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Amazon.co.uk Review
If there's an undersea adventure with high-tech equipment, macho posturing, and lots of underwater photography, you know James Cameron must be swimming around the vicinity. Add the fact that Sanctum was released to theaters in 3-D, and it's clinched. Cameron served as executive producer to this crazy tale of a cave-diving expedition forced to improvise when a typhoon inundates their New Guinea location. (The film, shot in Australia, is allegedly based on a true event by co-screenwriter Andrew Wight, but it might be safe to conclude that the original incident was a jumping-off point for the high melodrama on display here.) A globetrotting billionaire (Ioan Gruffudd, of Fantastic Four) is underwriting this exploration of a hidden cave maze, which explains why he gets to bring his girlfriend (Alice Parkinson) along. As a measure of their thrill-seeking habits, we are told they met on an Everest climb. The cave-diving boss is a crusty old pro (Richard Roxburgh), who is rough on his underlings and even rougher on his teenage son (Rhys Wakefield); naturally, the cataclysm that follows will be an occasion for some extreme father-son fence mending. As cornball as these elements are, and as generally toneless as director Alister Grierson's ear is with the dialogue scenes, Sanctum does work up some bona fide thrills: the sheer power of water is unleashed at a few memorable spots, as is the panic of losing an oxygen tank at a crucial moment. It's also pretty brutal, with a steep body count and a few grotesque bits of bodily injury. It ought to be easy to dismiss Sanctum as a silly piece of boy's adventure, but--curse you, Cameron!--one must admit that the thing is awfully effective. --Robert Horton
DVD Description
Sanctum, the epic underwater adventure from three-time Academy Award®-winning executive producer James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic), follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.
Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s key team—including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield of The Black Balloon, Broken Hill) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd of Fantastic Four series, W.)—is forced to radically alter plans.
With dwindling supplies, the crew—including Carl’s girlfriend, Victoria (Alice Parkinson of Where the Wild Things Are, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Crazy George (Dan Wyllie of Muriel’s Wedding, Chopper)—must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?
Special Features:
Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh of Moulin Rouge!, Mission: Impossible II) has explored the South Pacific’s Esa’ala caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank’s key team—including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield of The Black Balloon, Broken Hill) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd of Fantastic Four series, W.)—is forced to radically alter plans.
With dwindling supplies, the crew—including Carl’s girlfriend, Victoria (Alice Parkinson of Where the Wild Things Are, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Crazy George (Dan Wyllie of Muriel’s Wedding, Chopper)—must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?
Special Features:
- Deleted Scenes
- Feature Commentary
- Sanctum: The Real Story
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
This is only the third 3D Blu ray that I have watched on my new 3D Tv. It was brilliant, it was spectacular and at times I thought there was water dripping from the living room ceiling! For some reason the 3D disc didnt actually have "3D Blu-Ray" printed on it like other 3D blu-rays, but none the less I managed to find the right disc and really enjoyed it. Gripping movie that makes good use of the 3D. I was also pleased that this movie was available from Amazon as I haven't seen it in 3d in any of the shops.
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I bought this because I was out of the country when it went on general release, and 2 weeks later I couldn't find a cinema within 100 miles that was still showing it, never mind the 3D version.
I'm a caver. I've caved all over the world (though sadly not in PNG, yet...). I've even been on a couple of expeditions.
What did this film get right? The location, for a start. Thick limestone + lots of water = big caves as several expediations to Borneo & China have shown in recent years. PNG was as good a place as any to base the story. Do you really get sinkholes as big/deep as that in the film? Yes, you do. 500 m deep and maybe half that across would not be uncommon. You wouldn't ordinarily parachute into sinkholes - the proximity of the rock walls and uncertain air currents would make that extraordinarily risky (though there are people that have base jumped into las Golondrinas in Mexico). Abseiling (rapelling for North American readers) on ropes is the usual method as was shown. The gear the team were wearing was pretty authentic, as was the gear they used. Modern rebreather diving technology is extraordinary; the world record for a cave dive was set last year in Pozo Azul in Spain: 8.8 km and 50 hours in water of 11C. So the basis for the film was pretty sound too. The 'passion' for caving shown by the lead explorer was also authentic. The lure of virgin discovery is extraordinarily strong.
So where did the film go wrong? Well, I've yet to hear of a caving expedition with anything like the level of resources portrayed in the film! Caving expeditions - even those on which National Geographic participates - are generally run on a shoestring. And as for running electric power down a few km of cave passge to the dive base...
Overall the film is a bit of an underground Posideon Aventure. The storyline is a bit predictable, the acting is a bit wooden, and the gory ending is unnecessary (in my view). But if you've never been down a cave, sit back and admire the majesty of the underground environment. There are bits that are CGI for sure, but there is also a lot that is real. Real caves are remarkably hostile places to take simple cameras (damp, grit, cold,...), never mind cinematography equipment. And filming cave diving is almost as logistically complex as sending a man to the moon. In fact, more human beings have been to the moon than have penetrated some of the deepest caves on planet Earth!
I'm a caver. I've caved all over the world (though sadly not in PNG, yet...). I've even been on a couple of expeditions.
What did this film get right? The location, for a start. Thick limestone + lots of water = big caves as several expediations to Borneo & China have shown in recent years. PNG was as good a place as any to base the story. Do you really get sinkholes as big/deep as that in the film? Yes, you do. 500 m deep and maybe half that across would not be uncommon. You wouldn't ordinarily parachute into sinkholes - the proximity of the rock walls and uncertain air currents would make that extraordinarily risky (though there are people that have base jumped into las Golondrinas in Mexico). Abseiling (rapelling for North American readers) on ropes is the usual method as was shown. The gear the team were wearing was pretty authentic, as was the gear they used. Modern rebreather diving technology is extraordinary; the world record for a cave dive was set last year in Pozo Azul in Spain: 8.8 km and 50 hours in water of 11C. So the basis for the film was pretty sound too. The 'passion' for caving shown by the lead explorer was also authentic. The lure of virgin discovery is extraordinarily strong.
So where did the film go wrong? Well, I've yet to hear of a caving expedition with anything like the level of resources portrayed in the film! Caving expeditions - even those on which National Geographic participates - are generally run on a shoestring. And as for running electric power down a few km of cave passge to the dive base...
Overall the film is a bit of an underground Posideon Aventure. The storyline is a bit predictable, the acting is a bit wooden, and the gory ending is unnecessary (in my view). But if you've never been down a cave, sit back and admire the majesty of the underground environment. There are bits that are CGI for sure, but there is also a lot that is real. Real caves are remarkably hostile places to take simple cameras (damp, grit, cold,...), never mind cinematography equipment. And filming cave diving is almost as logistically complex as sending a man to the moon. In fact, more human beings have been to the moon than have penetrated some of the deepest caves on planet Earth!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
SANCTUM is a 2011 australian adventure film directed by Alister Grierson and starring Richard Roxburgh and Rhys Wakefield. What a brilliant film! I was utterly gripped all the way through. I love these kind of films as they make me shiver as the scenes are unbearably intense! The actors were chosen well. I was very impressed and thought everyone did wonderfully. Best of all was the photography. WOW! The setting of the forest, the ocean and the dark cave itself was magnificently beautiful. There were also moments of dark humour that i thought worked well with the story.
Frank McGuire is an underwater diver expert who has been on countless explorations. This is his greatest yet! With his son Josh and his crew members, they dive deep into the carvornous cave, unaware that there exciting dive into a new world will become a terrifying nightmare that slowly picks them off one by one. They also have a deadline, as the cyclone raging avove will flood the cave. Trapped. And the only way out is down!
Can i just say, SANCTUM is not for the faint hearted. There are some pretty grusesome deaths and this film builds up to a tear-jerking climax. But as long as you dont get too worked up over these things, you'll be fine! Definately worth watching if you like tension, lots of peril and a great storyline! 10/10!
Frank McGuire is an underwater diver expert who has been on countless explorations. This is his greatest yet! With his son Josh and his crew members, they dive deep into the carvornous cave, unaware that there exciting dive into a new world will become a terrifying nightmare that slowly picks them off one by one. They also have a deadline, as the cyclone raging avove will flood the cave. Trapped. And the only way out is down!
Can i just say, SANCTUM is not for the faint hearted. There are some pretty grusesome deaths and this film builds up to a tear-jerking climax. But as long as you dont get too worked up over these things, you'll be fine! Definately worth watching if you like tension, lots of peril and a great storyline! 10/10!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Surprisingly good film with breath-holding moments
I would have loved to have seen this at the movies but had to make do with watching it as a DVD.
Sanctum is a story about a team of underwater cave divers on a dangerous... Read more
Sanctum is a story about a team of underwater cave divers on a dangerous... Read more
Published 23 days ago by Kali
Bad 3D?
I've started to notice on my new 3D TV and also on the cinema that some 3D is really bad, this movie was the worst that i have seen, I don't think this film was intended for 3D... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Robert Higgins
sanctum 3D
Stunning film well worth purchasing in 3D format, Great story line really enjoyed this film
The 3D features really bring this film to life.
The 3D features really bring this film to life.
Published 1 month ago by Maria H - Essex
Not great.
This movie is somewhat forgettable,the story and acting itself aren't great and the 3d effects are questionable at best. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Movie fan
3Dtv...check, Glasses...check, PS3...erm nope!
Bought this to watch in 3D on my PS3 but once I recieved it I found out that it is one of only a few movies that doesn't play in 3D on a Playstation 3. Read more
Published 1 month ago by StaceyP
Sanctum 3D blu-ray
A very good film for 3d effects, we bought the film and didn't watch it for weeks.When we did watch it the disc froze about 3 1/4 way through. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gail
Poor 3D
This has to date been one of the poorest 3D films I have purchased.A very predictable plot and so so 3D quality. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sweetfoot
Very good stereoscopic 3D
I bought this just because it was one of the few 3D Blu-ray releases available. I was very happy with this speculative purchase! The film has a good storyline and engaging actors. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jim
Oh no! (SPOILER ALERT)
OK people, I don't see it! There are so many positive reviews surrounding this movie and painting such a magnificent picture of it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by rodgersviews
sanctum
very good flim.Some brillant camera shots of inside a massive cave with under water caverns with 3d glasses you could almost touch the water,afew slightly gory bits has some nasty... Read more
Published 2 months ago by sky
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