Uncharted Movie Review

Nowadays, video game movies are receiving higher budgets and increased backing from the gaming titans; on occasion they also find higher recognition. For years, Uncharted has been a glistening jewel in Sony’s crown, its cinematic direction driving the medium to more mature stories. While it seemed like a no-brainer to convert the series to the silver screen, its late arrival and basic design drag it down from greatness.

The story starts in the early years of Nathan’s (Tom Holland) life where he escapes an orphanage and looks to track down his family. This brings him into contact with Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) who has a treasure hunt for the young thief. Leaving behind his bartending job, Nate teams up with Sully to track down the gold and strike it rich before their well funded competitors do. If you’ve played the series, you’ll know it’s a combination of dialogue, action and exotic environments. Generally, the production is a blend of Uncharted 1, 3 and 4 alongside the components you’d expect from the globe-trotting genre. The film’s pacing works well enough, keeping things moving and rarely slowing down to keep the quest engaging. The big problem is how the film lives in the shadow of the games that spawned it. Naughty Dog set the bar incredibly high between 2007 and 2016 with their strong writing, likeable characters and breathless set-pieces. Nothing in the Uncharted movie lives up to those efforts and as a result, you’ll know the key plot beats and clichés from start to finish.

Characters have always been central to this franchise; what we get in the film is mostly underwhelming with little to get us rooting for the main leads. Tom Holland was a good pick for Nathan Drake and he is undoubtedly the best performance here, but he doesn’t take many steps outside of the kooky mannerisms seen in Spider-Man. The other characters don’t fare nearly as well, opting for some very ho-hum delivery. Mark Wahlberg has none of the charisma Victor Sullivan had in the games and Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), despite skirting the typical romance trope, is very underdeveloped. The trio banters back and forth with some generic lines and double crossing that fails to spice up the story. We also learn very little about their motivations throughout the story which creates a very shallow set of protagonists. Why is Nathan Drake a treasure hunter? How does he know so much about ancient temples? The film attempts to connect this to his brother Sam Drake, but because the older sibling barely makes an appearance, this overarching thread is hollow. As for Antonio Banderas, his banal villainy means nothing to the narrative, being ripped out of the proceedings before the final act begins.

There are countless scenarios and releases to compete with and Uncharted’s brand of presentation doesn’t go very far. The locations are well shot with Italy and the Philippines being particular highlights; even so, they can’t shake off another major problem. With the Uncharted games being aimed at players aged 15 and up, the film’s action is heavily watered down by its 12A rating. Drake is mostly hopping around and avoiding danger while getting into some fisticuffs here and there. Some of the stunts are capably executed, especially an early sequence at a New York auction house. It’s all passable by blockbuster standards, but other issues keep it from standing up. The editing in the final act is choppy with too many cuts breaking up the action. The soundtrack features some key themes from the games and at times they are well-implemented; fans will recognise these cues as they enter the picture.

Arriving nearly six years after the plot of the games concluded, the Uncharted movie was always going to have a hard time. The action offers some mild enjoyment and Tom Holland gives a decent performance, but ultimately the film is unable to rise above mediocrity. For improved character depth and more intense thrills, you’ll be better off buying a PlayStation 4 and a copy of The Nathan Drake Collection.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars (Mediocre)