My night at the Sahara preview.


Pretty much the entire audience had not read the book and did not have an idea of what they were seeing. The producers, director, etc .. were there and Very Interested in the reaction of the audience. Everyone was polled on their opinion, on a two page questioner and several were pulled into a direct conversation with the director and crew. My son and daughter were part of that group as they were of the 4 people out of 150 - 200 who marked the movie good, instead of very good or excellent.
The audience was engaged and enjoyed the movie. There was a round of applause as the final scence ended. Something I haven't seen since the first Star Wars. I did not seen one frown or disgruntled look, and I was looking for it. As I was watching it , I couldn't help but think this could be the next 007 or Indiana Jones series and felt privileged to be in on it. The chemistry between Dirk and Al was awesome.
My kids were not as impressed. Comments they made, consisted of: that things fell too easily in place, with all the bullets flying Dirk Al and the female doctor were never scratched and barely dirty. Too much unnecessary violence. But they still considered it a interesting and memorable movie. They are very picky! Too intelligent to let little things get past them....

Opening scene: The civil war, soldiers loading the ironclad ship. Thrilling, historical, close up on the captain, bombs flying, explosions, snipers.... everyone in my group agreed as one of the best scenes. You longed for more of the same.







Memorable scenes:
The WHO coming into the village to find a horrible sickness, really nasty. And then finding more and more. And then the attack upon the doctor coming totally out of the blue.



The expensive speedboat being attacked on the River by Soldiers and Dirk and Al pulling a "Panama".

The despotic ruler : interesting, well played.

The footage of Africa was awesome. As you 'entered' the country from the air, it was breathtaking and memorable. You swoop down unto the road and then into the harbor. You couldn't pull your eyes away. Except for Carlos, he was snoozing next to me until the action broke out. And it started within minutes.

The plant: It looked REAL and believable. HUGE , solar panels all turned into the center column reflecting so much light and silver that it was a diamond in the desert.

The train scene: with the 3 jumping off camels to grab the rails.
Inside the plant and the underground grotto and leaking barrels
the Bedouin tribes people. I really liked that part. The homes with in the carved out rock. the warriors, the chief, the paintings on the inner cave.

The fight on top of the tower
Oh! the fight in the desert when they escaped from the plant and the dictators forces are after them, and it is them against the elements and the country. And the bombs Al just happen to have taken from the defused bomb to blow up the side of the hill to totally mess with the helicopter.
And the discovered metal ship, and the rigging of the cannon to blow the hole in the windshield of the helicopter who just happens to the despotic ruler.

Great review, jwjune th:

That scene with the cannonball smashing the helicopter windshield is one that Clive was shaking his head about last December.

We have footage of Clive talking about that scene any many other aspects of the movie HERE

Cheers ... Tony

IF you're looking around for looks on people's faces instead of watching the movie, seriously, how good can it be? I'm sorry, but I'm smelling another plant.

At least its been getting good reviews. th:

I am looking forward to the opening scene. :)

With what you said im sure its a great action flick but what happened to the book??? honestly i doubt you will see anymore movies after thins unless Clive decides to write/produce/direct/edit the whole movie because it seems to me they took what is a great book and turned it into a halfassed hollywood crap without giving a dam to the loyal fans. Honestly I kinda hope this is the last time I have to watch any of his books turn into terrible movies

Matt,

As an avid Cussler reader, if I were at a preview of Sahara I too would be looking around to see the reaction of the audience. Wouldn't you be the least bit curious to see how people were responding to the movie? I think that JwJune genuinely enjoyed the movie and from what I have read she is not the only one. Not by a long shot. I think this will be an excellent movie. It is a shame Clive and the producers / directors are not seeing eye to eye. Because while this movie may turn out to be a blockbuster it very well may be the last time we see Dirk and Al on the big screen. I personally cant wait to see it.

Thank you jwjune, Great review th:

I am looking forward to seeing the movie although I'm gonna have to go see the movie 5 times before I actually see it; as I'm going to spend the first 4 watching for other reactions, pointing out things that are different from the book and asking others what they thought :lol: I hope it does well, it sure does seem to be getting the th: from those who have seen it so far :)

mattgarrett, Posted on Nov 6 2004, 06:42 PM

Matt, can you please explain this 'plant' theory of yours? as I just don't know what on earth you are talking about. :unsure:

Description of 'plant':
As in 'studio plant'. Believe it or not the studios will have people go to screenings, message boards, etc to hype the movie up - as in 'the studio planted one of their guys to start the audience cheering at the end'. I have met some of them - they are usually interns for the publicity department, sometimes not, a couple I knew were recruited via an extra's casting company, and sometimes they are paid (20$ as were my friends who were recruited) or not paid (the interns) and they are there to act like and audience member, try to get others excited about the movie, some go to the boards and give great reviews (you should have heard the glowing praise one plant gave 'Catwoman') and try to get people to anticipate the movie......having a father who was in the industry and several uncles, meeting and knowing 'plants' (I once wrote a plant review for a film I didn't even SEE) I can say that this person is without a doubt in my mind - a plant.......case in point the review dissected:

Pretty much the entire audience had not read the book and did not have an idea of what they were seeing. The producers, director, etc .. were there and Very Interested in the reaction of the audience. Everyone was polled on their opinion, on a two page questioner and several were pulled into a direct conversation with the director and crew. My son and daughter were part of that group as they were of the 4 people out of 150 - 200 who marked the movie good, instead of very good or excellent.

...........this gets me: the comment about the entire audience had not read the book - then this person states "out of 150-200 people" - how the heck would this person know that an audience that large didn't read the book #1, and #2 just goes to show the studio isn't targeting CC fans.

The audience was engaged and enjoyed the movie. There was a round of applause as the final scence ended. Something I haven't seen since the first Star Wars. ******God when they use a new line!!! Hellfire - I used that line (for the review of a movie I didn't even see!!!!) *******I did not seen one frown or disgruntled look, and I was looking for it. *****In a darkend theater, with two kids, and a supposedly engaging film, *sniff, sniff* I smell a plant******As I was watching it , I couldn't help but think this could be the next 007 or Indiana Jones series and felt privileged to be in on it *******ahhhh, the old 'let's really make them feel like this is an experiance NOT to be missed. Also, another older than dirt ploy: mention other successful franchises in what we call the "hollywood cross" ie: Matthew McConaughey is a cross between Harrison Ford and Paul Newman********. The chemistry between Dirk and Al was awesome. *********with all this talk about the 'chemistry between Al and Dirk' makes me wonder WHO Dirk walks off into the sunset with **********My kids were not as impressed. Comments they made, consisted of: that things fell too easily in place,*****how old are these kids???********* with all the bullets flying Dirk Al and the female doctor were never scratched and barely dirty. Too much unnecessary violence*******funny - the movie is supposed to be PG-13, what exactly did you guys watch????********. But they still considered it a interesting and memorable movie. They are very picky! Too intelligent to let little things get past them....

So there you have it - sorry but I will judge this movie for myself and I don't want to be spoon fed my opion.

Let's see, the 'kids' are 17 and 19, one a college freshman. Yes, they are still kids to me.... They had a company that was interviewing groups of people. First question they asked was "had you read the book?" Yes, I was listening as I was interested, even before they got to my group. I was not just interested in the movie, but in the audience's reaction, knowing they had to answer for what they were seeing. The movie was very engaging. Yet I still wanted to see what the different people, different ages, thought of it. There was an animated discussion in the audience before and after on general topics, and I relayed what I heard and saw as accurate as I could. Sorry, it would be fun to be a 'plant' but you just got my reaction to what I saw. When I visited the sight, it seemed someone would want to know what happened at the preview. I am eager for you to see the movie too, and make up your own mind.
June

June, I guess some people love a conspiracy. ;)

What they didn't realise is that I was the one that coaxed the review out of you, and asked you if it was ok to run with this topic.

On a lighter side, in my mind's eye, I keep imagining a cinema full of plants with Eisner and Co. the only humans present. :lol:

Thank you for this, June. I'm glad to see that a typical fan will likely be able to go into this and fully enjoy themself.
Good stuff!! th: th:

Thanks gijane71 for the description of a plant, I think I am now clued up :unsure: and thanks for the rating, I didn't know what the age guidance was going to be..........although that'll be different here in the UK as we don't have PG-13 :unsure:

Although I don't see what the big deal is, whether someone posts an honest review or a 'plant' everybody will make there own minds up when they see it.



June again Thank-you for your review and I'm sorry that my question resulted in such negative comments towards you! :(

Tony you never cease to amaze me, if it didn't hurt that much I would have totally been ROFL ;)

On a product note -
http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cg...show_article=52

Definately going for the "mummy/mummy returns" age group - as for the negative comments - they were about plants in general - as for your kids still being your kids - I'm 33 an my mother STILL won't let up - but I guess that's her job - keeping eyes open for more info on movie and related topics....

I'm not into conspiracy theories. But I work in the biz. I know how it works. So yeah, I think it's planted interview to get the faithful hyped. Remember, they have to get us to make it a hit. We are the core audience.

Cussler isn't thrilled. I've read the script and I agree with him.

Will I see it? Probably. But personally, other than the fact that it exists, there is little about this film I am excited about.

As for the toys on the weblink above ... Albert GiordAno? yike:

t:

I watched Matthew McConaughey in 'How to lose a guy in 10 days' last night. Well me and the Missus watched it. Hmmmmm, I just cannot see him as Dirk. Sorry, but Richard Jordan was closer to the main man than MM. Just doesn't do it for me. Too small and "pretty boy". Even when he was "serious" in U-571, he didn't quite pull it off for me. Damn, I really hope Sahara is bigger than the sum of it's parts.

Pete

Doc, I have to agree about MM, the look just isn't right in my minds eye. To be fair, he did an awesome job in a serious role in 'A Time to Kill'. I like him as an actor. But I don't think he has the 'presence' to be Dirk Pitt. I don't get the feeling that he can get out of ANY situation. Hugh Jackman could do it. So could Viggo Mortenson (Aragorn from 'Lord of the Rings'). And Steve Zahn doesn't look ANYTHING like Al is described in the novels. I think they should have maybe gone with an unknown who looked the part better. But that's the Cussler fan in me talking! Movie go-ers who haven't read any Cussler will have Steve Zahn in mind if they do read his books after they see the movie, then have quite a shock when they read a description of him!

Hope things are going well in Singers!!

Paul

Thanks Paul. I like MM as an actor too. The movies he has been in that I have watched, I've liked but he just doesn't smack of Dirk to me. I will certainly go into the movie or watch it on video with an open mind. Yep I will see it it because there is no way I can appraise it without seeing it. Man, just look at the pics of the 3 starts at the top of this page. Steve doesn't look like AL. I imagined Al being built like a brik sh1thouse (something like the bald headed guy on the cop show - can't think of his name but he's always beating people up). And that photo of MM makes Dirk look like a mincing hairdresser....puhleeeze.........

Singers is OK, but I do miss the Buffalo autumn.

Cheers

Pete

The more I think about it, the more I think if they wanted a 'name' to play the part of Al instead of an unknown they could have gone with Jack Black...I know it's not a perfect likeness but at least he kind of fits the description (or at least I think he does) :unsure:


Do you mean this guy, Doctor?

I think you're referring to Michael Chiclis from 'The Shield' and I agree, right height (5'9") and build - just put some hair on him!!

And remember, Buffalo Autumns are always followed by Buffalo Winters!! yike:

Paul

I totaly agree!!

I love MM ..I saw all his movie and I have his posters everywhere...But when I knew that he were going to do Dirk Pitt in Sahara movie I was distraught :blink: !!!!

MM doesn't like as the Dirk's picture I have in my mind!!

Anyway I'm happy that my favourite actors will act as my favourite character!!!


( I hope MM will never read this!! ;) ;) )


Antonella

Michael Chiclis, yep he is the guy. Quite at home being pleasant and entertaining, yet happy to throw you through a plate glass window when the time comes. Now that's Al.


Actually I liked the Buffalo winters. All 6 months of them :-)

Pete

I agree on the Michael Chiklis pick for Al Giordino. Just give him some hair and he'd be perfect. He's got the right build and he plays an agressive role very well. I've even seen him be pretty funny. "The Shield" is a show that my husband and I watch religiously. Just wish the season was a bit longer like the rest. I know they would certainly have the viewers.

Hopefully, if a plant or m or movie copy is following our posts... they will keep this in mind should there be other Pitt movies.

Pictures of Michael Chiklis:

http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hc&id=18000...9&cf=mm&intl=us

Hopefully the link works. I especially like the purplish picture at the bottom of him being animated next to a much taller woman. Now that's AL.

I have read the review and the emails people have posted. Being an avid fan of CC's books I must say that I am looking forward to the movie.

However....We have all seen movie adaptations of books in the past and the same conclusion is drawn - the movie was not as good as the book. Funny that.
From Lord of the Rings to Tom Clancy's Patriot Games (that had a totally different hollywood ending) we see the same thing happening.

Does the production company care about CC's fans? No. Why? Simple really, Clive's fans are still only a niche market. Why customise your movie for the select few when really all they need to do is make the film entertaining for the general populous.

In summary, we should stop making a direct comparison of the movie to the book. If we do, all we will be is disappointed. If you go into the movie with a negative impression and constantly nit-picking every detail left out of the book - then you will feel betrayed. I'll save you the hassle and say it now...'then just don't go see the movie'.
What we should really do is ask ourselves "Regardless it was nothing like the novel...was the movie entertaining?" If you answer YES, then you got your money's worth and Clive can add another zero to his paycheque.

P.S. I left something out of my last email. Character choices seem to be the main point of discussion as well.

I personally (being Australian of course) would have chosen Hugh Jackman to play Dirk. He is THE ONLY person I can think of in Hollywood that isn't a pretty-boy.

I think MM is a great actor but he does not carry the smooth, suave, sophisticated debonair that Pitt needs, that I think Hugh could have brought to the Camera.

(For any reference to Hugh Jackman's performances please refer to X-Men and make no reference to Van Helsing - He mailed his performance in for that one)

word.

Since translating book to film is like translating french to english - i.e. something is lost in translation - MC is the book form of Al but for film - I would have gone with someone who just standing there you would get the idea across you shouldn't f**k with Al - my film (not book) vision of Al - feedback please:

http://www.savini.com/4fv35.htm

hopefully the link works.

Yes, Al (in the books) can brawl with the best of them and nobody would want to mess with him, but on the inside he's a big softie. Good humored and loves a peaceful nap more than throwing someone over a table. "Tom as he looks today" fits the burly Al just fine, but doesn't reflect his more cuddly side. Sorry. det:

Nice analogy th:

....to see Tom Savini in action is a real treat - he doesn't look it but he is very funny and when seeing him on film, a very animated actor - guess you'd have to see Knight Riders (with Ed Harris) or From Dusk til Dawn to appreciate.

I actually just saw Dawn of the Dead... which character did Tom play?

Also, I must admit I was just basing my thoughts on the one picture you had posted of him. He happened to look mean and uncuddly but as an actor could probably play whatever you asked of him.

In the remake of DOTD he played the county sheriff - in the original he played the leader of the biker gang, his name is Blade. Here are some of Tom's 'funny' pics - he could definately have done the 'buddy thing' better than Steve Zahn:

http://www.savini.com/4fv7.htm

closest to cute and cuddley I could find:

http://www.savini.com/4fv24.htm

and of course with Fluffy :
http://www.savini.com/5fv5.htm

I would have loved to have seen Monica Bellucci as Eva Rojas - and sorry to MMC - Hugh Jackman is SO spot on - normally I would anticipate follow up movies but still approaching this one with caution - I will stand by this:

PACIFIC VORTEX SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST MOVIE!!! *sob* *weep* *sniffle........

Hi to all.
This my first post on this site and have read quite a few of the posts regarding the Film Sahara and here are my comments.
I have read all Clive Cussler books ever since his first and find I can't put them down and wait eagerly for the next one while reading again one of those already read.
I have always wanted the books to be portrayed as close as it can on celluloid, but this is never ever the case. Every one of us will have a slightly different mental image of what we read and we probably read in between the lines as well such is the skill of Clive's authorship. He is the one that conjours up the basic image through words that portray to our minds eye.
Many including Clive have run down the film Raise the Titianic and comparing it to the book it is as far removed as it could be from the original writing. But we are dealing with a different medium of entertainment. I Looked forward to seeing raise the titanic and yes I was dissapointed, but; and here is where I seem to differ. After seeing the film and talking about it betwen other cussler fans. I realised that it actually got people talking together about a subject dear to them. so from an entertainment point of view, there was even more milage than just watching a film and saying, "oh that was crap" or "that was not what I expected".
I am really looking forward to seeing the next film be it good, bad or indifferent because It entertains and captures imagagination and raises more questions than there will be answers. I understand why Clive wants to put the ultimate rubber stamp on the movie, but Clive, lets not be too overprotective of your creation. You have given so much to your readers but so little to the viewer. I really hope the movie is a big success, because if it is, more people will read the books.
Regards to all and have a great Christmas.
Hamilton

Welcome to the forum Hamilton, some very interesting points you brought up there, looking forward to reading more from you.

Enjoy your stay here :)