Warning, spoilers! This is best read after viewing the film.
Whilst there could've been more development of the characters prior to their embarking into the cave, it probably would've been in vain, seeing as all but one of the characters die. Remarkably in the true story the film is based on, all 15 explorers survived.
There were a few moments in the film that will leave viewers scratching their heads. For instance, one of the team is seriously wounded and the father, Frank, decides that whilst the man is still alive and responsive he should be put out of his misery, and drowns him. Second, we have the father's best friend George lagging behind with chest pains and coughing up blood. He has compression problems from the underwater breathing equipment. As odd as it is, rather than tell anyone he was suffering, he draws "George was here" on the cave wall and hides in the dark till he dies. Next, the gory death of Victoria leads her partner Carl (who funded the trip) to switch from swanky American nice guy to a paranoid schizophrenic. Carl attacks Frank, leaving him seriously wounded. Frank is on his death bed and in a heart to heart with his son Josh, he asks him to put him out of his misery too. The characters' actions were all a little over the top and left viewers scrambling for anyone to sympathize with.
So in all this, it made sense that the most compelling character Josh was the only one to survive. On reflection, Josh was the one character that was 'normal'. He didn't do anything stupid and was the only consistently logical voice throughout the film. I expected father and son to survive in the end, so his father's death was a bit of a disappointment. This traumatised kid is left as the last man standing, so when he finally surfaces from the cave, the family on the beach is a sight for sore eyes.
Despite these character flaws, Sanctum is worth watching. Visually stunning although I didn't really notice the 3D effects. Entertaining with a great Aussie flavour. Plus, the acting was impressive.
Whilst there could've been more development of the characters prior to their embarking into the cave, it probably would've been in vain, seeing as all but one of the characters die. Remarkably in the true story the film is based on, all 15 explorers survived.
There were a few moments in the film that will leave viewers scratching their heads. For instance, one of the team is seriously wounded and the father, Frank, decides that whilst the man is still alive and responsive he should be put out of his misery, and drowns him. Second, we have the father's best friend George lagging behind with chest pains and coughing up blood. He has compression problems from the underwater breathing equipment. As odd as it is, rather than tell anyone he was suffering, he draws "George was here" on the cave wall and hides in the dark till he dies. Next, the gory death of Victoria leads her partner Carl (who funded the trip) to switch from swanky American nice guy to a paranoid schizophrenic. Carl attacks Frank, leaving him seriously wounded. Frank is on his death bed and in a heart to heart with his son Josh, he asks him to put him out of his misery too. The characters' actions were all a little over the top and left viewers scrambling for anyone to sympathize with.
So in all this, it made sense that the most compelling character Josh was the only one to survive. On reflection, Josh was the one character that was 'normal'. He didn't do anything stupid and was the only consistently logical voice throughout the film. I expected father and son to survive in the end, so his father's death was a bit of a disappointment. This traumatised kid is left as the last man standing, so when he finally surfaces from the cave, the family on the beach is a sight for sore eyes.
Despite these character flaws, Sanctum is worth watching. Visually stunning although I didn't really notice the 3D effects. Entertaining with a great Aussie flavour. Plus, the acting was impressive.