Big Screen Peter: Sanctum 3D

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie.

review by Peter Lewis

From “Aliens” and the “Abyss” on through his mega-hit, “Titanic,” James Cameron has made a pretty good living out of a fascination with worst-case scenarios. But what gives these films such verve is not so much the story, but the situation. The films are filled with an uncomfortable tension that transcends both story and acting, creating a drip-drop inevitability: the cards have certainly been written, but when will they be played?

And “Sanctum 3D,” released this past weekend, is classic Cameron, providing plenty of panic inducing moments of hysteria and claustrophobia throughout the film.

The story continues on thematic elements explored in the aforementioned films by pitting a group of hardy deep cave explorers against Mother Nature. The film focuses on a deep, underwater cave in Papua New Guinea, a still largely unexplored nation on the island of New Guinea in the Melanesia region of the Pacific Ocean.

As a severe rainstorm nears the coast, the exploration is to be postponed and the gear carted up out of the cave system. These seemingly prudent plans go awry when the storm suddenly arrives two days ahead of schedule and magically transforms into a cyclone.

And, go figure, this unfortunate turn of events causes a variety of problems for the half-dozen folks stuck in the cave. With the waters rising and hope for escape out the entrance dashed, the expedition leader begins a quest to lead the group out into the unknown portions of the cave, hoping his instinct that the subterranean chambers will eventually lead them out into the ocean holds true.

The entire scenario, born of a near-death experience by one of the screenplay writers, seems concocted solely on the basis of “yeah, well then what if this happened.” While the storyline creates an unparalleled opportunity to make use of Mr. Cameron’s fancy 3D cameras, it is simultaneously cringe worthy for folks operating with most of their brain functions.

And it is surely not aided by the unfortunate acting performances of the cast.

Ioan Gruffudd, playing an adventurous American billionaire financing the cave exploration, waffles between semi-believable northeastern arrogance and incredibly annoying (though I imagine there are plenty of folks who would question the difference between the two).

Rhys Wakefield is much less bothersome as Josh, the son of hardened Australian cave explorer, Frank. Which is really to say that the Aussie teen heartthrob severely lacks any semblance of charisma on screen.

Of course, the pervious sentiments can be construed as praise when compared to the performance of Alice Parkinson as Victoria, Carl’s climber girlfriend. Somehow Parkinson is able to bring another level of melodrama to an already overwrought film, with her vapid vexations.

Though her shortcomings should be fully owned, she was done no favors by the filmmakers, who somehow created an array of character contradictions for Victoria. The seemingly uncharacteristic displays of Victoria, when coupled with that of Judes, an expedition diver, grants Sanctum an unflattering air of misogyny. This unbalanced negativity actually compliments the inane storyboarding and poor acting quite nicely.

It all adds up to a half-witted hat trick for Sanctum.

• Sanctum is playing at the Carmike 14 and the Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith, and the Malco Van Buren Cinema. Link here for time and ticket info.

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