As far as films based on video games go, Uncharted may not be scraping the bottom of the barrel, nor is it the crème de la crème. It instead proves to be a moderately entertaining adventure yarn that echoes better films that have come before, and will probably follow it.
The plot follows the exploits of hustler/thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) after he partners with Indiana Jones wannabe Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to search for a fortune in gold lost five hundred years earlier by Ferdinand Magellan. Sully had been working with Nathan’s long-lost brother, but now needs Nathan’s help if he is going to lay claim to the treasure before another treasure seeker, Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who insists his family has the only legitimate claim to the fortune.
After Nathan and Sully team up with fellow adventure Sophia Ali (Chloe Frazer) the film begins to check boxes that fit other franchises like the “National Treasure” films or satisfy fans of the game the film is based upon. While it all seems like a rehash of other films and properties regurgitated into something approximating something new, it does succeed in moving swiftly enough that you barely have time to notice how empty it actually is.
Director Ruben Fleischer does the best he can with the routine adventure story that affords the story none of the wit or timing that made both his forays into the horror genre – Zombieland (2009) and Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) – as entertaining as they were. Screenwriters Rafe Judkins (who created television’s The Wheel of Time [2021]) and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway (who penned the screenplay for Iron Man [2008]) provide very little beyond a standard action/adventure story for Fleischer to work from. That being said however, everyone involved seems all in on the adventure and that enthusiasm is infectious, to a point at least.
Tom Holland in “Uncharted.” Photo by Clay Enos – © 2020 CTMG, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ultimately, it all ends up being an empty undertaking that instead echoes better films that have come before (and will more than likely come after as well). While Uncharted is far from being unwatchable, it is a rote video-game adaptation that does not have enough going for it to elevate it above mediocre.
| Producer: | Charles Roven, Avi Arad, Alex Gartner |
| Release Date: | February 18, 2022 |
| Running Time: | 116 minutes |
| Starring: | Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Antonio Banderas, Patricia Meeden, Sarah Petrick, Rudy Pankow |
| User Rating: | |
| Writer: | Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway |
| MPAA Rating: | PG-13 (for violence/action and language) |
| Director: | Ruben Fleischer |
| Distributor: | Sony Pictures |
| External Info: | Official Site / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter |
