Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Sahara

Play trailer 2:23 Poster for Sahara PG-13 2005 2h 4m Adventure Action Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
37% Tomatometer 175 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Seasoned adventurer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) sets out for the African desert with his sarcastic companion (Steve Zahn) in search of a ship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across a beautiful scientist (Penélope Cruz) who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

Sahara

Sahara

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A mindless adventure flick with a preposterous plot.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 04/23/2005
2/4
Pity, because McConaughey is born to play Pitt. Whether his shirt is on or off (personally I prefer the later) the actor cuts a dashing figure. Go to Full Review
Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle 04/23/2005
2/5
Just don't go expecting complex moral and ethical quandaries and you'll likely never think of Ishtar even once. Go to Full Review
Rex Reed Observer 04/14/2005
Despite the vast beauty of location settings in Morocco and Spain, the vast lack of chemistry between the two stars is appalling. Go to Full Review
Sean Collier Box Office Prophets 10/20/2021
5/10
It's not a terrible film. It's not particularly good, either, but it's certainly no disaster. Go to Full Review
Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) 06/18/2020
2/5
A shame this slick vehicle often stalls in a traffic jam of action-adventure cliches and unnecessary mucking about. Go to Full Review
Mattie Lucas The Dispatch (Lexington, NC) 06/05/2019
2.5/4
A breezy summer action thriller that knows just what it is and has a ball being just that. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Shawn S Oct 24 You have to be a Clive Cussler fan I think. I loved the movie. They were trying to follow the book. Outrageous? YES. Outlandish? YES. It is after all a Cussler book. And he has a huge following for a reason. They did a good job. It is intended to be FUN - not deep. Is it entertaining? Of course. Not every movie is intended to be Lawrence of Arabia. See more Hannah Y. @hannahYwouldUdothat Oct 3 I think this movie is unexpectedly delightful and it’s plot is more than just “pew pew bad guys vs. good guys” it has a dynamic plot. I would recommend this to literally anyone. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 29 Success in 2 hours and 4 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG-13 for Action/Violence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $68,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Jul 25 Hey, you people from the past. You were out of your mind giving this movie 37-40%. I’d love to see how you feel about the movies now, in 2025. Lmao, See more Daniel S Jun 13 honestly, I came in with low expectations — turns out I wasn't being pessimistic enough. This movie is a mess. It's painfully predictable, except for a few moments that catch you off guard only because they make absolutely no sense. The plot is filled with unanswered questions that the writers clearly just gave up on. For most of the movie, they want you to believe the ship is causing some deadly plague — calling it the “Ship of Death” — and then suddenly (spoiler!) it’s just a toxic waste plant. What?! How does a massive ironclad warship end up in Africa? Why is it there? They ask these questions throughout the movie and never give a single coherent answer. It’s infuriating. And don’t even get me started on the characters. The whole setup is a recycled formula: the “cool” hero, his comic relief sidekick, and of course, the attractive love interest. That’s it. Zero originality. Honestly, I’m shocked that any A-list actor even signed up for this disaster — the script is absolute garbage. I left the theater feeling frustrated, not entertained. What a waste of potential. See more Alan M Feb 24 A simple movie to follow with a lot of action and non stop humour. Lots of unbelievable coincidences but heck totally enjoyable for the whole family. See more Read all reviews
Sahara

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Sahara

View more videos
War of the Worlds 76% 42% War of the Worlds Watchlist TRAILER for War of the Worlds Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 77% 53% Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Watchlist TRAILER for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Congo 23% 29% Congo Watchlist G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra 33% 50% G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Watchlist Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life 24% 44% Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Seasoned adventurer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) sets out for the African desert with his sarcastic companion (Steve Zahn) in search of a ship rumored to have vanished long ago, the main draw being the treasure supposedly hidden within the lost vessel. When the daring duo come across a beautiful scientist (Penélope Cruz) who is juggling an escape from a warlord and a mission to stop the spread of a powerful plague, their desert expedition begins to heat up.
Director
Breck Eisner
Producer
Howard Baldwin, Stephanie Austin, Karen Elise Baldwin, Mace Neufeld
Screenwriter
Joshua Oppenheimer, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Douglas S. Cook, David Weisberg, Josh Friedman, David S. Ward, James V. Hart
Distributor
Summit Entertainment, Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Crusader Entertainment LLC
Rating
PG-13 (Action/Violence)
Genre
Adventure, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 8, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 29, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$68.6M
Runtime
2h 4m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now