SANCTUM has excellent
3D cinematography while the script
just gets crappier as it digs into the Hollywood cliché
rulebook. It is inspired by the true story of co-writer Andrew Wight (a diving buddy of director James Cameron)
where he once when cave diving with 14 people and became trapped. They had to find another way out and they all lived.
However, SANCTUM doesn't have
the same rules. It has all of the stereotypes lined up from the great cave diver who is too hard on his son
and the billionaire who needs something to spend his money in (and get his thrill junkie addiction fed). Everyone ignores the impending
storm and don't pack things out until it is too late and a group of the expedition gets trapped and they have to
find another way out. Like in a movie, some of them probably won't make it out alive, but I wonder if they needed the
body count to make a thrilling movie. As they dive into the stereotypes and book of screen writing cliches,
the movie becomes dumber and only the wonderful cinematography holds it together. You have some good actors
in it and yet the movie has something against the female characters (as it goes out its way to put the women through pain
and panic). Skip SANCTUM at the theater unless you have to see it in 3D and hold out for the DVD/ Blu-ray releases.
this movie review is (c)2-19-2011
David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com