Sanctum Review

Much like the guideline the trapped divers cling to in one of the first instances of their attempted escape, cinema-goers are left desperately gripping their chairs while watching James Cameron’s Sanctum 3D.

The new action-thriller is a claustrophobic rollercoaster ride that, at times, leaves you as breathless as some of the films unluckier escapees.

For divers, there are some great underwater scenes, ranging from a shot of two divers suspended in the middle of a vast cave to a frantic scene where two of the crew exploring the underwater caverns attempt to buddy-breathe with rebreathers.

However, while Sanctum is certainly something of a cinematic spectacle, it’s not going to win any Oscars.

Viewers will likely spend a great deal of their time hiding behind their hands, but this will be as much for the anxious action scenes of death and desperation as it will be for the dubious dialogue.

To be fair, a film such as this is always going to be more about the surroundings in which it is set than the manner in which the characters deal with it, but there are a few moments that you do wish the actors were using regular regs rather than mic-ed up rebreather masks.

That said, the film is worth a watch. It does exactly what you’d expect of it; namely takes you on a predictable journey of squeezes and squeals at the end of which you know almost everyone will be dead. But, even in this case, there’s always the question of “who’s next?”!

And if critically acclaimed dialogue and detailed character development is your thing? Well, you probably better rent out The Shawshank Redemption or something.