Sahara (2005)

Directed by Breck Eisner Writing credits (WGA) Clive Cussler (novel) Thomas Dean Donnelly (screenplay) ... �(more)

Add to MyMovies

Photos

IMDbPro Professional Details

User Comments:

5 out of 8 people found the following comment useful:-
I suggest lowering your expectations, 7 April 2005

Author: ([email protected]) from http://www.themoviemark.com

It's not exactly a crowning achievement that one of the things that excited me most about Sahara is that the bright glow from Matthew McConaughey's orange tan provided enough light for me to take notes. That certainly doesn't say a lot about the movie's strong points, but it did prove to be very convenient.

Sahara has a lot going for it - humor, explosions, gunfire, lots of things that go boom, and a couple of charming lead characters. Unfortunately, it's missing an immersive, gripping story to really pull you in and hold your interest. There are times, particularly in the middle (aka Sahara Snoozefest 2005), where the action comes to a halt, and a lot of pointless characters say a lot of boring stuff in order to attempt to flesh out a story that just isn't there.

Even Stephanie started to fall asleep, and she's a huge Matthew McConaughey fan! Steph: It's true. Matthew, of course, looked great! But I would've enjoyed the movie just as much had there been no sound.

The thing I liked most about Sahara is that it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it doesn't expect the viewer to either. Take note that Steve Zahn is playing a former Navy SEAL and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I can handle that, and I hope you can too because you're going to be hit with an onslaught of plot contrivances that exist only for the sake of humor. For example, Dirk and Zahn are captured, and a truck is transporting them. They manage to push the truck bed (which they're handcuffed to) out of the back without the two soldiers in the truck noticing. They then walk around the desert carrying the truck bed behind them. The soldiers wouldn't have heard the ENTIRE TRUCK BED FALLING OUT OF THE BACK???? Yeah. Keep your "suspension of disbelief tool" handy and you'll be fine in that regard.

However, you have to feel sorry for the neglect that elements such as plot, storytelling, and logic must suffer for the sake of the many obligatory shirtless scenes where McConaughey presses his arms against his side in order to make his muscles look bigger than they actually are.

Steph: You're just jealous.

Why would I be jealous that his arms are smaller than mine? I will admit that it is a good source of entertainment. You can't help but laugh as McConaughey thinks of new and exciting ways to "casually" flex his arms. "Let me stretch my arm out and reach down to get something out of my boat while I fleeeeeeeeeeeex." The movie is well aware of what it's doing, and that's really its strong suit. Granted, that's not very substantive, so take it for what it's worth.

The other thing that works really well in the movie is the relationship between McConaughey and Zahn. They have good chemistry and are quite effective in convincing the viewer that they've known each other since kindergarten.

But I'm afraid that's just not enough to carry an entire movie. Especially one that's OVER TWO HOURS LONG! Sheesh. What were they thinking? I'd say an 80-minute runtime would've sufficed. It would have definitely saved me the headache of trying to force myself to stay awake during Sahara Snoozefest 2005.

For an introductory movie to a proposed franchise, you've gotta come out of the gates making some noise. You just can't accomplish your mission when people walk out of the theater comparing notes regarding which point in the movie they fell asleep.

FACT OF THE DAY: Steve Zahn was cast when filmmakers realized his take on his character was completely in synch with their own. They wanted the character to be comedic without being a huge goofball. Ardent fans, however, aren't as pleased with the casting since the character is described as a "round, tough little Italian" who is fairly muscular.

Johnny's research shows that nobody in history has ever described Steve Zahn as a muscular little Italian.

THE GIST: If you're just dying to see Sahara at the theater then go ahead and lower your expectations right now. There is *some* fun to be had, but overall it just didn't do it for me. This can wait for a rental.

Rating: 2.75 (out of 5)

Check for other user comments.

I have seen this movie and would like to comment on it

Message Boards

Recommendations

If you like this title, we also recommend...

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Show more recommendations

Add a recommendation

Email this page to a friend

Update Information

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the button on the left will take you through a new improved step-by-step process.