Sanctum

R

Released Feb 4, 2011

1 hr. 49 min.

Action

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

List

30%

173 Reviews

Tomatometer

37%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Though the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves are some of the least-accessible on Earth, expert diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored them for months. On one such expedition, Frank is joined by his teenage son, Josh (Rhys Wakefield), and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd). When a flash flood cuts off their exit, they are caught in a life-or-death situation. With supplies dwindling, the divers must navigate a treacherous labyrinth to find a new escape route or die in the process.

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Critics Consensus

Sanctum is beautifully photographed, and it makes better use of 3-D technology than most, but that doesn't make up for its ham-handed script and lifeless cast.

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Kevin R

I'm genuinely confused why this movie was reviewed so poorly. It's a survival movie about the many risks and causes of deaths involved with cave diving, so I don't understand why people were expecting some Christopher Nolan type of plot. I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie and the scenes showing how massive the cave was were visually stunning. The death scenes will haunt my nightmares for years to come. If you like survival movies this is a must see. The only part that made zero sense to me was at the end when one of the friends turns on the group as if they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Other than that great movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/26/23

Full Review

Isabelle G

Made me feel like I held my breathe the entire movie. Great character development for the main leads. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions. James Cameron never disappoints.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

sevbaileyify

The good.. The action scenes are exciting and do create some 'edge of your seat' moments. The 3 or 4 graphic scenes are intense. Thought provoking plot. The bad.. The CGI looks like it's been taken from a PS2 game. The acting is terrible and the characters are *utterly* moronic. The sloppy voice dub gives the impression that it was filmed in a different language.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/16/22

Full Review

Michael M

Great Visuals, Nice Suspense, Good Acting. HAMMY SCRIPT and crappy screenwriting. Mixing Good with the Bad.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/01/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Pathetic. But why...why do they have to smash our balls with father-son crap? Jesus.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

best caving movie i've seen yet. terrifying to watch former friends become bitter enemies as flooding cave claims more and more lives. to me, it was more exciting than the more popular "the descent" which was also very good.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Alister Grierson

Director

Richard Roxburgh

Frank McGuire

Ioan Gruffudd

Carl Hurley

Rhys Wakefield

Josh

Alice Parkinson

Victoria

Dan Wyllie

Crazy George

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Sanctum: Official Clip - Can You Help Me?

2:59

Sanctum: Official Clip - The Bends

2:33

Sanctum: Official Clip - He Killed Her

3:15

Sanctum: Official Clip - Buddy Breathing

3:01

Sanctum: Official Clip - What About Carl?

2:17

Sanctum: Official Clip - Traversing the Chasm

2:13

Sanctum: Official Clip - Put Your Knife Away

3:01

Sanctum: Official Clip - The Squeeze

2:45

Sanctum: Official Clip - Sealed In

2:33

Sanctum: Official Clip - Into the Cave

2:34

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Critics Consensus: Sanctum Is All Wet

Five Favorite Films with James Cameron

James Cameron, Alister Grierson and Andrew Wight talk Sanctum

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Keith Uhlich

Time Out

This 3-D cave-diving adventure plays on a lot of fears, so avoid it if you have an aversion to claustrophobia, drowning or really bad acting.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 31, 2023

Full Review

Leah Rozen

TheWrap

Its downfall is its clich-riddled and fusty script.

Oct 7, 2011

Full Review

Rafer Guzman

Newsday

Despite the millions clearly poured into it, the film feels cheap and amateurish. See it on IMAX if you wish, but the flaws will only look bigger.

Feb 25, 2011

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The failings of 3D, the ironically one-dimensional characters, and hammy acting squander any hope of losing oneself in this tale of survival.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 31, 2023

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Doesn't surpass being a hypertrophied B movie. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 11, 2022

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

An interesting journey thanks to a decent helping of suspenseful moments, but it's unfortunate the characters don't retain the same level of intrigue.

Rated: 6/10

Nov 30, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Though the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves are some of the least-accessible on Earth, expert diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored them for months. On one such expedition, Frank is joined by his teenage son, Josh (Rhys Wakefield), and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd). When a flash flood cuts off their exit, they are caught in a life-or-death situation. With supplies dwindling, the divers must navigate a treacherous labyrinth to find a new escape route or die in the process.

Director: Alister Grierson
Executive Producer: James Cameron, Ben Browning, Michael Maher, Peter Rawlinson, Ryan Kavanaugh
Screenwriter: John Garvin, Andrew Wight
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Relativity Media, Universal Pictures, Great Wight, Wayfare Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Disturbing Images|Some Violence)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 4, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.1M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS

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