Review of Sanctum (2011) by Johnny T — 20 Aug 2011

As we go deeper into the cave, walls squeezing, water rising, the movie has a narrative pull as sure as gravity. Although it's true that a father/son relationship lies at Sanctum's emotional core, the movie is at its best when it highlights the defiance of the protagonists to yield to despair and give up.After a sluggish half hour, this well-crafted adventure kicks into high gear and never lets up. There's plenty of atmosphere and awe, even if it's in the service of a story that starts rote and finds its sea legs only when half the divers have sunk their bones to Davy Jones. Its flaws are initially off-putting, but stick with it and Sanctum does do a good job of establishing tension and comes with some well-staged set pieces.

VERDICT: "Matinée" - (Mixed reaction). These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says to pay matinée prices to see at a theatre, buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own.