Uncharted

Video game adaptations have, historically speaking, not made good films. They are usually either a terrible version of the game’s world or just not very well made features. Uncharted, sadly, doesn’t manage to escape this precedent.

Helmed by Ruben Fleishcer (of Zombieland and Venom fame), this new adaptation of Naughty Dog’s legendary game series sees Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) jet off around the world in search of treasure and his lost brother. With him is Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), who acts as his mentor and entry into the adventuring life. Their plan is to use a set of old Spanish keys to find a massive haul of gold hidden by Ferdinand Magellan’s crew, and claim the fortune for themselves.

The plot is serviceable, and not really much different to the storylines found in the games. It moves along at a nice speed, flitting from scene to scene with an intensity that never lets up. There are numerous action set pieces, ranging from entertaining to ridiculous and good use of myriad locations. Particular highlights include a rooftop chase in Barcelona. 

The issue is that the film is, for lack of a better word, forgettable. 

In the age of CGI locations and action scenes, it takes a special edge to stand out from the crowd, and Uncharted doesn’t quite manage it. Whilst the over-the-top action sequences are certainly a good tribute to the game, they fall a bit flat on-screen. 

The same can also be said of the chemistry between Nate and Sully. Whilst in the game the characters are grizzled, experienced adventurers with the scars to show for it, the film version de-ages them by about ten years. This isn’t necessarily an awful decision, but it does mean that the witty rapport the two are known for needs to be built up over the run-time, which is a painful process. Their banter feels somewhat odd and is indicative of a script that, more often than not, doesn’t hit the mark. There is simply too much clichéd dialogue and far too many thinly developed characters to result in any true investment in the story. 

Uncharted isn’t the worst video game adaptation, but it certainly isn’t the best and despite their best efforts to throw in cameos and references to the game series, they missed its greatest aspect: its heart.

Joe Milo

Uncharted is released nationwide on 11^th February 2022.

Watch the trailer for Uncharted here: