Sahara (HD DVD)

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Texas native Matthew McConaughey portrays diver / explorer Dirk Pitt in the film "Sahara," a character driven to find a Civil War era dreadnaught named the "Texas" which has miraculously found a resting place in Africa. Along with the always affable Steve Zahn, the lovely Penelope Cruz and a personal favorite of mine, William H. Macy, "Sahara" is a fun summer adventure film that may not have the best script and best dialogue, but makes up for its storytelling and plot shortcomings with very likeable characters and a torrid pace that unfolds under the scorching hot sun roasting the picturesque African landscape.

"Sahara" finds childhood friends Dirk Pitt (McConaughey) and Al Giordina (Zahn) working for an exploration ship in an organization known as NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency). Dirk and Al have done everything, including stints as Navy Seals together. Retired Admiral Jim Sandecker (Macy) runs the show and employs the two as his lead treasure hunters. While in Africa to recover a valuable sarcophagus from its watery grave, Dirk is given a clue as to the location of his holy grail, a Civil War battleship, the "Texas." There is no way that Dirk can not check out this tip. Above anything else, he wants to uncover the mystery of how the Texas made its way across the Atlantic Ocean and found its fate on the Niger River. He is given seventy-two hours and the Admiral´s private yacht to navigate the river and see if his lead takes him to the old ironclad.

The Texas isn´t the only adventure awaiting Dirk. World Health Organization doctor Eva Rojas (Cruz) and Dr. Frank Hopper (Glynn Turman) have uncovered a nasty plague that is quickly killing its victims and quickly spreading. They need transportation upriver to uncover the source of the disease and after a few contacts and circumstances tie them together, Dirk agrees to transport the WHO doctors to a port town that is on the way to their destination. Unfortunately, there are some who do not want the disease stopped and while Dirk continues to search for his "Ship of Death," those that want the pretty doctor to discontinue her attempts at thwarting the plague are searching for Dirk and friends. Looking for the truth behind the mysterious and deadly outbreak puts them in the middle of an ugly Civil War and finds them uncovering two unusual discoveries in the West African desert.

I suppose if you took "The Mummy" and "Black Hawk Down" and mixed them in a blender, then "Sahara" is what you would get. Sure, there would be no undead or godlike villains. The Army Rangers and Delta Force aren´t included in this recipe either, but you do find an archeological adventure in the middle of an African Civil War with modern weapons of military might and a brave and inventive adventurer that is good with both a fun and a fist. The plot relies heavily on coincidence and convenience to get from Point A to Point B. In the middle of a large and open desert, they continually stumble upon the exact spot they need to find. Dirk finds himself at the right spot, at the right time all of the time. The character does not necessarily work for his discoveries in the film, they just happen to fall in his lap. Dirk and Al are also near immortal in their ability to escape danger and come out squeaky clean after any brush with trouble. Exploding shells and armor-piercing bullets riddle everything around them with holes, but they get away with hardly a scratch. Believability is not something required in a ´Popcorn Film´ and a good separation from reality is what makes cinematic escapism a form of entertainment, but sometimes you can take it too far.

The greatest strength of "Sahara" is its cast. Matthew McConaughey was at one time expected to become one of Hollywood´s biggest leading men. It has taken him quite a while to start living up to expectations and his best successes have come in romantic comedies, but with making up for the horrendous "Reign of Fire," his roles in "U-571" and "Sahara," finds McConaughey starting to prove he is bankable in action films. Steve Zahn always makes me laugh. Whether it be with threats of cutting children up with chainsaws in "Happy Texas" or as the unfortunate criminal in "Out of Sight," Zahn is an underused and underrated actor that thrives on scene-stealing from his bigger named counterparts. William H. Macy is one of the finest character actors in Hollywood. His roles as The Shoveller in "Mystery Men" and as Little Bill in "Boogie Nights" are great comedic performances. His performances in "Seabiscuit," "Pleasantville" and "Focus" are just a few examples of how great he can be in more dramatic parts. I cannot say I´ve ever been impressed with Penelope Cruz, but she is certainly a pretty young lady. Along with a strong supporting cast that includes Rainn Wilson, Delroy Lindo and Jude Akuwidike, "Sahara" does not lack in the acting department.

Another strength of "Sahara" is its wonderful visuals. One would expect the Sahara desert to be long and boring dunes where rolling sand is the only action involved on camera. This could not be further from the truth. Yes, there are certainly rolling sand dunes and there are scenes where all you see is the sand. The lighting and cinematography do wonders for the sand and it always makes for lovely scenery. The perfect blue sky wonderfully contrasts to the pure tan sand. There are some rather nice vistas comprised of lively greens and meandering rivers. "Sahara" is a visually stunning film that has plenty of good action scenes to populate its scenery and deliver an entertaining film.

Regardless of its faults and thanks to its fine cast and wonderful visuals, "Sahara" is was a treat to watch. I had avoided the film during both its theatrical release and its subsequent home video release on DVD. I think if the film would have wound up in the $6.99 sales bin at the local big chain electronics store I would´ve purchased it, but otherwise I would have continually ignored it. After screening the film for this HD-DVD review, I´m glad I finally sat down and watched the movie. It was a good West African escape for two hours. This isn´t a film you would sit down and expect to be moved emotionally by its story, but you can certainly expect to sit down and have a good time.

Video:

"Sahara" was the second of Paramount´s initial slate that I had the pleasure to view. I watched "Tomb Raider" first and found that film´s picture quality to be inconsistent. I wish "Sahara" had been my first of Paramount´s HD-DVD offerings to review because the image quality was far from disappointing. In fact, it is one of the best transfers I have yet to see. I enjoyed the beautiful picture so much that I pushed "Tomb Raider" down in the order in which I am reviewing these films so I can sing the praise of this vivid and eye-catching transfer. The 1080p transfer is framed in a 2.35:1 letterboxing that did the 1080i output of the Toshiba player a lot of justice. I have spent a good deal of time comparing Blu-Ray to HD-DVD and this, along with "The Chronicles of Riddick" are clearly the best looking transfers I have yet to view. I´m anxious to screen the rest of Paramount´s lot and hope that "Tomb Raider" is the low point and that "Sahara" is a good example of the norm from the studio.