Let's get an overall Clive Cussler Forum member rating for SAHARA.



VOTE NOW!

I have to say 7/10. A vast improvement over RTT, but still lacking in some areas.

I'd say a 9/10....it was almost perfection!! p:

Who said 1/10??? And who said 10/10?? yike: yike: yike: yike: :blink:

All in all, not bad. I gave it an 8. I thought they were a little loose with the setup, (ie NUMA being non-governmental and some other small things) but, the movie in and of itself was a damn good action/adventure yarn. I think it is something CC can be proud of. I also thought that Matt & Steve did a great job as Dirk & Al.

PS: My wife also thought that Matt & Steve were VERY good in their roles and would be more than happy to see these two again in these roles, provided the same level of good story telling is maintained.

Just got home from seeing Sahara...all in all a very good movie. Like all movies it lacks a little from the book, but Matt and Steve did Dirk and Al justice. Still have a hard time picturing Al as a thin blond but Steve certainly had Al's personality down. Very enjoyable movie. th: th: th:

Despite the changes I thought Sahara was a 9/10 it was better than i was expecting after a viewing of raise the titanic I would love to see a sequel

7 of 10. Best Character actor was Rudi Gunn.... him shooting the flare was memorable. Missing a CC cameo was unforgivable though. The movie lacked in depicting the pain and misery felt by the sick (cannibals!) and enslaved that were in the book, as well as the seriousness of the environmental issues and politcs concerning the issues. (DID I just mention politics - I HATE political debates.)
The only reason for the high rating.... It was fun to see the characters on screen, and not like in "Raise the Titanic" which had no "character" whatsoever.
I'd give "Sahara" a 5 of 10, but pray that Dr. Cussler will give another chance to a sequel that is meant to be, and realize that he probably increased his readership somewhat, which made the additional exposure worthwhile.
A lot of people attended Sahara who had never before heard of Dirk Pitt, NUMA,
or Clive Cussler. I may be showing my ignorance here, but I'd never heard of Tom Clancy or John Grisham before seeing an adaptation of their works at the movies.... I own hardcovers written by all of them now.
People at the movie laughed out loud, but the best compliment was when I heard the "S" word dropped by several people in the theater when Dirk and Al got stuck in a bad situation. The same people cheered when they got un-stuck.
I'm sticking to 7 of 10 for my rating!

He was there... in Gorton's Fisherman statue form when Eva woke up on the NUMA boat ;).

I think it sucked!! I have read all the books, including Sahara. I kept waiting for things to happen from the book and was dissappointed! The sub plots were virtually ignored! <_<

I wondered about that statue! Now I might know why it looked familiar, and why they focused on it for so long. I'll have to look at it more closely next time I see the film. th:

Sorry Folks. Sorry Clive. Sahara was pretty sorry. I gave it a 3. Why was Dirk a former SEAL. Don't you folks know ALMOST all the guys that have served in the Navy except the real SEALs, Corpsmen, SubMariners, and CB's were SEALs? Except they don't know what's a "Budweiser"?

Why didn't they keep Dirk's identity as a former Air Force fighter pilot true to the books? What's wrong with that? And how about that river runnin' one-sided gun battle? A fiberglass boat, yea I know it's the movies? And that PANAMA or was that a Polska-Kielbasa? Huh?

And why the music of Steppenwolf? Dudes, that's ripe from '69/70 when I was on a 21 year old jarhead Lance Corporal sneak'in around the hills of the RSVN's De-militarized zone.

Over the years I have avidly read and ALWAYS throughly enjoyed 17 of Clive's novels, but like RTT this movie is a cartoon. Sorry folks, I was disappointed.
I guess I just wanted the movie to follow the book.

th: th: th: We watched the movie with great expectations, and was dissapointed in many ways. The movie was good, well done, and followed the book as much as was possible. I, too, missed the "statue" of CC, but was waiting for CC to show up in person. The boat scene was disappointing and lacked the excitement of the book. Gave the movie a 7/10, but hope that CC will do better on the next attempt. Sorry all the sub-plots were left out, they added so much to the book. Although Steve did a remarkable job as AL, Steve is just not a "Swarthy Italian, with a body "like a fireplug" . All in all, we enjoyed the movie, and will probably wait for the vid and add it to our collection.
As a Retired Navy diver, I have enjoyed all of the Dirk Pitt series, and can laff along with some of the outragous stunts Dirk has pulled over the years.
Keep up the good work, thank you.
snor:
And Dirk was NEVER< NEVER< a S.E.A.L. team member. NEVER<

I enjoyed the movie Sahara as a movie not as an exact interpretation of Clive Cusslars book. I wanted so badly to see the plot twist of Abraham Lincoln's abduction and him sitting in the rocker mummified at the end of the movie and it wasn't there.
Sandecker, supposedly a little redheaded banty rooster with an attitude didn't come across as such with Mr. Macy. Too tall and not enough rooster attitude.
I loved Al, he may have been a blonde but he cracked me up through the whole movie, he was Al to the T. Dirk was a good character but not the Dirk I had envisioned, but we can't have everything in life.
I am sure Mr. Cussler feels like they threw out his baby with the bath water, but please enjoy the movie as a movie, it is an action thriller and then make sure you read the book again so you can criticize all you want in your minds.
Cussler is an artist, the movie maker are artists, they all have their own interpretations of things, that is why they are called artists. Life is too darn short to go through it arguing about one persons outlook on something. Enjoy the book, enjoy the movie and keep from having ulcers.
Richard Palmer and Jo-Ann E. Palmer,
We have read every Clive Cussler book that has been written and put out for public consumption. I am sorry they didn't give you your baby exactly but at least we got to see part of the story.
Jo-Ann didn't like seeing Mr. Massadre made out to be a hero type characteer when he was such a louse in the book and right up there with the military leader in idiocy and greed but loved they payback.

I saw the movie yesterday with my wife - she is also a big fan of Cussler and has read all the books. If you go to the movie with the understanding that the makers have only two hours to convey an overwhelming amount of information, have to entertain ALL the viewers and not just the readers of the books, then you can really enjoy this movie. Yes, I would have liked more of everything, but it just is not possible. McConaughey was great and really looked good - I like him as Dirk. The banter between Al and Dirk was really on target. The general "feel" of the movie was really well done. Hey...Dirk had the orange Doxy dive watch! In general the movie was a fast action flick, and by the way did well at the box office. I want more of the books to become movies and I want these same two actors to play the roles of Al and Dirk. I think over time the characters will become more well developed, and we will see more of what we want in details. My wife was really down on Zahn as Al before seeing the movie, but now agrees that he somehow pulled of the attitude well enough to make her like him. Face it..Zahn is not the bull-like physical guy that Al is supposed to be, but what the heck. I do agree that Sandecker was not as well cast, and that Rudy Gunn was off the mark. For the first shot at a real attempt at a Cussler Book - not bad at all. Not perfect...but not bad.

***Well stated.

**Exactly!

I agree with you on the soundtrack - but otherwise I think you are way too critical.

I was pleasantly suprised by the product and I rated it an 8. The previous attempt, Raise the Titanic!, was a disaster(no pun intended) and consequently had minimal expectations.

In the plus column, Matthew McConaughey. I believe that, physically, he is an excellent Dirk Pitt. As for character development, I thought that he delivered a superior performance. McConaughey is, ultimately, at the mercy of the writers.

Another plus was Steve as Al Giordino. I thought that he did a respectable job, again, within the limitations of the script.

I believe that the time is right to attempt to bring the screen, more of Dirk Pitt's adventures. The technology is certainly where it needs to be.

I was neutral on Admiral Sandecker, but Macy is an excellent actor and am therefore hopeful for the future.

The character of Rudi Gunn was somewhat disappointing. He seemed to lack, as all of the characters did, the worldliness or worldweariness that I feel from the books but at least he was introduced.

As for the negative, Dirk has a serious side and I don't feel that the darker aspects of his character were introduced. I think that the writers came close to reducing Al Girodino to "clown" sidekick status and though they may have come close, I don't feel that they crossed that line. One scene, in particular, when Al chambered a round while sitting in the back of the jeep offered a glimpse of the deadly nature of Giordino.

As for the music, I didn't mind it. In fact, it is very AMERICAN and it's understandable that, in the PC world in which many now live, that a too overt pro-American position might be bad for business. Sad but true. I think that is, perhaps, why NUMA is a private venture on the big screen.

Overall, the future for the franchise seems bright in my opinion. Character continuity will be imperative to developing a non-reading fan base. MM needs to be given the opportinity to develop Dirk. Steve and William H. should be retained as well.

I would like to see Dirk's hanger introduced in the next project. Although, it seemed as though he lived on the NUMA vessel, the hanger offers opportunites to allude to the breadth of Pitt's exploits. There are other characters, as well, that are too rich too be left out for long.

I, as a fan, was pleased. I hope to see another Dirk Pitt adventure on the big screen again in the near future. Of course, keeping the writers on track will take a maximum effort. Balancing fidelity to the characters while presenting a product suitable for family is a difficult task indeed!

Of all the Clive Cussler novels on my shelf, Sahara is physically the largest volume. Ergo, it was surprising that it would be the one to be selected for a movie adaptation. There's no friggin' way to involve every single chapter of that book in film (so get over it). I understand this, and therefore fully anticipate when I go see the movie (tonight) that there will be sections not dipicted.

I have to admit though, there was room for cutting as several areas of the book get downright monotinous. I savor the action and discovery sequences of the book, so I expect that's where the film will focus.

Remember that movies like this one are built with the understanding that they'll be released to a wide audience, most of whom are typical American idiots. Because of this, often times plots get dumbed down. I scream everytime I hear comlimentary words about "Armageddon" but that goes to show the mentality of the cinimatic mass audience...

More comments will follow my screening of Sahara...

UPDATE: Saw Sahara last night and I loved it. Gave it a 9/10. Insights below:

1. Only major defficiency for me was the quality of direction. Seemed like an older movie than it was just by the style of direction being very straight forward, i.e. no camera tricks or stylization... but you know, that's what makes this movie have a nostalgic feel to it. No gimmicks, just plot and environment.

2. As for criticisms about not having every event from the book involved: Look people, I'm impressed they got such a good long movie (2 hours, 15 minutes!) as they did. Do you think every detail from John Grishom's, Robert Ludlum's, Ian Fleming's, Steven King's, or Ann Rice's books were portrayed in their respective film ADAPTATIONS? I'm more than satisfied with the ADAPTATION of Sahara. It's common knowlege that "the book is always better than the movie."

3. There was no way an audience could be expected to grasp more than two of Cussler's genious plots in one outing. You simply have toleave out the Amelia Earhart storyline, the Lincoln kidnapping, the prison mines, the Massarde yacht boarding, and all those TANGENTS that are cool in prose, but simply distractions in a film environment. Does anyone really think the general audience would fall for the inclusion of Lincoln being kidnapped by the CSA and found in an Africa desert??? No freakin' way. The movie would have been laughed off the "Now Showing" list within the first weekend.

4. Clive Cussler needs to cool his jets and quit this percieved sue-happy behavior. All that lawsuit crap does is give everyone the impression that he's a whiney picky old man. That's not the impression I want of him, but that's what he's doing a fine job communicating. If you crap all over the film industry on this shot, who the hell is going to want to work with you on a sequel? Give us all a break! It was a great movie and has been reaping much more success than I first anticipated... BE HAPPY, DAMN IT.

5. I must give kudos to the filmmakers: this was a honest-to-god PG-13 movie, unlike the borderline R stuff they're labeling PG-13 lately. No sex scenes, only one kissing scene, no blood and guts, no foul language, just some casual drinking (was Dirk Pitt ever sober in this movie? LOL). No wonder it played so well in Peoria on the opening weekend! This is a solid movie you can bring the whole family to see.

6. I've read posts on here that disagree with the soundtrack selection for the film. I have to counter that the chosen songs were selected for more specific reasons than they may be able to wrap their minds around. First off, this classic rock ambience gives Dirk Pitt the feel of an all-American hero, rather than the euro/techno ambience used in Jason Borne and James Bond films. This is a good tool for a new film franchise to use in separating itself from the crowd. Second, the tracks themselves had direct reference to the scenes they were applied to: "Sweet Home Alabama" references how they're looking for the Confederate ironclad in the desert... "I'm coming home to you;" Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" was an extremely good choice for a scene where the characters are riding a makeshift sail vehicle across the desert... "You don't know what we may find." These selections are great for the film--even if it's not what you expected as a fan of the novels, you've got to move out from under prose media and see all the extra senses that are available to impact in the film media.

Thought the film was great. Got some suggestions though. I watch all of the lord of the rings films and thought they too were great. But when i read the book, which isn't small i agree, there was too much detail in describing things yet remove this and it filled a good three hours. Maybe three hours would have been better. I would suggest next time they don't twist and change the book as much as Sahara, keep CC involved, and just dismiss the slower non essential parts.

Personally a three hour Sahara would have been my prefered route and stick to the original storyline regarding the redtide and the ironclad, WHO investigations, Tebezza and the final battle at Fort Foreau with all the special forces.

I hope CC sees and enjoys the film and gets involved with the next film. Hope Inca Gold is next.

Finally the only down side to Sahara being chosen for this first film is the lack of a certain hanger and all the toys inside.

Shame we can't get all this boards opinions to MM and Paramount.

Both MM and Steve Zahn are big Cussler fans, it took MM 7 years to get the go ahead from CC to be Dirk and Steve pleaded with CC to play the role. So yes they are fans. I think one aspect that might screw future movies up is the relationship between PC and MM, this should be her only role in a CC book, there was an article saying how they would all like to do another CC adventure.

I think the Hanger should be involved and of course his darker side should be shown however it was a good start, I will see the movie in the movie a couple more times with friends, I will also get it when it comes out on DVD.

MOst poeple seem to like it there are some that dont but oh well, 19 mil opening isnt bad, about 7 more weeks like that and then they start making profits. I am wondering where they spent so much money.

I am looking foward to more films and soon I hope.

Next film I am looking foward to is Superman returns

Just wondering if anyone caught the references to certain things clive cussler at the beginning? Such as the newspaper clip of raising the titanic and the models of the classic cars. Also there was a model of the messerschmidt (sp) that dirk has in his hangar. Anybody notice anything else? I give it an 8 out of 10. Hope the good DR. gets well soon.

Just arrived home from watching the movie and must say both my wife and I enjoyed it,As usual the movie did not follow the novel however if it were too it would have to be a mini series which would tend to drag.

Very enjoyable movie but predictable on some of the action sequences. Comedy was good.
For not following the book the main plots were kept coherent and not wandering. I think that was the Titanic's problem.

Rated the film 7 out of ten. I think a more accurate title intro would have been "Inspired by Sahara by Clive Cussler" as opposed to "Based upon the Novel by...". I think that the filmmakers did a competent job of keeping to the spirit of the characters, even if they didn't stay true to the book. Did not think we lost out on anything with the lack of explanation for the wrecked plane in the movie. I have to agree with other postings that this movie can potentially expand Cussler's fan base. This might encourage him to allow another movie to be made. Someone suggested Inca Gold. What are other people's preferences for film translation? I would like to see Iceberg, even the recurring characters from later books are excluded in it. Screenwriters could fix that. They don't seem to have a problem changing things.

I went to this movie with high hopes of seeing a very good Cussler story come to life on the screen. I left the movie knowing that to enjoy a Clive Cussler story you must read the book. I understand that you must compress a book to fit a two-hour movie, but the gross errors (Dirk Pitt and company are not private treasure hunters) made in this movie totally distort the plot and characters in the story. As others have said this is a good movie for people that have not experienced the remarkable story telling ability of Clive Cussler, but if you have the movie fails dismally.

1 of 10 for a Cussler fan
7 of 10 for someone who hasn't read a Cussler book

Just finished watching Sahara, I gave it a 7/10. The movie was better than I expected, I am disappointed that it strayed from the novel. But, that its to be expected when novels become movies. Monumentally better the Raise the Titanic.

Enjoyed the opening scene with the news clippings and the models (especially the one with the Titanic). Definately going to have to watch the scene in slow motion on DVD when it comes out. Just to see how many references to the novels they make.

Matthew did a good job as Dirk. I am glad to see he was wearing Dirk's trademark DOXA dive watch.

Zahn was a very good Al (don't remember Al being such a bad dresser for formal events). The chemistry between Matthew and Steve worked great.

Macy did a great job as Sandecker.

Rudi's character was done ok, maybe they can polish him up in the future.

If they make another movie. I do hope that they have Dirk's hangar and collection included. And that they keep the movie script closer to the novel.

All in all my wife and I enjoyed the movie very much. They left some parts from the book but you can only fit so much in two hours. The action scenes were well done as was the 'tongue in cheek' between Dirk and Al. Ther one diappointment was Steve Zahn is not built the same way as Al is portrayed from the books thou he had the homourous side down pat. Couldn't they have at least coloured his hair black to make him look more Italian. That's really our only complaint.

I gave the movie a 5 out of 10. I read Sahara just before seeing the movie and I think if I had not I would have liked the movie more. But, in all honestly, as I was reading it I knew there was no way they could fit all of those plots/subpluts into a movie -- unless it was a mini-series. I thought both Matthew M. and Steve Z. did good jobs as the characters and I hope Clive Cussler lets them make another movie from his books.

I gave it a 9/10. A high rating yes, because I really enjoyed the movie. The action was constant, the dialogue was great and frankly I've paid to see it 3 times already. I think the one thing I would have liked to have seen...Clive Cussler making one of his notorious cameo appearences that he is known for in his books.

I saw the film on opening day and regret to say that I was disappointed in the movie adaptation of the book. I gave the film a 3 out of 10. The only part of the movie that I did enjoy without question was the opening sequence where the Texas leaves Richmond. The scene was great!

I know that it is all but impossible to put a book and all of its detail into 2 hours or less but my observations are as follows:

1. Where was Lincoln!? That was THE major plot twist / surprise of the book.
2. Why did Dirk become a SEAL? What's wrong with the Air Force? I have had the good fortune to work with both groups in my career and I don't understand the reason to change Dirk's history.
3. Why did Al become comedy relief? And why was Dirk such a "pretty boy"? Matt and Zahn are good actors but to me they were not the right cast to depict Dirk and Al.
4. The whole sequence with the wrecked desert airplane was sadly "minimalized" by not giving a little background on what it was and who was there.
5. William Macy as Adm Sandecker was in interesting choice but he never got the opportunity to show his potential as he was also reduced to "comedy relief".

As others have stated in this forum, to really apprecite Clive's work, you have to read the book and accept that the film version will not live up to the book...sad.

Here's hoping for better luck with the next book / movie....

Regards,
Ltstanfo

I finally saw the movie today and I made sure to go in knowing that it would be far from perfect because it's almost impossible to capture the spirit of the original book. I was not disappointed with the movie, i rather enjoyed it. I loved MM as Pitt and although the look for Al wasn't right, I thought Steve Zahn was good. The thing that bothered me most? Rudi's character. He was comic relief and was depicted as merely a computer geek. Not remotely like a former Navy Commander. Oh well, no biggie! I found it entertaining! th:

i loved this movie I took my bf he loved and two other friends they loved it my parents saw it and they enjoyed the movie b: snor: det: beer:

Macy is a decent enough actor, but he's no Admiral Sandecker. He carries none of the weight or the authority of a commanding figure that men would follow into Hell.

I thought he came across as whiny, and I couldn't help but think of the coward in "Fargo" sneaking out on Frances McNormand.
Does "He's fleeing the interview, he's fleeing the interview!!" ring a bell with anybody? That sounds more like the same guy who said "they're not answering me" and "They did a Panama"(snivel, whine)

Definately not the same Jim Sandecker I know.

Nor did Rudi Gunn strike me as a former submarine commander turned Nobel Prize nominee and second in command of the largest oceanographic agency on the planet.

Better casting and make the movie as long as it needs to be!!

My husband and I enjoyed the movie, and liked the people chosen to be the characters. I though Macy did a good job as Sandecker. Obviously movies can't follow books exactly - there isn't time in two hours, but I missed perlmutter and the Lincoln thing on the ship. But all in all, we liked the movie.

I gave it a 9 / 10 it was great exactly what i was expecting, i hope thast there are going to be more films, and i wonder which it will be.

I would give it 8/10. I knew it wasn't going to follow the book too closely, so I went in with somewhat low expectations. I was very pleasantly suprised. It would have been nice to see some of the scenes and subplots left out from the book, but with 2 hours you can only do so much I guess. I think it does a good job of standing on its own merits as a very entertaining action film. I'm new to the Cussler books so I don't know the personalities of the characters as well as most, but they were pretty much how I expected them to be other than Steve Zahn's appearance, but I can overlook that for how great he played the part. My wife went knowing absolutely nothing about the book or the characters (and really not wanting to go) and ended up enjoying it almost as much as I did. I look foward to (hopefully) a sequel.

w: Hi Everyone I am new..but been a fan since I have heard of Sahara and I have now read atleast 5 novels since March. :lol: I give the movie 9/10 for I understand that all movies based on books can not be the same. I do love the books better, but I would see this movie again. I do hope more of Clive Cussler books will be made into movies. :D

Welcome cusslerfan1!! w: w: Sahara (the book) is one of my favorites too. I also loved the movie p: