Sanctum 3D – 2*

This is one of those films that fill you with great expectations, especially with Avatar’s James Cameron at the producing helm, but leaves you thoroughly underwhelmed afterwards. Exciting visions of a watery ‘other-world’ wonder from Cameron, especially with The Abyss reference (Virgil), turn into a lengthy cave-exploring/father-son-hugging tedium. Still, it is based on a true story, so can’t be that far-fetched.

The characters, a bunch of super-fit thrill-seekers, seem potentially intriguing. Leading the expedition is megalomaniac explorer Frank, played by deadpan and hunky Richard Roxburgh (on poster), who is the no-nonsense father to frustrated and under-appreciated Josh (Rhys Wakefield) who is equally toned and provides the beef for the younger eye. Admittedly, the father-son relationship needs to work for the film to be credible, and it does. But there seems to be too many strops and pent-up hormones at the start for you to really care, or sympathise with Josh at his father’s apparent disregard for life and Frank’s ‘playing God’ with his crew. Schmaltz, bizarre poetry moments, and illuminating tooth aside, our interest does grow as the film proceeds and the group gets into deeper troubled water.

From a female perspective, both female characters are clichéd. Butch Judes’s (Allison Cratchley) lack of sleep and pigheadedness lead to tragic results, whilst Alice Parkinson adds the glam and the brains as Victoria, a scientist who has never dived. Queue underwater disaster. The trouble is, far from adding anything constructive to the group’s dynamic that includes an accent-confused Ioan Gruffudd as her corporate boyfriend, Carl, the latter takes on the token ‘burden female’ in tow, obsessed with her appearance, and made worse by a stiff performance. Only once do we empathise with Victoria, after she struggles to follow the team through a claustrophobic rock tunnel, but once she meets her grizzly demise, it’s a case of ‘good riddance’. Gruffudd provides the only recognisable big-name on the list, and takes on the baddie role quite satisfactorily, if a little under-used. This is probably deliberate by Cameron and director Alister Grierson to prevent distractions from the subterranean world they are trying to make us in awe of, or simply a matter of budget.

Indeed, this seems to be another carrot-led element: the lack of really breathtaking 3D scenery that should trigger the ‘wow’ factor. Although some of the cave scenes look amazing, the 3D doesn’t sit comfortably on the eye at times, especially with darker, gloomier areas, or light shining directly from a character’s helmet torch. Again, for someone who bangs the 3D drum loudly and is experienced in the format, Cameron often doesn’t use the technology to its full potential with the camera framing, resulting in a lot of wide shots, and the film actually not being tailored for a 3D experience at all. With 3D ticket prices costing a pretty penny at the box office, this is a big consideration.

Perhaps this critic has seen too many subterranean horrors and was misguided by Sanctum 3D, if perfectly honest, expecting a repeat of The Abyss’s alien life discoveries in the caves at the core of the earth? But the overall effect, including the 3D, was quite disappointing, considering the film gets off to an epic build-up of enthralling tension at the start as the storm sets in.

2/5 stars

By @FilmGazer