Master diver Frank McGuire has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank's team—including 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.
Robert Mackenzie Mario Vaccaro Dan Johnston Brendan Geaney James Harvey Steve Burgess Peter Mills Paul Pirola Damian Candusso Glenn Newnham
Universal Pictures Relativity Media Wayfare Entertainment Great Wight Productions/ Osford Films Sanctum Australia Lightstorm Entertainment FilmNation Entertainment
Sanktum, Sanctum 3D, Santuario 3D, James Cameron's Sanctum, Sanctum: Viaje al Fondo de la Tierra, El Santuario, Jeskyně smrti, Санктум, 夺命深渊, Dip, სანკტუმი, El santuario (Sanctum), แซงค์ทัม ดิ่ง ท้า ตาย, Свето место, Το Άδυτο, サンクタム, סאנקטום, 생텀, Santuário, Последно убежище, 3D驚天洞地, Hang Động Tử Thần, Šventovė, 潛行深淵, Jaskyňa smrti
AustraliaM
Russia
Brazil14
UK15
USAR
Greece15
ItalyT
Spain7
PortugalM/12
Thailandน 13+
Sweden15
France
Denmark15
Taiwan
Netherlands16
Slovakia12
FinlandK-16
Germany16
Japan
Ireland15
Sweden15
Slovakia12
Australia
Brazil
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
Portugal
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
Thailand
UK
USA
I liked the ending. Mostly because it marked the end of this movie.
Sanctum is a nature thriller about divers stranded in an underwater cave below sea level. The movie is tightly paced with a decent set design, but the mediocre suspense scenes added insult to a film already riddled with meh production values and cringeworthy acting (boy can't cry!) Argh, I would've enjoyed this under better casting choices and rootable characters sketches. Instead, I was just waiting for Sanctum to end.
Sanctum does feel like a James Cameron joint, had the eeriness of The Abyss and his love of water, but he only executive produced it. Still, it was enjoyable, plenty of tense scenes, and well choreographed.
I love underwater films.
They are my guilty pleasure.
I recalled seeing this in theaters and liking it.
Re watch shows that I was wrong and it’s terrible.
Claustrophobic suspense filled action thriller that will give you a few thrills, chills and spills!
If you are expecting the high quality of a James Cameron film you will be severely disappointed! He did NOT direct this film! However if you enjoy a good action adventure film with many intense moments than you've come to the right place!
Currently streaming on NF!
As I’ve done in the past and will likely do on several occasions in 2024, original brief blurb reviews from when I first joined the site eleven (!) years ago will be replaced by more proper reviews, a few paragraphs in length as I’ve done for most of my time on Letterboxd. I had only seen Sanctum once before, back in early 2011 at the cinema. The impression at the time was that it was a bad, disappointing mess. Between then and now, many more pictures have been viewed by me, perhaps my tastes have grown or at least changed… do I still feel disappointed by a movie where a big draw was that James Cameron was an executive producer…
The Descent - monsters - acting - tension + water = Sanctum.
This film is a 3d underwater thriller and directed by Alister Grierson, with James Cameron credited as Executive Producer.
It follows an underwater diving team trying to map a cave system in Papua New Guinea and potentially find a way through to the ocean. Disaster strikes and the cave becomes flooded with the only way out blocked by a fallen boulder. The team trapped underground face a battle against time to try and find a previously undiscovered way out.
The only saving grace of this film is the cinematography and scenery which at times is breathtaking. I say at times as they didn't quite get it right all…
It's okay. It’s never boring and there's some well-done sequences of suspense, but it's unfortunately ruined by the wooden characters, weak writing and mostly awful acting. The set designs are pretty solid, and the film looks good but unfortunately it seems like those are the only things they really put any actual effort into or used their budget for. Almost everything else seems like something you'd find in a direct-to-DVD movie. That being said Ioan Gruffudd innocent.
Despite some occasionally wonky CGI backdrops, this lesser-known film boasts stunning visuals. The underwater cinematography is undoubtedly its strongest feature, capturing the sheer beauty of the aquatic environment, while effectively conveying its eerie and claustrophobic nature. The abundance of water is presented in a way that is both captivating and foreboding, highlighting its dual power to mesmerize and endanger.
However, I couldn’t help but wish the characters were more compelling. Girl, they felt flat and one-dimensional, with little to no development or likability. The film definitely tries to heighten the drama with an intense musical score during key death scenes, but as a viewer, I found it hard to care. The emotional stakes simply weren’t there, leaving those moments feeling…
It's visuals over story in this feast for the eyes.
Way back when everything was in 3D for no reason.
There are some wonderful CGI shots but I couldn't tell you a name of a single character unless I looked him/her up.
There's Inquisitive White Guy, One Dimensional Prick White Guy, First Girl to Die Screaming, Final Girl.
After you're done with this you'd do well to retreat to your sanctum and watch a better movie.
But if you like shots of bubbles...
No lie, this is when I learned to not trust the words "Executive Producer: James Cameron"
Full disclosure: I am a slut for any kind of underground OR underwater adventure/thriller/horror film. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s just that the stakes are automatically so much higher when the very environment the characters exist in wants to kill them.
Anyway, perhaps that colours my experience of Sanctum, but I enjoyed this movie a lot. To be honest, in the first 15 minutes, I really thought this wasn’t going to be for me. The acting in the set-up is pretty bad – I mean, Ioan Gryffud, you’re a fairly big name, but can you act? I admit, I’ve never really paid enough attention before now to be able to tell. And then the obvious CGI for the cave…
