Sanctum
2011
**
Director: Alister Grierson
Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Alice Parkinson, Daniel Wyllie, Ioan Gruffudd, Cramer Cain, Allison Cratchley
A group of adrenaline junkies explore a partially underwater cave system in Papua New Guinea, when the island is hit by a storm and the caves begin to flood. The group includes a cold and arrogant veteran explorer, his resentful son, a jarring millionaire, his naive girlfriend, and a few immediately expendable supporting players. This small-scale disaster movie has a promising, deliciously claustrophobic set-up. However, after a few minutes with these clichéd characters and their dreadful dialogue, my optimism began to fade quickly. Unlike in The Descent or The Abyss, there is nothing supernatural at play here, only the terrifying collective stupidity of this group of people. James Cameron could possibly have turned this story into something gripping, but sadly he is only credited as executive producer.
