05 February,2011 06:52 AM IST | | Tushar Joshi
Sanctum
U/A; Action/Adventure
Dir: Alister Grierson
Cast: Allison Cratchley, Christopher Baker, Rhys Wakefield
Rating: ''1/2
What's it about: A statutory warning is in orderu00a0-- this isn't directed by James Cameron, nor is it any close to Avatar or Abyss. Sanctum comes with too much excess baggageu00a0-- Cameron is the executive producer, it's in 3D, been marketed as the next big thing after Avatar, so expectations are definitely sky-high. Does it manage to break even ? Hardly! Opening with panoramic shots of an extensive cave leading to the core of the earth, it's the story of a bunch of explorers wanting to find unmanned territory. Well, they aren't just explorers, but characters painted in the most clich ufffdd tones. A strained father-son duo, natives working as guides, a rich couple seeking thrills, everything is caked up to bring out the drama. While they have their eyes set on the crevices leading to unexplored lakes and ravines, Mother Nature has something else lined up. An unexpected storm throws their mission out of gear as they shift focus from exploration to basic survival.u00a0
What's hot: Despite the claustrophobic environment, there are sporadic moments of visual brilliance. Grierson uses depth and space to showcase the real struggle between man and nature. Somehow, along the way, boulders, salt rocks and overflowing lakes become the actual characters, reducing the actors to caricatures. When the father tells his son, "we are just particles of dust passing through", he literally means it. The background score works beautifully in keeping with the momentum. You can't help but draw parallels to Cameron's own filmsu00a0-- Abyss, Avatar and Titanic. Sanctum uses themes and elements from all threeu00a0-- underwater drama, nature's wrath and a sense of inevitable doom.
What's not: While Avatar broke new boundaries with 3-D, Sanctum dumbs it down. While momentarily it succeeds in using the technology to wow us, most of the time it's just a hassle. 3-D comes handy when you need to show depth and bring drama to a motion. Here, it seems unnecessary since the landscape already offers a sense of depth and drama. Some of the scenes look shoddy because actors go out of frames. The space crunch of a crevice doesn't really provide much scope for action. The initial excitement of what happens next soon becomes a drag as the characters become increasingly predictable. With very little humour, the somewhat serious moments of despair become unintentionally funny. Dialogues are cringe worthy.
What to do: Another film about a man getting trapped in a cave for 127 Hours was far better in portraying the human spirit and its various facets. Sanctum seems like an easy ticket to cash in on Cameron's success.
