Sahara

A really funny movie, that I stumbled upon on Netflix. This is a funny animation with great characters. It is a shame that it does not seem to have hit the big screens or have great reviews, however I believe this animation movie is better than some animations that have received great reviews. If you want to relax and have a laugh this is the movie to watch.

Upon seeing this film back at 2017 when it came out on Netflix, I was expecting a very groundbreaking animated adventure that would rank to the likes of Pixar and DreamWorks. Unfortunately, what I got was an OK flick with some good visuals but a very underwhelming story. It's not a terrible film, don't get me wrong, but it could've been so much better.

Let's start with the problems. The story has a very nice idea, a movie that takes place in the Sahara desert with a Romeo and Juliet-esque twist. Execution-wise, however, it falls into predictable territory and has cliches we've seen before in other animated films. Not to mention that it does drag somewhat slowly in places. While it does have some bits of funny humor, the script includes some adult references that are way too inappropriate for some viewers. Also, the characters didn't leave an impact to the story and end up being shallow and underdeveloped.

That being said, there are some good things to admire about this film. The voice acting from everyone involved is fairly good especially the English dub (I might want to watch the film in french audio with subtitles someday since this was made by another animation studio in France), the music score fits the setting of the film very well, there are some moments where the action gets very interesting, and the best part is the animation. From the most unique animal designs of the characters to the nicely detailed look of the Sahara desert which makes the film worth watching because of it.

Overall, this film makes for passable entertainment. It doesn't offer much in terms of the story and characters, but it's beautiful animation and a good music score makes this a flawed, but interesting animated movie made from France. If you have kids, give this one a shot. For the adults though, they probably won't get anything out of this.

A shame honestly, since it had a lot of potential (like a lot of other animated movies), but it ends up wasting it. While there are certain interesting parts such as the tense relationship between Ajar, Pitt and Gary at certain moments in the film, or how beautiful certain animations and places can be, there is not much else to highlight, since the story itself is generic, and also has many plot holes and does not explain certain things such as why dusty and green snakes got on badly. I think it is cliche, but even so, I recommend it to hang out, since some parts that are interesting, but nothing more.

The first thing one notices about Sahara is that it's visually stunning, with an art style that looks high-budget yet sets itself apart from the average CGI flick. Coupled with decent sound design, the film has good production values on the surface.

Unfortunately, the script, storyboarding, and directing fluctuate between decent and cringe-worthy. Sometimes the action can be involving and the humor genuinely funny. But at other times it can be derivative or just plain awkward. The snakes in the film sometimes talk like humans (for example referencing Batman), which at those moments makes the film feel very cheap. Other times they actually steal jokes from other places. Some moments the film just feels clumsy like a demo reel. For example, I almost dozed off during the "climax" of the movie because the action was kind of confusing.

Unfortunately, the writers and directors of the movie missed an opportunity to capitalize on the great production values with a solid script. It felt like someone whipped up the dialogue and refused to have it reviewed by anyone else. That said, it's not a bad movie. It's worth watching if only for the nice animation, and it shows that there is potential for new players in the CGI realm (who aren't from Pixar, Disney, or Dreamworks) to make something great-if they just step it up a little bit more.

The animation here is decent and the voice acting is mainly good.

HOWEVER

This is a film about a watermelon-eating cobra teaming up with a substance-abusing green snake to rescue another green snake from a racist caricature. There is a lot that this film gets wrong factually. Some can be attributed to artistic license, but a lot is just laziness. There are also some extremely questionable artistic decisions, such as the aforementioned stoner snake in a children's film, which leads to scenes in which he gets high, and snorts sand in the desert like cocaine. While most of the character design is good, there are a couple of notable exceptions where the character looks disgusting, or where they have clearly copied a character from elsewhere. The plot is okay, but a lot of it feels recycled from previous films, including some extremely cliched set-pieces.

In general, this is not the worst animated film ever. That does not make it good. I'd say put it on for a child then leave the room, but that would teach them that quality does not matter in children's films. Also, the drugs-based humour probably needs a responsible adult to put into context for them. Instead, put on a good film for your child, like Shrek or Chicken Run.