El santuario (Sanctum)

I was expecting this film to be a lot worse but it was supported by my JC - James Cameron as executive producer and it does have some of the best 3D visuals out there. I praise Alister Grierson for using proper 3D cameras and not only that, the ones JC prefers and created. It was a joy to actually watch a proper 3D film and not the hideous post production 3D I have bitched about on numerous occasions. I think the utilizing of JC written everywhere will definitely help this film immensely and to some extent it truly deserves it.

Some of the scenes in this film are poetic artwork and sheer beauty and provide some mouth agape splendor. And the 3D really does immerse you in the environment, there were moments of vertigo and a constant claustrophobia suffered by myself. The only thing I have struggled to do that I have tried is scuba diving - I chewed through the mouthpiece and kept wanting to rip my mask off - not a cool way to dive . If you can see this one in IMAX 3D then do it - would be totally worth it.

The film also has a really worked out plot, the story is great, although it has been done to death before in different settings, it's an escape film like Towering Inferno. In fact think of The Poseidon Adventure minus the boat . If you don't work out who will survive in the first ten minutes then good for you . It is extremely clichéd with some obvious flaws - for example, the one lady who doesn't wear a wetsuit but wears this huge red outdoor storm gear thing nearly dies of hypothermia and shivers the whole time and yet all the guys are wearing wetsuits, although all sleeveless so we can see some flesh and they are always nice and cosily warm. What this film really lacked though was a decent script - some of the lines in this film had me laughing and cringing in equal parts. It really needed someone like Roberto Orci and/or Alex Kurtzman from Star Trek fame to flesh it out and make it justifiably awesome. But the script brings a lot of the film to B grade level.

Then the other thing that let this film down was one actor, Ioan Gruffudd - I could not believe how bad he was in this film. This guys is a lead in Fantastic 4, was in Titanic, King Arthur and numerous other films but in this he plays this over the top, heavily and badly accented American and it was so badly played he brought the film down a few notches - there were scenes I was hoping he would die so he would be gone from the film. It was shocking.

I will say thank god for the two main leads, Richard Roxburgh and Rhys Wakefield, playing his son. When I first saw the trailer I wasn't too impressed with Roxburgh - he always puts on a silly accent in films and in things like MIssion Impossible 2 he was this hideous bleach headed idiot. But in this film he really pulls it off and I preferred him as a leading man than as a supporting cast member. I found his role very believable and a strength in the film.

Then there was Rhys Wakefield, I found him great in the film and see a strong future for him following that Australian to US market. He is incredibly attractive and has smoother skin that Just Bieber after a buffing. Josh (Wakefield) has a superb relationship with his father in the film, Frank (Roxburgh). It is a love hate, make them tough relationship and it developed nicely and made Josh a man by the end of the film. His good looks were quite distractive in some scenes - as Josh is holding someone dying both Paul, my viewing partner, and myself were going oooh - nice arms. LOL. I am sure this is not what they were after in this scene . He holds the camera well and I look forward to his next role - those Hemsworth boys need to watch out - this guy is coming for all your parts.

I think this film will do OK. It is a guilty pleasure action film that requires limited thinking. It will be a teenager's dream film . I think with the combo of JC, some great direction in a difficult environment by Alister Grierson and the acting of Roxburgh and Wakefield really made this film a pleasure for me. If Gruffudd was never in this film and the script got a work over this could have been a much much better film. It is out this Thursday Feb 3rd in Australia and I recommend a big screen in 3D. Worth 6/10. Suss all my reviews at SaltyPopcorn.com :)

This movie, although not James Cameron's best, is visually exciting and suspenseful. A gripping expedition becomes a race against time and human nature, when a group of explorers navigating an immense cave in Papua New Guinea during a cyclone find themselves trapped in what threatens to become a watery tomb.

The sometimes melodramatic acting and clichéd dialogue tries too hard to construct the nature of each character before the action scenes start to set in, the uncompromising and experienced leader, the rash and cocky business man, the young kid with father issues. There were plenty of chances to let these traits become apparent naturally throughout the script.

The acting gets more bearable as the number of characters starts to dwindle a little. What saves this movie is the sense of scale in the scenery, the beauty of the natural caves, and the realism with which situations become volatile and unmanageable.

Overall, if you want to see a decent, action driven film about of one of the world's last remaining unexplored landforms, then Sanctum will (probably) not disappoint. It could have done without the 3D, which seemed unnecessary overkill. Not as good as The Abyss, but a similarly excellent visual experience to Avatar, unfortunately it comes with a similar level of acting and, with momentary exceptions, emotional depth.

For a film that goes so deep underground, Sanctum is a remarkably shallow experience. Playing out like The Descent with more water and no monsters, it's a beautifully shot survival flick but it's populated with characters so bland that you won't care one bit if they survive or not. And you'll probably be able to figure out what order they'll run out of oxygen in as well.

In fact, it's not that surprising that as his sticky fingers are all over the post-production and cinematography, this feels like a James Cameron flick where the script never got past the first draft. So when Grrr, Aaargh (Frank MacGuire), Whinging Son (Rhys Wakefield), Millionaire Jerk (Ioan Gruffudd), Comic Relief (Dan Wylie), Woman (Alice Parkinson) and Expendable Foreigner (Cramer Cain) find themselves trapped underground, you'll be more interested in how they're going to die than in the clunky dialogue.

That said, there's some eerily beautiful moments of utter horror to be found. From the ethereal splendour of a vast underwater cave to the pockets of air bubbling like mercury on the rocky ceiling, it's a feast for the eyes even when it leaves the brain starving.

Yes, it's clunky. Yes, the cave is surprisingly well-lit and yes, saying "what could possibly go wrong" before abseiling into the bowels of the earth is utterly stupid. But it's pretty, has a couple of cool death scenes (the "hair" moment is horrible) and it's much, much shorter than The Abyss.

Forget the critics, this is an awesome movie. It's fast-paced, action-packed and spectacular. I was tense the whole time and came out feeling like I'd been holding my breath for hours.

Seriously, most critics seem more interested in showing how cynical and cool they are than actually enjoying a great adventure film. I've read lots of reviews, so I'll address a few of the complaints made.

Bad dialogue: It's not Shakespeare, but it sets up the relationships between characters quickly and serves the action well. It also manages to explain the basics of caving and scuba diving (which most of the audience would be unfamiliar with) without seeming too preachy.

Bad acting: I thought everyone was pretty great with what they had to do. Again, it's not bloody Shakespeare.

Predictable: not to me. Yes, they're stuck in a cave so there's only so many things that can happen. But what does happen is really bloody exciting. I guess if you spend your whole life watching movies (as critics do) then any action movie would be predictable after a while.

Unlikeable characters: Um, since when did every character have to be likable? And even if you don't particularly like a character, surely you don't want them to die a horrible death down a cave. The truth is some of the characters you really like, some grow on you and some you almost want to drown with your own bare hands. So a good mix.

Weak roles for women: I disagree. The women are put in freaky situations and react in human ways. Though I didn't quite understand what happened to Victoria - that's one thing the film could have done slightly better.

I've also heard critics complain about too much swearing (seriously, if you've ever spent time around real-life explorers they're generally not too concerned with social niceties, especially in life-or-death situations). And some reviewers complained that there were no monsters in the cave - seriously! That was what was so great about the story - it was extreme but it all could have happened. Man vs nature and vs each other - much more interesting than another monster flick.

Anyway, Sanctum is excellent. Go see it.

After reading many negative reviews here, I thought I would add my spin on the movie. I loved it..

The scenery is great, you believe as though you could be there trapped, a long way underground and hoping you can hold your breath..

Yes as others say, at the start you may not like any of the characters, but this develops pretty well along the way.By the end you are caring about who gets out alive/dies and watch a father/son relationship develop.

Rhys Wakefield is particularly great in this flick. Having moved well on since his home and away days to an established Australian film Actor.

A great afternoon spent.