(2012-04-27 23:59:40)

A shallow, swirling mess...........

The underwater cave setting of this film couldn't obscure the fact that it contains just about every movie cliche known to Hollywood. (Thank you James Cameron). About 10 minutes into this drama, you'll get the feeling that you've seen it all before. You have - just above ground. The dialogue is silly, the acting is poor, and the character's actions throughout the film defy all semblance of logic. Everyone dies in the end, and by the time you get there, you really won't care.

Diva Velez

(2012-04-27 17:00:56)

Stale, unimpressive and possessed of a laughably terrible script that should never have made it past the treatment stage. Even chanting producer James Cameron's name over and over, as in Sanctum's TV spots, can't summon a better movie.

(2012-04-26 23:55:22)

CAMERON'S CAVE-IN

Riding the tremendous juggernaut of AVATAR, James Cameron executive produced SANCTUM, a 3-D story based on actual events. Cameron didn't direct and the movie bombed at the box office and it's easy to see why. Cameron's blockbusters were never lauded for their scripts but for his genius in creative film-making, visually breathtaking and stunning. He also had the starpower of DiCaprio, Winslet, Weaver, etc.SANCTUM doesn't have those hit making elements.SANCTUM does have some chilling moments but the script's cliches and banal dialogue are tedious and uninvolving. Some of the editing is sloppy and David Hirschfelder's score is routine and disappointing.Richard Roxburgh is quite good as the cold-hearted leader and father; Rhys Whitfield is effective as the estranged son and Alice Parkinson is a good anti-Sigourney as the doomed girlfriend who makes three bad decisions. But the Rod Steiger Overacting Award goes to Ioan Gruffurd's billionaire Carl whose descent into madness is almost laughable and unrealistic.I would think Cameron is not proud of this misfire but maybe his obsession with AVATAR may have limited his vision. At any rate, SANCTUM is ultimately a pretty average film.

(2012-04-26 20:27:06)

'Sanctum' 3D is great!

This review is from: Sanctum (Two-Disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray Combo) (Blu-ray) My family and I loved this movie. I am so glad I did not listen to the other reviews and so glad it was shot in 3D not the post production crap Hollywood keeps pumping out!!!It is what it is a survival movie and does the job well. The acting was just fine and the 3D effects are great even in low light, James Cameron did a fantastic job! This Blu Ray 3D rocks!

Jordan Hoffman

(2012-04-25 22:20:50)

For scene after scene, in defiance of all intellectualism, I sat there thinking: Holy Crap, what would I do?

(2012-04-25 09:45:57)

My Closet is More Claustrophobic

Negatives: I've seen more interesting caves in the Western US.Not claustrophobic - at all. Story was a bit of a long stretch. Acting was too over-the-top and unbelievable. Cinematography was minimal predictable and uninspiring. Set prop rocks and cave were not that real. Positive (thus two stars):Nice aerial shot of Cave of Swallows hole. (P.S. Film supposed location is a composite of many places and props.)

Film Watchin Fool

(2012-04-20 08:41:09)

Visually Stunning, But Not Much Else

Watch this if...a marginally entertaining story of struggle andsurvival that offers some great cave scenery sounds interesting.Acting/Casting: 5* - This is the weakest point of the film. Outside ofRichard Roxburgh, the acting is questionable and even bad in someinstances. Ioan Gruffudd struggles and should stick to not so seriousroles such as Fantastic 4. Rhys Wakefield is spotty at times and AliceParkinson as Victoria stands out to me as having a tough time acting inthis one. Roxburgh is the sole reason I give this an average grade.Without him this could have been really bad.Directing/Cinematography/Technical: 7.5* - Anything with JamesCameron's involvement is expected to be technically and graphicallysound and Sanctum is no different. The direction by Alister Grierson isa solid, but the cave scenery above all else carries this area of thefilm.Plot/Characters: 6.5* - Some likely thought this was going to be aunderwater monster film, but it is far from it. This movie centersaround survival and struggle. Don't be thrown off by the "based on truestory" non-sense, which should say "VERY loosely based on a truestory." Co-writer Andrew Wight and his crew had been trapped during acave expedition and had to be rescued, but that is the only piece offact used in Sanctum.Entertainment Value: 6* - While the acting is spotty, Sanctum stillmanages to provide some very nice scenery and offers solidentertainment value. It is not going to blow you away, but it is wellworth a watch. A few years from now, I might watch again.My Score: 5+7.5+6.5+6 = 25/4 = 6.25

Grann-Bach

(2012-04-19 13:17:54)

Just when you thought it was safe to go deep into unexplored caves... and other euphemisms

A small group of people become trapped underground(and we're not quitesure why they were ever there), with water above them and the only wayto go to get out being down... into where they haven't chartered. Mostof them do know what they're doing, and the bad things that happenaren't that much because of people making dumb mistakes. The firsttwenty minutes or so, nothing happens. We do get a nice fly-by ofnature, that's it. Then they get buried down there, and the rest of ithas a constant current of tension(if it varies in extent), and scenesof high intensity and impact. This in spite of the characters. They'reone-dimensional, flat, clichГѓВ©d(as the writing in general, if this doessurprise) and bland. All of that is actually tolerable. But there'sanother problem. They talk. Incessantly. Occasionally even aboutabsolutely nothing. The dialog is so forgettable and poorly deliveredthat I hope the DVD comes with a feature where you don't have to hearanything non-essential. Acting is dreadful, until it gets to the pointwhere they only have to be high strung. That, they manage. Themelodrama is also terrible. We want to see them travel on, not complainabout the situation. This is relatively realistic. It goes into theprimal fears of drowning, claustrophobia, heights, the threat of deathbecause of pressure, and darkness... well, maybe you haven't beenafraid of the dark since you turned nine... wait 'till you're stuckwith no fresh air and rising water levels. The 3D is worth it, it'slike in Avatar(if not as excellent and breathtaking), it puts you inthe situation and it's subtly used, you don't think about that it'sthere. FX are very nicely done, except for the few obvious green-screensequences. This does have a handful of stunning visuals, and it tendsto be shot, lit and edited well. There is a lot of strong language anda little brutal and disturbing content in this. I recommend this tothose who can stand the negatives and badly want the risk-filled,adventurous journey. 6/10

(2012-04-10 12:21:45)

Excellent movie for all SCUBA divers

This review is from: Sanctum (Two-Disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray Combo) (Blu-ray) This movie was excellent. 5 stars! Being a SCUBA diver, it shown the necessary skills needed to do the most dangerous of all diving experiences, CAVE DIVIVG. The photagraphy underground and underwater were spectactular. I will watch this film many times and tell all my fellow divers about this movie!

(2012-04-10 02:53:59)

AWESOME 3D Great Quality

This review is from: Sanctum (Two-Disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray Combo) (Blu-ray) Although some people called this movie crap I just can't imagine why. I even hesitated on purchasing this due to the reviews. Maybe they did not see the 3D version? This movie in 3D is the highest quality 3D I've seen - wow ever actually! It beats all these 3D movies - Avatar, Thor, Narnia, etc. The quality of the 3D has the birds flying out of your TV and the water flowing from your TV.. truly amazing! I thought the story was right on, they did what they had to do to survive. I'm a certified scuba diver and trust me, they followed all the protocols of survival. It was crazy to buddy breathe with a full facemask, that was a desperate attempt for survival for sure, but in the end the outcome was spot on. Great show thru & thru. I even watched it back to back because the 3D graphics were so good I wanted to take it all in again! EXCELLENT choice, great movie!

gradyharp

(2012-04-08 07:09:35)

Man Versus Nature Versus Man

SANCTUM (defined as a holy site and a place where one is free fromintrusion) is touted to be a film by James Cameron of Titanic andAvatar fame: he is only a producer. This 3D film would likely be moreinteresting in a theater where the 3D aspects of the photography byJules O'Laughlin would enhance the beauty of the film. But given thoseaspects of this little movie SANCTUM is a visual delight, a harrowingexperience of witnessing nature at her most angry, and a bit of asentimental slight story about father and son relationships and theinteraction of humans when pitted against the hostile vagaries ofNature. Of note this film was written by Australian underwater explorerand photographer Andrew Wight (with assistance from John Garvin and maybe based on some true adventures. Frank McClure (Richard Roxburgh is a grumpy, hard cave explorer anddiver exploring the Esa-ala Caves off New Guinea with his trustysupport team (Dan Wyllie, Christopher Baker, Nicole Downs, and CramerCain) when he is joined by the wealthy but shallow thrill seeker Carl(Ioan Gruffudd), his climber girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) andFrank's seventeen year old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield, a remarkablyimpressive handsome young actor from Queensland, Australia): Frank andJosh have never been close nor understood each other. The mission is toexplore the cave's connection to the sea and all goes well until thedescent begins. A storm begins and becomes a cyclone, filling the cavewith rushing water in which members of the exploration team are lost.As the numbers of the groups taper down we're left with a father/sonconfrontation before the explorer party dwindles down to one. Director Alister Grierson in tandem with his special effects peoplemake the most out of this rather superficial and flimsy script. Thecast is Australian and Welsh for the most part and the film was shotprimarily in Australia. The scenery, both above and below the ground isthe real star here and the film's primary appeal is the nature ofNature. Keep expectations low and the film will entertain. Grady Harp

(2012-04-07 18:58:14)

Pretty Good 3D effects..

This review is from: Sanctum (Two-Disc Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) Story line okay, regardless of it based on true events. 3D effects were somewhat good. I enjoyed it to say the least.

Loubear

(2012-04-05 01:19:32)

Don't Panic

After reading many negative reviews here, I thought I would add my spinon 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 caringabout who gets out alive/dies and watch a father/son relationshipdevelop.Rhys Wakefield is particularly great in this flick. Having moved wellon since his home and away days to an established Australian filmActor.A great afternoon spent.

John_D_Smith

(2012-04-04 16:41:59)

Can you believe it?

This is one of the worst films I've ever watched.The only thing that made me want to watch this in the past was thepreview and the 3D visual effects in this. The cast wasn't solid, had a good story, but I'd hate to say this isone of the absolutely dreadful films I've ever watched.And how James Cameron produced the film, well... I don't know...but the cast had below average acting in my opinion.I would say that this film needed to be a little more better if theywere to make a sequel...that's all I have to say.I only liked this film because of the visual effects and 3D technology,but to this - I'd say this was awful.

Amber Wilkinson

(2012-03-31 10:01:37)

Visually worth a look but lacking real depth.

Avi Offer

(2012-03-31 03:41:42)

Thrill-less, contrived albeit visually stunning adventure with laughably stilted dialogue and characters so devoid of life that you'll end up rooting for mother nature.

mrsnaude

(2012-03-22 06:43:13)

so many goofs it was a massive goof-fest

What an awful film - so awful I signed up to IMDb just to say how awfulit was. within seconds I had commented on the wooden acting and justhoped everyone was just warming up. There were so many inconsistenciesthroughout but the stupidest stupidest part was the son making thefinal exit without a mask and sucking direct from the pony bottle.anyone who has dived anywhere at all, let alone in a cave, would haveto see the impossibility of the conclusion. a crap ending to a crapfilm. The cave itself was spectacularly shot and the story could havebeen really entertaining. Sadly the decisions to sacrifice even amodicum of realism for the sake of creating tension just made it reallyfrustrating. I ended up yelling at the TV in annoyance. grr.

Peter Bradshaw

(2012-03-21 15:02:38)

It's a reasonable film, unpretentious in its way.

Nigel Floyd

(2012-03-18 16:06:40)

Even in this dim light, one can see every plot development coming a mile off.

(2012-03-18 04:56:03)

It's okay, 2 stars

In the beginning I thought of giving it 1 star. It was so slow paced, I felt like watching another movie instead. But I did move further and further. Plot reminded me a little of other movies. Guys from expedition are trapped in a cave and almost no one survives. But to all that, here is a boy who's dad is a real walking nightmare. He doesn't know his dad as a person until they get trapped together. I must say the end made me think of giving it 3 stars. It was very sad and touching. But then it's only because the ending was sad I can't give the whole movie 3 stars. It is worth watching, but don't have high expectations from it.