Sanctum ****

 

In the underwater cave-diving adventure Sanctum, a father and son forgive and respect each other in the scariest, least explored cave on earth.

The film features image-acquisition 3-D technology that made executive producer James Cameron famous for Avatar. As 3-D movie technology continues to develop, Cameron’s digital clarity is the good stuff.

Director Alister Grierson and cinematographer Jules O’Loughlin achieve subtle and lifelike effects and occasional excellence.  Several deep sea scenes, including one of divers hovering in the light-filled water of St. Jude’s Cathedral, are worth the price of 3-D admission.

Despite poorly written dialogue, Sanctum manages to thrill with treacherous dives, rappels and crawls through underwater caves and ravines. The film was shot on location in Queensland, Australia and in studio.

Richard Roxburgh as world-renowned, cantankerous explorer Frank McGuire delivers the strongest performance. His is a mixture of ego and insatiable curiosity. Rhys Wakefield plays his teenage son Josh in a long fit of petulance. Luckily Wakefield calms down as the expedition continues and shows he has acting chops after all.

When a storm becomes a cyclone, flash floods cut the group off from a safe exit. They are forced to travel downward through a labyrinth and “follow the river” in the hope of swimming out to sea on the other side.

 

Death arrives for the divers one by one.  Supplies dwindle. Just as dangerous as the terrain is their acute stress. Victoria (Alice Parkinson) refuses to don the thermal suit of a deceased diver. Wealthy Carl (Ioan Gruffudd), who sponsors Frank’s expeditions and has brought Victoria along for the trip, approaches madness. Dan Wyllie gives a quirky, funny performance as expedition coordinator Crazy George.

Cameron, along with producer and writer Andrew Wight, are avid divers.  The story was inspired by Wight’s experience during a hazardous excursion.

David Hirschfelder wrote Sanctum’s stirring score.

Frank moves by intuition, and knows how to read the signs of nature.  Josh begins to learn from him, and to understand why he left home years ago.

“Why caves?” Josh asks his father.  “It’s like my church,” Frank replies. “I can hold a mirror up and say this is who I am.” 

If you like Sanctum, you might enjoy: 127 Hours; Cave of Forgotten Dreams; The Cove.

Sanctum  2011  /  R  /  1 hour, 49 min

Cast Overview:  Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Wakefield, Alice Parkinson, Dan Wyllie, Christopher Baker, John Garvin

Director:  Alister Grierson

Genres:  Action, Adventure, Drama