Sanctum

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.

Going into "Sanctum", I was relieved to know there would be zero cave monsters jumping out of the darkness. This was going to be a cave movie for thinkers, trying to get out of a flooding cave, with no clue what lay ahead. "Sanctum" is totally acceptable, if you perceive the film as being documentary-like, and can overlook lack of character development, and simply watch the action. The 3D experience is marginal at best, because everything is so confined and dark. I couldn't tell you one cast members name, just that there was a leader, his son, a financier, a grunt, and a couple of disposable females. Nevertheless, I enjoyed "Sanctum" for what It was, an exciting experience in underground survival. - MERK

A big cave, a big soundtrack, and a big adventure. This movie didn't have or need any cave creatures or supernatural threats. It is exciting and suspenseful as a realistic cave story that is based off of a true story. After a storm blocks the way out for a crew of cave explorers, they must go deeper into unexplored areas of the cave in search of a way out. Water is the big threat in this movie. Not only are there numerous underwater passageways to navigate with limited oxygen, the crew is pushed forward by flood waters rising from the storm. While many cave movies keep things dark and claustrophobic, this movie gives us a cave that is both beautiful and impressive in size. The cast is what they need to be to tell this story. There is a storyline about the strained relationship between a father and his son which gets our feelings involved. To further stir our emotions, the soundtrack is lovely and compliments scenes very well. Sanctum is a solid survival movie that is both interesting and exciting. It deserves more love than it has gotten.

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.