal at best, because everything is so confined and dark. I couldn't tell you one cast members name, just that there was a leader, his son, a financier, a grunt, and a couple of disposable females. Nevertheless, I enjoyed "Sanctum" for what It was, an exciting experience in underground survival. - MERK

This movie entertains from start to finish. Are the characters "two dimensional"? To me not in any sense (ha ha, yes the movie is 3D, lousy pun intended).

But seriously, for two hours you are taken on a brutal subterranean adventure. I liked the fact that it IS believable. It isn't just action - it is a true human drama and shows the good and bad that can come from people in a life or death situation. And I didn't think it was predictable (for the most part, anyway). I am guessing that the reviewers just didn't like the characters, but that is no fault of the actors; the characters were quite realistic, which I considered a huge plus, while others might have preferred something else. I do need to give a disclaimer that I did not research the "true" story and watched purely from the perspective that it is 100% fiction, so I'm not saying this is an accurate depiction of real events. But it sure seemed like something that could happen.

It isn't "The Black Swan". It isn't "True Grit". It won't be sweeping the Academy Awards. But was it entertaining and worth the price admission? Without question - I actually found it more enjoyable and gripping than anything I have seen in some time. Highly recommended - give it a fair chance!

After reading many negative reviews here, I thought I would add my spin on the movie. I loved it..

The scenery is great, you believe as though you could be there trapped, a long way underground and hoping you can hold your breath..

Yes as others say, at the start you may not like any of the characters, but this develops pretty well along the way.By the end you are caring about who gets out alive/dies and watch a father/son relationship develop.

Rhys Wakefield is particularly great in this flick. Having moved well on since his home and away days to an established Australian film Actor.

A great afternoon spent.

This movie, although not James Cameron's best, is visually exciting and suspenseful. A gripping expedition becomes a race against time and human nature, when a group of explorers navigating an immense cave in Papua New Guinea during a cyclone find themselves trapped in what threatens to become a watery tomb.

The sometimes melodramatic acting and clichéd dialogue tries too hard to construct the nature of each character before the action scenes start to set in, the uncompromising and experienced leader, the rash and cocky business man, the young kid with father issues. There were plenty of chances to let these traits become apparent naturally throughout the script.

The acting gets more bearable as the number of characters starts to dwindle a little. What saves this movie is the sense of scale in the scenery, the beauty of the natural caves, and the realism with which situations become volatile and unmanageable.

Overall, if you want to see a decent, action driven film about of one of the world's last remaining unexplored landforms, then Sanctum will (probably) not disappoint. It could have done without the 3D, which seemed unnecessary overkill. Not as good as The Abyss, but a similarly excellent visual experience to Avatar, unfortunately it comes with a similar level of acting and, with momentary exceptions, emotional depth.