Sanctum Review (2/5)

Not content with having helmed two of the highest grossing films of all time, this year James Cameron has given us yet another blockbuster movie in the form of Sanctum, an underwater action-adventure based on a true story. However, while some minor similarities to the director's previous effort Avatar can be found in the casting of lesser-known stars and some stunning vistas both inside and outside the titular caverns, for the most part this is a below average flick filled with stereotypical characters who we've seen a thousand times before. Take Australian teenager Joshua, who follows his father's diving exploits while holding a bitter resentment of having no free time and because he has never felt loved. The father-son relationship is explored in the same way as so many other films have done before, and as a result its conclusion is totally predictable and formulaic, and this can be said of pretty much every one of the vast array of characters with untapped potential hinted at both through the script and the often woeful acting. Perhaps the worst crime Sanctum commits is in its pacing: things don't really get going until about an hour in, and when it takes half of the viewing time for the action to start up you know something's gone wrong in production and editing. Above all, there's real perseverence required to reach the 'good stuff' here, and even when that point comes the action never reaches the scale of a decent thriller or claustrophobic horror (although one of the perks of watching is certainly the sense of fear and tension that comes from the superb direction, typical of Mr Cameron). If you're looking for something to get you scared, exhilirated or totally immersed in its world and characters, look elsewhere, as Sanctum is nothing more than a poor imitation of the handful of genres it unsuccessfully attempts to merge, and will be quickly forgotten.