Home -> Movies -> Sahara DVD

Release Date: April 8th, 2005

Running Time: 2 hrs. 3 min.

U.S. Box Office: $68,642,452

Rating: PG-13 for action violence.

Director: Breck Eisner

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penélope Cruz, Lambert Wilson, Glynn Turman

Critics Reviews: 5 out of 10

Chicago Sun-Times Do not assume I mean to be negative. I treasure the movie's preposterous plot. It's so completely over the top, it can see reality only in its rear-view mirror. What can you say about a movie based on the premise that a Confederate ironclad ship from the Civil War is buried beneath the sands of the Sahara, having ventured there 150 years ago when the region was, obviously, damper than it is now? Roger Ebert

Reelviews Sahara takes the action/adventure story to new heights of preposterousness. In a way, that's not a bad thing, since it allows a certain level of guilty enjoyment. You're never expected to take anything in the movie seriously, because the characters and filmmakers don't. They're constantly directing knowing winks and nods at the audience, as if to reassure us that they know the story is stupid, but, hey, dumb can be fun sometimes. And there are times during Sahara when this approach works. Maybe 50 minutes worth of times. The problem? The movie is 127 minutes long. James Berardinelli

The Boston Globe Yes, the Eisner name is in the spotlight yet again. Only this time it's Breck Eisner, 30-something scion of departing Disney CEO Michael Eisner, and you shouldn't bother scouring back issues of Variety if you've never heard of the unheralded young director, because his debut feature film, ''Sahara," isn't going to make him a mogul anytime soon. Janice Page

San Francisco Chronicle Anybody who wants to know what's wrong with today's movies need look no further than "Sahara," an adventure in mediocrity that brings together some of the worst current techniques and trends. This one has everything: stereotyped characters, shaky camera work, absurdly inappropriate pop songs on the soundtrack, a confused tone, misplaced zaniness and a nonsensical story. Mick LaSalle

CNN While "Sahara" doesn't even come close to living up to the gold standard of its action-adventure genre -- that is, the "Indiana Jones" franchise -- it's satisfying entertainment. Paul Clinton

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Sahara Official site for the action adventure based on Clive Cussler's novel, starring Matthew McConaughy, Steve Zahn, and Penelope Cruz.

Sahara Trailer In QuickTime format.