Sahara (PG-13, 2005)

common sense media says

Some exciting action, but overall not satisfying.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie has non-stop "action" violence, which means that our intrepid heroes get shot at a lot but never get hit while their own shooting is almost unfailingly on target. Despite the fact that it's based on a book written in the 1990s and includes some positive black characters and a female doctor, the movie has an unpleasantly retro approach to women and minorities, approaching racism in its casual attitude toward killing Africans.

Positive messages: Dated portrayals of women and minorities.
Violence: Comic book-style peril and action violence.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Mild language.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Smoking, social drinking.

More on Sahara

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about groundwater contamination issues, and about the Navy SEALs.

What's the story?

What's the story?
Based on one of Clive Cussler's series of novels, SAHARA follows the adventures of former Navy SEAL Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) and his wisecracking best pal Al (Steve Zahn). They work for steely-eyed former Admiral Sandecker (William H. Macy), seeking sunken treasure, rescuing beautiful doctors, and expediting regime change. The guys get involved in two treasure hunts in which a beautiful woman is hunting a microbe, and a handsome explorer is in search of a long lost ship. The beautiful doctor is Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz) of the World Health Organization. She is a neurologist seeking the source of a mysterious disease that is killing people quickly. No one takes her seriously except for her dedicated colleague (Glynn Turman) and a mysterious turbaned man who is stalking her. The second treasure hunt is for a Confederate Civil War ship that Dirk thinks made it all the way to Africa as the Confederacy was falling and is now buried in a desert. In the middle of all this is corrupt French industrialist Yves (Lambert Wilson).

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Sahara feels more like a 1940s serial than a book written in 1991 or a movie made in 2005. The characters are too thin, the violence too careless, the suspension of disbelief required too strenuous, the treatment of non-whites too stereotyped. All of that keeps getting in the way of some terrifically exciting stunts and some spirited action.

This movie would be good, All-American, popcorn fun except that as you try to put your brain to sleep to sit back and enjoy the action, but the careless carnage ruins it. Dirk and Al have no hesitation in blowing away battalions of uniformed troops without any real justification. The African bad guy says that "No one cares about (killing) Africans," but no one making the movie seems to have got the memo about how that was a bad thing. One saintly African-American doctor does not make up for portraying the Africans as evil, ineffective, or, worst of all, expendable.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Breck Eisner
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz, Steve Zahn
Genre: Action/Adventure
Run time: 120 minutes
Theatrical release: April 8, 2005
DVD release: August 30, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: action violence

This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

12

Most useful reviews by all members

 
Perfect for 14 up but im not so sure about 10-12. def. not 10 or younger
I thinkk that this should be seen when kids understand that shooting and blowing people up is not a good thing. this movie has a lot of guns in it but is a very good moovie

verona
adult
 
Fun for grownups as well as kids
In the vein of Indiana Jones--no it REALLY couldn't have happened -- lots of action (bloodless) and roller coaster fun. I don't get the concern about how Africans are portrayed---I did not feel it was insensitive and I've lived there.

kmw7209
adult
 
Mindless Fun
I took my 13-year-old daughter to this and we both had a blast. It's a light adventure with a few great chase scenes and funny lines thrown in. Not the greatest plot in the world, but fun for a summer night at the movies.

 
A lot of fun!
If you just want a fun action-adventure, this is a great movie to rent! Just cover the kids' eyes during the scene where the gunmen shoot the best friend of the main female character. That's pretty graphic.

J-Yo
teen, 17 years old
 
Divers in the desert
This movie isn't fantastic, but it isn't bad, either. Cruz is great in her role as the Spanish WHO doctor, and McConaughey seems to be enthusiastic about the part. The plot, however, is a little unsatisfying, and some scenes were unnecessary even if they were entertaining. Steve Zahn is the ultimate comic relief and is one of the reasons to watch this film. Parents, be aware that it is quite violent, and at times reveals some of the hardships of impoverished African people. Some are portrayed as good, but one African man is the primary antagonist.

star
teen, 17 years old
 
Bad, dumb things that happen too.
Not a great movie infact a bad movie.It is okay for kids 11 and up but may be a bit violent for anyone thats younger then that. There's a lot of dumb things that happen that are not funny nor intresting It is pretty stupid.

 
Eh.. Ok
This movie was a lot more violent then i thought, i heard it is NOTHING like the book. I would recomend it to only action movie goers!

Tsion
parent of 15 year old
 
A Fun and Engaging Action Ride...
SAHARA is a fun movie. It's very implausible towards the end, but it's lots of fun, and if you can get past some unrealistic stunt scenes, you'll have a blast watching it. There's nothing worse here than an Indy Jones film. There are several action sequences and countless close calls, but very little graphic violence. A massacre is overheard (gunshots and screams), and we see several people infected with a mysterious illness that gives them red cuts and dialated eyes. Some people are shot onscreen and one man gets a spear thrown through his hand, but the only gore we see are some cuts on the bodies, a few encrusted with blood. There is no sex, and language is mild (with some "h*ll"s and "d**n"s).

cookiebaker
teen, 16 years old
 
Great Movie!
I really love this movie, it is one of my favorites. There is very little language and the heros of the story are on the good side. There is only one kissing scene at the end which lasts about 10 seconds or less. It is a very good movie-night watch.

 
Wow....Let's see it again.
Finally, a movie where the sidekick has a brain and is allowed to use it. It was a wonderful new twist on the classic action adventure movie. I will have to see it again.

crissreviews
teen, 14 years old
 
Really fun movie, not scary or anything
This is a really good movie. It has a nice plot with some treasure hunters in the desert and some poisened water, but overall I think 12 is a pretty good rating for it. Some parts like seeing diseased people can be a little scary, but violence isnt really an issue in this movie. Its mostly an action adventure and not an intense freaky gory shooter.

 
Kept me interested!!!
The two guys in this film make a great comedy pair!!! Starts out a little slow but Matthew doesn't dissapoint!!!

mdpack
parent of 5 and 5 year old
 
One of my favorites
I can watch this movie over and over. It has wonderful character development, excellent story line, great one liners for humor mixed in with some great action. While the action is sometimes perhaps unrealistic that is what makes this movie fun to watch it walks the line between realistic and not possible. At the same time tells a fun fictional story and shows conflict between people, man and nature.

Joey123
teen, 18 years old
 
Very clean.
I absolutely love this movi!!! I've seen it so many times I've lost count. The only sexual situations are when Dirk makes a veiled reference to sex when he says "everything good has happened to me in the water" and when Dirk and Eva kiss on the beach(She's in a bikini and the scene is short.) Language consists of 2-4 h--ll, 2-4 d-mn, and 2-3 a--words. All in all very little, especially for a PG-13 film.

 
Very Good
I have read that others think it is unfair towards blacks by killing them without regard. However, the movie takes place in Africa. Of course the bad guy army is black. The good guy army is black as well. And, in the end, the good guys win. Race is a non-issue here. Also, I don't feel it was unfair towards women, unless making a woman a brilliant, caring doctor who saves the hero's life is unfair. The movie is silly, but very fun to watch.

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