David O'ConnellSanctum
February 1st 2011 02:39
In the opening moments of Alister Grierson’s Sanctum, credibility goes sailing out the window of the helicopter in which he's traveling once British actor Iaon Gruffudd opens his mouth to unleash one of the phoniest American accents in the history of cinema. It’s truly cringeworthy stuff, and it’s not as if the atrocious early dialogue exchanges don’t taint the film enough.
Frank (Richard Roxburgh) is one of the world’s foremost underwater cave divers. His current location is deep in the formidable Esa-ala cave system in Papua New Guinea where he’s being assisted by a specialist crew, including fellow diver Judes (Allison Cratchley) and technician George (Dan Wyllie). Into the mix come Frank’s resentful son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and his primary financier Carl (Gruffudd) and Carl's wife Victoria (Alice Parkinson).
There are mild tensions created between this bland assembly but the preamble is an exceedingly dull one. Naturally things begin to go pear-shaped when nature has her say in the form of a massive storm – that trusty prelude to any cinematic disaster - rolling in before morphing into a cyclone. Frank begins ordering directives as the group scrambles for an exit route that most likely doesn’t exist.
Who amongst these cardboard cutouts will survive the watery carnage? And just how creative will the inevitable, strategically-placed death scenes that claim most of them be? Sadly, there’s little to get enthused about here, the perfunctory beats of John Garvin and Andrew Wight’s screenplay mapping out painfully familiar terrain.
Josh, for so long resentful of his father’s insanely single-minded determination to meet his calling, probably sums it up best for all of us when asking “Who in the real world actually gives a shit about these caves anyway?” Even sadder is Frank’s revelation that the caves are to him the equivalent of an unending bottle of whisky to an alcoholic – a place he regards as his “church’ and somewhere to escape reality.
The death scenes are mildly entertaining diversions, if lacking in gore and missing some much needed pizzazz that a Jaws-crossed-with-The Descent introduction of subterranean beings with huge fangs might have provided.
Full credit must go to Roxburgh and Wakefield for their wholehearted attempts to bring palpable emotions to the table. But despite their best efforts, they simply can’t negate the unspeakable horror of Gruffudd’s ludicrous presence as well as being equally hampered by the dialogue they're continually force fed - often whilst shouting almost indecipherably over torrents of cascading water. Thank god for David Hirschfelder’s classy score which at least provides something in the way of alluring cinematic distraction from the teleplay standard work offered up by most of the cast.
James Cameron’s prominence on the credits only serves to raise serious questions – in the light of the lame finished product – of an Alan Smithee handover once this forgettable non-event crawls onto DVD shelves with its tail between its legs. Sanctum is truly bad, bordering on awful. Personally, I would rather have my solids reduced to something I’m required to suck through a straw for the rest of my life than ever sit through this film again. The final insult is the pathetic insertion of a piece of classic Samuel Taylor Coleridge poetry, mouthed meaninglessly by both father and son, in an attempt to increase the film’s dwindling, virtually non-existent artistic standing.
Sanctum opens in Australian cinemas this Thursday, February 3.
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Comment by Matt Shea
Ha! Nice write-up, Dave, although I think I enjoyed this a touch more than you. I don't have such a big problem with the concept, just a lot of the execution.
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
hehehehe - when I read Matt's review, I just thought, "I knew it would suck", when I read your review, it tempted me to slot this into the film I land up catching up with on DVD with my sarcastic friends,while we're all drunk and are looking for a shit film to make fun of
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
I've seen a lot worse than Sanctum of course but I really just can't get over to decision to stick with Gruffud's wretched accent - why, to give American audiences a familiar sounding voice? Roxburgh tries his darnedest to give this thing a backbone but the writers have let him down miserably.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I CONCUR WHOLEHEARTEDLY!!!
This film made me furious to think such money was wasted on such utter crap! Our reviews are largely in agreement!
Wight is probably the most to blame, as his position with Cameron must have protected him from being pulled up over his crap script by the newcomer Grierson.
Soooo annoyed...but, there were some great underwater shots, great art direction, and yes, I am getting over 3D too, the foreground passing objects distracted.
cheers
fog