Much of the fortress has since collapsed into a massive sinkhole that formed beneath the Sanctum. In time his necromantic energy spread throughout the island, infesting the Sanctum and the island itself with various types of undead.Įventually the march of time would reopen the fortress to be explored once more. As the centuries passed and the jungle engulfed the fortress, it was forgotten along with its sole remaining inhabitant. It would also become his eternal tomb in the last battle of the Azi-Schism in which knights of the opposing faction succeeded in sacking the Sanctum and imprisoning the lich-mage within. It was a fortress and center of magical research for the faction’s leading arch lich-mage.
Using a magical artifact called the Tao Engine they pressurized and heated the limestone in place to create a massive marbleized network of rooms and passages. But it's pretty, has a couple of cool death scenes (the "hair" moment is horrible) and it's much, much shorter than The Abyss.The Marble Sanctum was created thousands of years ago by a powerful sect of necromantic arch-mages. Yes, the cave is surprisingly well-lit and yes, saying "what could possibly go wrong" before abseiling into the bowels of the earth is utterly stupid. From the ethereal splendour of a vast underwater cave to the pockets of air bubbling like mercury on the rocky ceiling, it's a feast for the eyes even when it leaves the brain starving. That said, there's some eerily beautiful moments of utter horror to be found. So when Grrr, Aaargh (Frank MacGuire), Whinging Son (Rhys Wakefield), Millionaire Jerk (Ioan Gruffudd), Comic Relief (Dan Wylie), Woman (Alice Parkinson) and Expendable Foreigner (Cramer Cain) find themselves trapped underground, you'll be more interested in how they're going to die than in the clunky dialogue.
In fact, it's not that surprising that as his sticky fingers are all over the post-production and cinematography, this feels like a James Cameron flick where the script never got past the first draft.
And you'll probably be able to figure out what order they'll run out of oxygen in as well. Playing out like The Descent with more water and no monsters, it's a beautifully shot survival flick but it's populated with characters so bland that you won't care one bit if they survive or not. For a film that goes so deep underground, Sanctum is a remarkably shallow experience.
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