Let me make this clear. I hate 3D. Since the idea started to come back I have only seen two movies that were actually worth seeing in 3D. Those two are Avatar and Tron: Legacy. Both were designed and built for the specific use of 3D. Sanctum is very similar. It was shot using the same technology that James Cameron used while making Avatar. It also doesn't take advantage of it's 3D to shower us with cheap parlor tricks like a tongue shooting out into the audience. In Sanctum, it is used as a way to show us depth and perspective. There were a couple of moments I even started to get a little dizzy. To be clear, that's a good thing. At times, I felt as though I was in the cave with them.
Now the big question. Is it any good? There were definitely moments where I was sitting on the edge of my seat and my heart was racing. There were also moments where I found myself confused because of a continuity error. A complaint I heard from a few people at the screening was that the characters weren't really developed much. That's true. There is a woman that comes across as the ditzy girlfriend of the man who is paying for the operation. Despite her apparent ignorance she shows some serious knowledge of climbing and exploring. So which is she? The dumb girlfriend or an actual asset to the operation? One of the explorers is forced to dive when the cave begins to flood even though he has apparently retired from diving. This seems like a shock to the characters but they never explained to us why he retired. With the characters I had a constant feeling like I missed something.
Overall I think it's a pretty exciting film. The basic premise is that a group of explorers get trapped deep inside of a cave during a tsunami. The rain from the storm begins to flood the cave leaving them one option. Strap on the diving gear and boldly go where no other human has ever gone before. The group chooses to travel into unexplored territory and try to find where the water reaches the ocean. They have absolutely no idea how long that will take but they have their fingers crossed as they continue to trek into the abyss.
Knowing that the film is loosely based on a true story made me much more interested in it (although I did read that it is very very loosely based on the real story). In fact, the screenwriter is the person who lived through the actual events. I enjoyed it but it definitely wasn't a perfect movie. I also think the 3D was well done and actually adds to the experience unlike nearly every other 3D movie out there. If you have any interest in seeing this movie, it is absolutely worth seeing it in a theater. It won't be nearly as cool on your TV at home when it comes out on DVD.
Overall I think it's a pretty exciting film. The basic premise is that a group of explorers get trapped deep inside of a cave during a tsunami. The rain from the storm begins to flood the cave leaving them one option. Strap on the diving gear and boldly go where no other human has ever gone before. The group chooses to travel into unexplored territory and try to find where the water reaches the ocean. They have absolutely no idea how long that will take but they have their fingers crossed as they continue to trek into the abyss.
Knowing that the film is loosely based on a true story made me much more interested in it (although I did read that it is very very loosely based on the real story). In fact, the screenwriter is the person who lived through the actual events. I enjoyed it but it definitely wasn't a perfect movie. I also think the 3D was well done and actually adds to the experience unlike nearly every other 3D movie out there. If you have any interest in seeing this movie, it is absolutely worth seeing it in a theater. It won't be nearly as cool on your TV at home when it comes out on DVD.
No comments:
Post a Comment