Sahara is one of those films that is probably more enjoyable for 12 year olds than for adults. It's meant to be a treasure-hunting adventure kind of romp, but it feels too artificial to be enjoyable.
The story is quite convoluted. A boat from the American Civil War is suspected of being somewhere in Africa. Treasure-hunters go after it, bringing along some World Health Organization doctors hitching a ride. They travel into a war-torn country suffering a strange plague, and try to simultaneously find their treasure and the source of the disease, while escaping from the evil army after them.
Basically, it's a giant pile of hogwash. If the film was sustained by humour and a genuine feeling of fun, that would be fine. Unfortunately, it's not very funny, and while it makes every effort to be fun, it fails on account of trying too hard. Every few minutes, popular rock music gets blasted out of the speakers at incredible value, almost as if the director is trying to yell at the audience "isn't this cool? isn't this fun?" The heroes are buffoons, storming into any venture without thought or preparation. They come across as people who seek out danger because they get a kick out of it. They smile about as much as Tom Cruise in M:I-2 and are equipped with the usual inbuilt sniper-shooting-accuracy and natural-bullet-avoidance of the corniest of Hollywood films. It's difficult to like those idiots.
Finally, there's William H Macy, as admiral. In the hands of other actors, that would have been a tough character. Macy just doesn't have the face for tough - as much as he fears being typecast as lovable loser, this movie won't help him. He's just a lovable loser admiral.
Yes, there is some fun to be had, but on the whole, Sahara is nothing special.
The story is quite convoluted. A boat from the American Civil War is suspected of being somewhere in Africa. Treasure-hunters go after it, bringing along some World Health Organization doctors hitching a ride. They travel into a war-torn country suffering a strange plague, and try to simultaneously find their treasure and the source of the disease, while escaping from the evil army after them.
Basically, it's a giant pile of hogwash. If the film was sustained by humour and a genuine feeling of fun, that would be fine. Unfortunately, it's not very funny, and while it makes every effort to be fun, it fails on account of trying too hard. Every few minutes, popular rock music gets blasted out of the speakers at incredible value, almost as if the director is trying to yell at the audience "isn't this cool? isn't this fun?" The heroes are buffoons, storming into any venture without thought or preparation. They come across as people who seek out danger because they get a kick out of it. They smile about as much as Tom Cruise in M:I-2 and are equipped with the usual inbuilt sniper-shooting-accuracy and natural-bullet-avoidance of the corniest of Hollywood films. It's difficult to like those idiots.
Finally, there's William H Macy, as admiral. In the hands of other actors, that would have been a tough character. Macy just doesn't have the face for tough - as much as he fears being typecast as lovable loser, this movie won't help him. He's just a lovable loser admiral.
Yes, there is some fun to be had, but on the whole, Sahara is nothing special.