Slightly Parched

I'd not really heard much about Sahara other than seeing the poster at the cinema and online. Matthew McConaughey isn't someone I usually go see willingly, and Penelope Cruz doesn't exactly have a high standing in my eyes. So strangely enough, I wander to the cinema and hand over my money for Sahara.

I like adventure films, hunting for hidden treasures, and unlocking age-old secrets, but there haven't been many recently that have invoked the sense of joy and adventure that I truly seek in this type of film. National Treasure was very blah, and that's the only one I can recall seeing since Pirates of the Caribbean.

Sahara is a visually rich film. It would have to be with the stunning locations featured throughout. The desert is going to look great no matter what you do to it.

I think McConaughey has the potential to become the new perfect-teeth-action-hero. He has the on-screen charisma that translated well, his relationship with co-star Steve Zahn made the movie bearable. The was no chemistry between McConaughey and Cruz at all. Their whole relationship felt forced and fake. The closing shot of the movie was a testament to how wrong the whole relationship was.

On a good note, I liked the mythology they were trying to explore. The plot also included a sub-plot, which actually became the main plot for most of the film, about the local population of Lagos falling ill to some unknown ailment. It's just a shame that all of these weren't tied together very well.

I did enjoy Sahara for it's entertainment value, but felt a little cheated that it didn't have the soul of films like Indian Jones.