After directing the two biggest films of all eternity, James Cameron can now put his name to any old movie in an attempt to sell it to the public. So, thanks to the diving theme and thriller aspect of the story, Jim 'presents' to us Sanctum. It's a small scale disaster movie of a bunch of cave explorers and underground divers who get trapped in an immense network of tunnels when the monsoon season arrives days earlier than expected. With limited resources, varying degrees of experience, a fast flooding environment and the dangers that an unexplored cave network provides...the cast must try and navigate the threats until they reach the sea and escape.
It looks good, is well directed (especially the underwater stuff) and pushes all the correct disaster movie buttons (a variety of dangers, both natural and man made, that pick the cast off one by one). It's a shame that the script isn't up to much...the dialogue is dire...and the cast are largely weak and forgettable. Only Richard Roxburgh gets to shine as the hardened and experienced cave diver that might be pushing his team too hard. Despite the story being largely predictable, it does mess with audience expectations as to who has good motivations and who doesn't, and does a good job of reversing the roles of the 'good' and the 'bad' as the plot progresses.
The inescapable bottom line is that if you want to see the definitive caving thriller then watch Neil Marshall's The Descent. Even the first half of that movie, without the ravenous crawlers, has more memorable character moments and white knucke tension then Sanctum delivers in its entirity.
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