James Cameron - Cave Diving Blockbuster 'Sanctum'

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Just finished watching the flick. My opinions were;
Great cinematography
The more you know about cave diving, the harder it is to suspend disbelief for this movie
Corny in spots
Cool to see some of my gear on the big screen
Did not like the way cave divers are portrayed as careless cowboys
Had a few plot holes
 
I saw this last night, wow it was terrible! I liked watching the diving scenes but other than that, terrible dialogue, acting and plot.
 
We saw it yesterday. The acting and dialogue were pretty much what I expected from a big-budget natural disaster movie. I wasn't very happy at all with the message that women are weak vessels and prone to panic, and I simply do not understand why Wight had to take a story with a happy ending and make it so dagnabbed bleak.
 
I enjoyed this movie. I should also say that I saw it 3D, which did not deliver the same kind of 3D effects as other movies like Avatar. That being said, the 3D was particularly good in the cave diving scenes and really gives you the feeling that you are there with them. This was worth the price of admission for me.

I think one has to come to terms with the fact that this is a Hollywood, blockbuster-type of movie that is intended for huge audiences, most of whom do not dive. But even that being the case, they lingo they used, the training they discussed, the equipment they used, were "pretty much" spot on from what I understand of cave diving.

Yes, it was predictable at some points (right away, I wondered when the necklace flashlight would end up saving someone’s life,) and perhaps took artistic liberty with the plot. But, I think they did a pretty good job with the movie overall. And, although it had a (somewhat,) happy ending, the film as a whole was dark and brutally showed the dangers of cave diving. I appreciated that effort to keep it real.

I think the most disturbing scene was the OOA in the huge cavern. As someone who's never used a full face mask, I'm curious as to whether anything else could have been done for that woman. Is FFM air sharing even a realistic solution? I cannot even imagine buddy breathing with a FFM.
 
I think one has to come to terms with the fact that this is a Hollywood, blockbuster-type of movie that is intended for huge audiences, most of whom do not dive. But even that being the case, they lingo they used, the training they discussed, the equipment they used, were "pretty much" spot on from what I understand of cave diving.

Well not sure how realistic it is that they couldn't fit bailout bottles through that restriction but yet could fit something else quite large (won't say what, spoiler) through on the way back... :wink:

TSandM, that was an good point about the portrayal of women, I agree with that.
 
I don't think the movie singled out women for panicing. Not to spoil anything for those who have not seen it, the guy that becomes somewhat the "bad guy" is pretty panic ridden as well. I had to call BS on any CCR caver ditching his bailout system. The "mercy actions" were unrealistic in their short duration and minimal violence in reaction (likewise with the first casualty in the movie). Once I found out that all the underwater scenes were shot in a backlot pool, I really decided to hate the film.
 
I saw this last night, I am very new to cave diving but the diving scenes were spectacular. I did appreciate that they did at least attempt to get the terminology correct (unlike the book Honeymoon Dive, at least the writer of this film appeared to have done some research, or have dived before) however I agree the acting was terrible and knowing what I do about diving/cavediving it was difficult to pretend some of it was plausible. Having said that I enjoyed it, and I am personally hoping that despite the beauty of the caves, the morbid nature of the film will discourage at least a few of those foolish enough to think the minimum is enough when it comes to starting your qualifications. On another note I did have a giggle at the fins they were wearing :D
 
Very disappointing.
 
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http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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