Sahara

This is fun, and so underrated

Let's reassess this film shall we?

Rather than thinking of it in the vein of Indiana Jones, let's see it for what it really was... The genesis of the 'Uncharted' video game series.

And to anyone who just watched that film with a pleasant Tom Holland and a limp Mark Wahlberg, then you need to watch this instead.

This is the closest you'll get to a true "Nathan Drake" if it took 15 years to bring Uncharted to our screens.

Little did we know that the best Uncharted film had been made 2 years before the game.

Practical effects, a swashbuckling soundtrack, humour, locations... It has them all. The plot could be a little tighter and Penelope Cruz's accent could be a little less one-dimensional but they're by the by...

This film deserves reappraising.


7.5/10

Sadly, there are always alleged _movie fans_ who don't objectively evaluate good entertainment because they think they have to perpetuate an image-statement here... how stupid!
The movie is neither a continuation of _The Mummy_ nor an imitation of _James Bond_ !
After the prequel, it has 2/3 continuous suspense, fun and a surprising twist!
The actors are well known and contribute to a good overall score and nice entertainment... recommended `[7/10]` :thumbsup_tone1:

Now this is your typical I-don't-have-anything-better-to-do-tonight-so-let's-just-watch-this movie. Everything about it is average: the story, the acting, the music etc. It does have a feelgood vibe about it, with suntanned people running around on yachts and beaches, so it makes for some decent entertainment.

On the surface, it looks like this film has the potential to be the next fun action adventure, like the Mummy. Unfortunately, it is hard to make poverty and plague sexy and fun. I'm sure the book was a fun read.

**The Good**:

+ Features a good amount of exciting action scenes that keep you watching until the end.
+ The somewhat realistic take on treasure hunting makes this film stand out from its brothers and sisters.
+ **Matthew McConaughey** proves he does make a good action star.
+ The dialogue features some genuinely memorable and hilarious lines.

**The Bad**:

- The story as a whole is the biggest criminal here. The two intertwining story-lines never really interact well together and the main story of the lost civil war ship is quickly side-lined. The first half of the movie doesn't really move the plot forward at all until some convenient and lazy writing decisions suddenly make both plots leap a mile or two forward.
- The movie lacks the flow of adventure that makes films such as the _Indiana Jones_-franchise so enjoyable.
- The cast isn't very believable - McCounaghey and Zahn never make for believable treasure hunters, even if they are good action stars. Penelope Cruz just hangs around, is offensively one-dimensional, and has very little purpose in the story.
- The bad guys aren't particularly interesting. They show up in the middle of the story, do some bad stuff with unclear motives, and are defeated by our heroes.
- **Steve Zahn** has his moments, but he is mostly annoying.

**Verdict**:

_Sahara_ could have been the next big adventure movie - but instead it's an unoriginal, boring and not very exciting attempt at a Indy rip-off.