BASED on the Dirk Pitt novel of the same name by adventure author Clive Cussler, director Breck Eisner's Sahara bravely attempts to reign in the epic tale for the silver screen, and doesn't fall far short.

According to the tagline, 'adventure has a new destination'. Well, it seems to be one that has been retread countless times before, as the plot is much in the vein of countless sub-Indiana Jones movies.

Matthew McConaughey plays marine explorer Dirk Pitt (what a name) a swashbuckling action hero joined by accomplice Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) and Penelope Cruz's beautiful doctor/scientist (who must be one of the two, she has glasses on) who attempt to prevent a hideous environmental catastrophe linked to a deadly plague.

Their efforts pit them against not one but two evildoers; an evil business tycoon and African warlord, and lead them to Africa in search of a long lost battleship that Dirk believes is hidden in the Sahara.

Sorry, but it's not like the plot matters in this film. For what it is, Sahara is enjoyable, but there is nothing to either elevate it to a 'must see', nor make it a 'must avoid' film.

McConaughey and Zahn's comedy act is mildly entertaining while McConaughey is relatively charming and flexes his muscles a lot. It has been suggested that he may have found a niche role that could launch him to the next level of movie stardom, but for all his efforts he just isn't Harrison Ford. Penelope Cruz looks good and that's it.

The highlight of the film is a slick, cannon-blasting gunfight and several action sequences which are pretty spectacular.

As the viewer is whisked from one exotic location to another, he or she will probably start to wonder how much this thing cost and was it worth it. Hmmm ... no.

5/10 Not too bad, not too great, but not really worth your time.