6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Master diver Frank McGuire has explored the South Pacific's deep underground Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood during a hurricane, Frank's team—including his 17-year-old son Josh and financier Carl Hurley—are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. The unavoidable question: Can they survive?
Starring: Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Wakefield, Alice Parkinson, Dan WyllieAction | 100% |
Adventure | 92% |
Thriller | 45% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (as download)
BD-Live
D-Box
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Just in case Neil Marshall's The Descent didn't convince you that caving was a terrible idea, along comes executive producer James Cameron and hand-picked director Alister Grierson's Sanctum to finish the job. Falling debris, drownings, hypothermia, rock slides, broken air canisters, claustrophobia, budding madness, climbing accidents, tragic deaths and good ol' fashioned murder (pronounced "muuuurder," with one raised eyebrow) are just a few of the dangers brimming beneath the surface of Cameron and Grierson's underground, underwater and, yes, underwhelming quote-unquote thrill ride. In fact, the biggest shock that lies in wait for the uninitiated is that the film isn't very good at all. Stale performances, stocky storytelling, water-logged dialogue, predictable twist after predictable turn, mediocre visual effects and some of the worst green screen work in recent memory... if it weren't for the film's more able-bodied second half, I'd be making comparisons to Skyline right now. Even Grierson's use of Cameron's highly touted 3D cameras and shooting methodology sinks whenever it tries to swim. Dimensionality is artificially boosted at the cost of any real filmic depth, a hyper-digitized sheen undermines the photography, and the film looks about as low-rent as it plays.
Worst Nightmare #127
Ooph. Sanctum isn't pretty, thanks in large part to a problematic source. Black levels are sometimes muted, skintones typically appear a tad washed out, textures don't exactly pop, depth is fragmented (for lack of a better term), noise reduction has been applied here and there (in post, not for the film's Blu-ray release) and many a scene looks as if it's been cut from a hunk of digital plastic. The result is a tricky-to-evaluate 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that remains true to its source but suffers for its devotion. Normally, I wouldn't dream of advocating changes to a filmmaker's vision, but -- brace for debate -- some rudimentary color and contrast tweaks would have improved matters. That said, there are pinpoints of light at the end of the cavern. Sun-bathed colors are warm and striking, primaries are fairly strong, overall detail is decidedly decent, the majority of closeups and midrange shots are satisfying, and delineation is quite revealing (too revealing actually, considering the environment). Moreover, the film's underwater scenes lend the picture some clout and look better than those that take place in Grierson's suspiciously well-lit underground gauntlet. On the technical front though, mild banding creeps in, brief bursts of noise mar a few shots and faint pulldown-like anomalies sometimes circle the cavers' head lamps. Otherwise, the encode is sound. Proceed accordingly.
Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track faces some of the same source-based challenges, albeit to a lesser degree. Sanctum's sound design isn't bad, not by any means, but it isn't very nuanced either. The rear speakers are teeming with crisp, clean, engaging effects, but they rarely connect with other elements in the mix, leaving an empty chasm in the middle of the soundfield around which all else swirls. Gushing water doesn't fill every inch of the room, it roars near the front, pours in from the rear and leaves the carpet in between dry. Individual echoes don't rebound from every angle, they can be traced -- quite easily -- to the exact speaker handling each one. While it isn't distracting per se, audiophiles will take notice. Otherwise, there aren't really any issues of note. Dialogue is intelligible and neatly prioritized in the soundscape, LFE output infuses the film with welcome weight and intensity, and David Hirschfelder's score mimics its surroundings and surges to the forefront whenever called upon. Storms rage, waters churn, chunks of earth smash into the ground and screams pierce the air. Yes, it's all rather loud and a little turbulent. Big, dumb and fun, really. But it's also assertive, eager to please and, frankly, suits the tone of the film just fine.
The 2D Blu-ray release of Sanctum serves up a number of strong special features, among them a commentary, a lengthy production documentary (in high definition, no less), a batch of deleted scenes and a 1989 Australian documentary that examines the real divers and events that inspired the film. The package isn't terribly special, but it does offer far more than I expected.
Sanctum isn't everything it could be, and doesn't do James Cameron's 3D techniques justice. It's a passable thriller with a passable cast and a barely passable script, nothing more. Universal's Blu-ray release has a few issues all its own, but most of them trace back to the film itself. At least its DTS-HD Master Audio track and ample special features take away some of the sting. All in all, Sanctum is worth renting, but if I were you, I'd be careful before wandering too much deeper into my wallet.
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