Silver Screen Review: Sanctum

For this week’s review, I look at yet another movie inspired by true events. This time it deals with the wonders of diving in under water caves. This is the movie “Sanctum” which was shot in 3D. But this movie is not just another movie in 3D, it is a 3D movie produced by James Cameron…let us just begin this review. Here is my review to “Sanctum”.

Story:  The inspired plot of “Sanctum” is about the drama and excitement of cave diving. The movie throws the audience right into the plot, and in this case, that is not a good thing.  The movie has no back story with little to no explanation.  It does get better by the last act, but there is still that one hour and fifteen minutes worth of aimless, mediocre plot.

Characters/Acting: Character Actor Richard Roxburgh actually has a decent performance in this movie as Frank. It is not an amazing performance but it gets the job done. As for the rest of the cast, I cannot say the same thing. The rest of the cast is either forgettable or they just put on a performance that I could care less about.  But at the end of the day, these characters either have no proper development or they are just really stupid.

Directing: “Sanctum” is Alister Griesons first full length feature presentation.  If the director’s goal was to make a 3D film about diving in caves, then I suppose he did a good job.  That being said, I think there is room for improvement for Alister. For example: remembering details such as explaining your story and characters and using proper camera shots. You know the little things.

Everything Else:  I will give the movie this; the filmmakers did a good job on the film’s location. It did feel as though I was looking at an underwater cave.  The films greatest mistake is also its greatest asset, 3D. The 3D of the movie does little to nothing to enhance the experience; in fact I think it is more of a strain to watch. The 3D is used for the bigger wide shots of the film’s locations and that is about it. This movie proves that just because you can put something in 3D, it does not mean you should. The film also goes to show that the grand effects of 3D are over exaggerated and it really needs to stop.

Overall: “Sanctum” in itself is a rather interesting idea, but it turns out to be one poor execution. The story is very lackluster, the characters are forgettable and the only decisions the filmmakers were thinking when making this movie was how much money could they get from making a 3D film. I questioned why it was in 3D, and when I left the theater, I was still questioning why it was 3D. In conclusion, all “Sanctum” did was loose my tolerance for any movie with James Cameron’s name attached to it. 2 ½ out 5 hats.