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Feb 04, 2011 Web Exclusive By Chris Tinkham

Executive-produced by James Cameron, Sanctum is a visually staggering 3D adventure/thriller that, like Avatar and countless effects-driven films before it, demonstrates how dialogue is inconsequential when the universes depicted on screen are treated more carefully than the characters who inhabit them.

Richard Roxburgh (Moulin Rouge!, Mission Impossible: II) plays Frank McGuire, an Australian master diver world renowned for exploring remote, undiscovered territories. Aided by a team of countrymen with state-of-the-art technology, Frank is leading an expedition in the forests of Papua New Guinea (the film was shot in South Australia and off the Gold Coast of Queensland) to explore its complex and dangerous labyrinth of underwater caves, when his cavalier financier, Carl Hurley (Ion Gruffudd), drops in with his thrill-seeking girlfriend (Alice Parkinson) to take part in the action. 17-year-old Josh (Rhys Wakefield), Frank's son, clashes with his single-minded father and is a begrudging member of his team. When a storm moves in, the rain triggers an unexpected flood that puts all of their lives in jeopardy.  

Not a good sign, Sanctum is co-written (with John Garvin) by producer Andrew Wight. The film is partly based on an expedition that Wight survived in 1988, where a cave entrance collapsed and trapped his team. During the first third of the film, there are several cringe-inducing moments of bad acting and dialogue, along with a fair dose of locker-room humor. Sample line: "Your ass is so tight, when you fart, only dogs can hear it." The arrival of the flood washes out much of that idle ilk, allowing for a satisfactory, if surprisingly brutal, survival adventure to commence.

Roxburgh, as the toughened, salty hero, holds his own, and Wakefield becomes a more agreeable presence as his character evolves, but those are the only bright spots among the actors. The 3D visuals are the star attraction from the outset with a striking, though gratuitous, opening sequence. Sanctum, directed by Alister Grierson, was filmed with the Cameron/Pace Fusion 3D Camera System used for Avatar, and with the gorgeous geography of the film's setting, and an IMAX presentation delivering an exhilarating sense of immersion, the film's B-movie essence often can be overlooked.

www.sanctummovie.com

 

Author rating: 5/10