Rated R for language, some violence and disturbing images
Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Wakefield
Director: Alister Grierson
"Sanctum" is sort of like one of those forty minute IMAX documentaries that has been lengthened by an hour and given modestly-developed characters. The end result is a movie about an hour too long with modestly-developed characters we couldn't give a rat's ass about. Some things are better left to the Discovery Channel.
I must admit, however, that I was curious about this movie. The idea of cave-jumping seemed intriguing to me, though I know it wouldn't be for everyone. One person's interest in parts of the earth where no human being has explored is another person's view of a movie about halfwit daredevils jumping into a hole. Still, my curiosity was aroused...
...until the realization set in that this was going to be nothing more than a cliche-ridden survival romp through 3D land.
The first half-hour is a diarrhea of exposition, as we learn all sorts of routine tidbits about characters who may or may not meet their demise in creatively gruesome ways. We have the veteran grizzled explorer (Richard Roxburgh) who growls through his dialogue. The explorer's rebellious son (Rhys Wakefield) who learns responsibility and comes to an understanding with his absent father. The obligatory female (Alice Parkinson) who possesses a tough exterior, though seems to become squeamish on cue. ("I'm not wearing the body suit that's been on a dead person!") And of course, there's the eccentric billionaire (Ioan Gruffudd) who is funding the expedition. Gruffudd is a fine character actor, but he opts for a bizarre line delivery, enunciating every syllable like he's trying to drive his dialogue through the other actors. I don't expect acting nuance in this type of movie, but this guy is about as subtle as a hammer to the face. They may as well have cast Jon Lovitz in the role.
We are presented with a few mundane details about the location and the cave itself. We're even shown an animation display mapping out the entire maze of caverns. But unlike the animation near the beginning of "Titanic" that actually served a purpose, as it helped us to understand what was happening as the ship sank... the animation here is meaningless. We're unable to make heads or tails out of what's happening once the protagonists venture into the darkness.
The explorers find themselves in danger when the cave begins to flood from the rain waters above ground. This development had me scratching my head. Upon learning the cave is flooding, one explorer contacts the surface... "What's going on? The cave is flooding!" The reply? "We've had an unforeseen development. The massive thunderstorm has turned into a cyclone!"
Unforeseen development? The massive thunderstorm has turned into a cyclone? Okay... yeah... but... see... it was already a massive thunderstorm. Rain is, after all, still rain is it not? I mean, how could these guys not predict the possibility of rainfall during a massive thunderstorm? And even barring that little bit of sea-level logic, couldn't these guys tune into a weather forecast? Seems they ought to have the equipment available. But I digress.
In any event, the escape route collapses, the adventurers are trapped, many die in jaw-droppingly sick ways, others turn on one another. You get the idea.
The one positive thing I can say about the experience is that, unlike "The Green Hornet", the film isn't migraine-inducing. It doesn't obliterate your senses. Yet once again, the added dimension offers nothing to the story. 3D, by its very nature, causes the images on screen to become fuzzier, darker, less distinct. Those unfortunate traits are exacerbated when a good portion of the movie takes place in enclosed darkness where the benefits of the third dimension are unable to be detected. Hate to say it, 3D fans, but the effect is proving itself to be pointless in film after film.
The most disappointing thing for me, though, was the lack of wonder. Sadly, the potential of giving the audience a firsthand look at parts of the world untouched by man has been subjugated by a routine storyline involving the exchange of platitudes by even more routine characters.
Did my expectations play a role in my reaction? I'm sure they did, but expectations are a part of the movie-going experience, whether the filmmakers want to acknowledge it or not. The bottom line is, I went into "Sanctum" hoping to be overcome with a sense of awe. What I got was a movie about a bunch of halfwit daredevils jumping into a hole.
* * out of * * * * stars
I must admit, however, that I was curious about this movie. The idea of cave-jumping seemed intriguing to me, though I know it wouldn't be for everyone. One person's interest in parts of the earth where no human being has explored is another person's view of a movie about halfwit daredevils jumping into a hole. Still, my curiosity was aroused...
...until the realization set in that this was going to be nothing more than a cliche-ridden survival romp through 3D land.
The first half-hour is a diarrhea of exposition, as we learn all sorts of routine tidbits about characters who may or may not meet their demise in creatively gruesome ways. We have the veteran grizzled explorer (Richard Roxburgh) who growls through his dialogue. The explorer's rebellious son (Rhys Wakefield) who learns responsibility and comes to an understanding with his absent father. The obligatory female (Alice Parkinson) who possesses a tough exterior, though seems to become squeamish on cue. ("I'm not wearing the body suit that's been on a dead person!") And of course, there's the eccentric billionaire (Ioan Gruffudd) who is funding the expedition. Gruffudd is a fine character actor, but he opts for a bizarre line delivery, enunciating every syllable like he's trying to drive his dialogue through the other actors. I don't expect acting nuance in this type of movie, but this guy is about as subtle as a hammer to the face. They may as well have cast Jon Lovitz in the role.
We are presented with a few mundane details about the location and the cave itself. We're even shown an animation display mapping out the entire maze of caverns. But unlike the animation near the beginning of "Titanic" that actually served a purpose, as it helped us to understand what was happening as the ship sank... the animation here is meaningless. We're unable to make heads or tails out of what's happening once the protagonists venture into the darkness.
The explorers find themselves in danger when the cave begins to flood from the rain waters above ground. This development had me scratching my head. Upon learning the cave is flooding, one explorer contacts the surface... "What's going on? The cave is flooding!" The reply? "We've had an unforeseen development. The massive thunderstorm has turned into a cyclone!"
Unforeseen development? The massive thunderstorm has turned into a cyclone? Okay... yeah... but... see... it was already a massive thunderstorm. Rain is, after all, still rain is it not? I mean, how could these guys not predict the possibility of rainfall during a massive thunderstorm? And even barring that little bit of sea-level logic, couldn't these guys tune into a weather forecast? Seems they ought to have the equipment available. But I digress.
In any event, the escape route collapses, the adventurers are trapped, many die in jaw-droppingly sick ways, others turn on one another. You get the idea.
The one positive thing I can say about the experience is that, unlike "The Green Hornet", the film isn't migraine-inducing. It doesn't obliterate your senses. Yet once again, the added dimension offers nothing to the story. 3D, by its very nature, causes the images on screen to become fuzzier, darker, less distinct. Those unfortunate traits are exacerbated when a good portion of the movie takes place in enclosed darkness where the benefits of the third dimension are unable to be detected. Hate to say it, 3D fans, but the effect is proving itself to be pointless in film after film.
The most disappointing thing for me, though, was the lack of wonder. Sadly, the potential of giving the audience a firsthand look at parts of the world untouched by man has been subjugated by a routine storyline involving the exchange of platitudes by even more routine characters.
Did my expectations play a role in my reaction? I'm sure they did, but expectations are a part of the movie-going experience, whether the filmmakers want to acknowledge it or not. The bottom line is, I went into "Sanctum" hoping to be overcome with a sense of awe. What I got was a movie about a bunch of halfwit daredevils jumping into a hole.
* * out of * * * * stars
