Sahara - Abenteuer in der Wüste

Durchschnittlich, durchschnittlich, durchschnittlich. Und das liegt definitiv nicht an der literarischen Vorlage, die ausgezeichnet ist. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass die Schauspieler*innen nicht ihr Bestes gegeben haben. Dabei bin ich der Meinung, dass McConaughey für die Figur von Dirk Pitt eine gute Wahl war. Er hat ihm aber leider nichts anderes als seinen Körper verliehen (was mir, einem Heterosexuellen, natürlich nicht reicht). Bei Penélope Cruz war es auch so. Ich fand sie nur sympathischer. Steve Zahn ging mir die meiste Zeit auf die Nerven. Ich muss aber zugeben, dass er ein paar gute Witze gesagt hat (ich denke, dass es nur zwei waren). Am besten hat hier William H. Macy in einer untypischen Chef-Rolle abgeschnitten. Die Actionszenen waren ziemlich gut. Dem Film hat die Atmosphäre der Wüste sehr geholfen, die afrikanischen Schufte sind auch nicht schlecht… Nur das Drehbuch ist ab und zu doof. Zweieinhalb Sterne. (08.10.2009)

It took me half an hour before it fully hit me that I was watching one of the worst movies of recent times. But in the end, I endured Sahara diligently, because I could not believe that such a group of people could commit themselves to this. An avalanche of logical gaps, unrelated situations, and insane dialogues with a dysfunctional action finale. Unfortunately, they succeeded. One star for Panama. (20.02.2007)

Dirk Pitt is a dime novel mix of Doctor Henry Jones and that self-confident Bond, James Bond. The movie Dirk Pitt would also like to be like that, but he is acted by Matthew McConaughey and therefore lacks any charisma whatsoever. The unfunny sidekick acted by Steve Zahn suffers from same problem. And, apart from this considerable criticism, it isn’t really so bad. At least at the beginning. The opening credits certainly throw out a line and the beginning keeps you on the hook. The Sahara offers a wealth of exotic locations, the solid and frequent action is great entertainment with just the right adventurous “haze" about it. These impressions are spoiled by the over-long playing time, the change of genre half way through and the strange music that sounds like its come out of some bad romantic comedy. (05.01.2008)

Sahara perfectly fulfills the requirements of a summer adventure blockbuster. It has a reasonably (although still amusing) constructed plot about searching for a mythical treasure (although this one is quite massive), with an additional storyline about doctors fighting against an unknown infection, both of which are skillfully intertwined. The combination of comedy, adventure, action, and serious subject matter like disease-ridden Africa surprisingly doesn't feel like an eyesore. On the contrary, it is quite logically (within the context of the film) integrated and enhances the already high level of effectiveness of the movie. The production design, while it must be acknowledged that the helicopter flyovers over the desert don't quite fit in, otherwise indulges in grand shots of moving cars and camels, surprisingly sparingly. Moreover, both formally and content-wise (perhaps even more so), it strongly resembles the third installment of Indiana Jones, and if we had Dirk instead of Matthew McConaughey, it could easily be considered the fourth installment of the "archaeological adventures" even without Steven Spielberg. True, in many aspects, Sahara has its own distinct elements, such as the mentioned epidemic, and most importantly, it features Penelope Cruz in the leading female role, who delivers an incredible performance. It is worth watching the film just for her presence alone. But a second viewing? Maybe again in the summer. (14.08.2005)

Oh, that was painful! Sahara is the type of movie to watch on TV when you come home, tired after a day's work, your mind is working at about one-fifth capacity and you desperately need something to fall asleep to. But if you don't want to sleep and, on the contrary, want to enjoy a pleasant two hours of no-brainer fun, you're in for a disappointment. Even if you can get over the fact that a massive armoured ship colossus from the American civil war is in the middle of the African desert, that one toxic factory can cause a total global ecological apocalypse and a bunch of other bullshit, you haven't won yet. You’ll still have to digest the pile of clichés in the script, which reminded me of my childhood creations around the age of ten when I attempted to write an adventure novel. But that's still not all. Then you have to deal with Penelope Cruz and her monotonous acting (even visually this lady never captivated me) and Steve Zahn's dumbass jokes in his usual position as a jerk. Thankfully, McConaughey's charisma makes this schlock at least somewhat watchable, and William H. Macy delights with an artful performance that is so far removed from his typical wimpy underdogs. But that’s a weak compensation. (24.10.2005)