Sanctum Review

If you’ve seen only a few survival films in your time (whether rooted in real life or the supernatural), you’ll know there’s a predictability to the narrative that is rarely effectively masked. Fortunately, director Alister Grierson is clever enough not to bother trying, foreshadowing various plot points well before they happen. Sanctum is not about surprises. Instead Grierson focuses on delivering one of the most intense, visually arresting, and dramatic survival thrillers in recent memory. Each scene and location – whether a sound stage or on location – is vividly captured and often jaw-dropping. The 3D cameras used are the same James Cameron developed for Avatar, and the difference between his technology and the generic variety employed in films such as Clash of the Titans or The Green Hornet shows. The finesse and detail of the production and its focus on the very real and terrifying dangers of cave-diving ensures Sanctum never veers off into the realm of B-grade cinema. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff.