Just saw the DVD. Gave it a B.

Enjoyable fun, big plot holes, but no real insulting-to-the-intelligence kind of lapses many action films have. Recommended.

I'm not sure why National Treasure made about $100 million more than this. McCounaghey is a much more convincing action star than Nicolas Cage and has more charisma, even if Cage is a better actor. It's silly fun, but I enjoyed it. Penelope Cruz might as well give up on ever becoming a big star in US films. It's not going to happen. My grade: B-.

It's funny. I haven't seen Sahara yet, but in my opinion, Nicholas Cage is pretty much the best action star out there. Just see The Rock, Face Off and Con Air, three of the best actioners of the 90s.

I agree that Cage is a convincing action star, but I think McCounaghey could do just as well. I thought he was good here and even better in Reign Of Fire (a fun B movie). Cage does bring something that a lot of action stars lack......real acting skills! I just think Matt. McC. has potential as well.

B


Here's a clear case of when a movie's marketing and trailers are much worse than the actual movie. The trailer for this one looked really boring and uninspired while the movie is anything, but boring. I did not feel bored for a second here. It was simple, pure fun in the vein of National Treasure and Indiana Jones. The most interesting thing here was that I actually bought McConaughey as a cool action hero, something I always had trouble buying him as (despite Reign of Fire). He did quite well.

The plot of the film is almost non-existant. It is just an excuse for many cool action scenes. I never really understood what was going on and what happened with the toxins, but I never really cared either. The film is very fast-paced, nicely shot and has some really fun scenes with the boat chase being the stand-out sequence. What the film lacked a bit, in my opinon, was good humor, but I could live without it. I can certainly see Sahara become quite rewatchable in future and frankly I want to see a sequel (i.e. another Clive Cussler adaptation) with McConaughey back as Dirk Pitt. Hopefully it'll work out!

I do enjoy this movie. It's nice, light, absurd entertainment. More fun than the fourth Indiana Jones. McConaughey is charismatic in the lead role.

This movie and some of the reaction in this thread is a good example of the power of negative hype over impressionable minds.

There had been a high profile disagreement between the books' author and the movie's producer - - Clive Cussler bad mouthed the movie up and down and the media ate it up - - in the end he had to pay the movie's producer $14 million.

So a potentially great franchise was grounded by the closed minds of the very fanboys that could have made it fly.

Sad.