Uncharted is a fun enough action movie that certainly has its issues. However, Tom Holland shines, and the video game Easter Eggs are a blast!
Uncharted is one of the best video game franchises of all time, so taking that and putting it into a movie is a bit risky. Did the Uncharted movie pay off? Well, it is certainly a lot of fun. Tom Holland does a great job of portraying a younger than we know him from the games Nathan Drake, Mark Wahlberg’s Sully leaves a lot to be desired. There is a decent amount of action, with good choreography, but it is the CGI and generic overall feel that take away from this movie. Still, I am crossing my fingers for a sequel.
Uncharted follows young Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) as he reluctantly teams up with Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to hunt down the lost treasure of Magellan. He does so hoping to have the chance to see his brother again. This leads to an action packed adventure filled with puzzles and betrayal.
Fans of the video games will be thrilled to know there are a lot of Easter eggs and call backs to our favorite moments — and even a special cameo that made me squeal with delight. However, it just doesn’t feel like an Uncharted movie. This film could have been rebranded as any action movie and worked just as well, if not better.
One thing I really would have liked to see is Tom Holland having to frustratingly climb his way from tiny ledge to tiny ledge for a solid ten minutes because there were far too many times I felt like throwing my controller when I had to do that. There were definitely nods to this style from the game, but I would have cracked up if it just kept going.
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Tom Holland clearly did his research before going to set to film Uncharted. He is a great Nathan Drake. Yes, he is most definitely younger but it should be noted that he is supposed to be younger. This is a bit of a prequel to the games. Holland is easily the standout of the movie, and if you haven’t figured it out already, he has a long and successful career ahead of him.
Sophia Ali, who plays Chole Frazer, captures the spirit of this character from the games with ease. Her and Tom Holland have fantastic chemistry, and some great moments on screen together. There is a moment they are dancing at a rave and I could have watched that for at least a few more minutes — it felt cut way too short.
Antonio Banderas as villain Santiago Moncada — who feels he has a birth right to the treasure being hunted — does a really good job and honestly, I would have loved just a little bit more of him. It would have been great to see him go toe to toe with Nathan, which we never get. In the end he is a bit forgettable, but plays his part well.
The plot itself is quite predictable, and there are no real shocks or surprises here. Still, the treasure hunting and puzzle solving makes for a lot of entertaining moments. When the suspense and tension needs to be there, Uncharted pulls it off. The stakes actually seem quite high at times, which can be hard to portray well on screen.
One of my biggest issues with this movie is the CGI. There are far too many moments that look so fake, it pulls you out of the movie for a second. Another thing that bothered me is the kid who plays young, young Nathan at the start of the film is supposed to be ten years old — and looks fourteen at the absolute youngest. Little details like that need to work in order for the movie overall to feel believable.
But the main thing wrong with this movie, and I feel bad saying it, is Mark Wahlberg. I do enjoy him as an actor normally, and he isn’t exactly bad in this movie, he just isn’t the right fit for the role. I don’t know if it was the writing, or his take on Sully, or what, but it just doesn’t work. He has okay enough chemistry with Holland, but the relationship between the two doesn’t feel right.
Had this not been titled Uncharted, I don’t think I would have any issues with him in this movie, and that makes me feel kind of icky, and like I am relying too heavily on the games. But as a big fan of the games, it is hard not to compare.
Overall Thoughts
If you are looking for an action movie that is a lot of fun, then you will be pleased at the end of Uncharted. There are some CGI misses, it drags on a bit too long, and Mark Wahlberg feels out of place for nearly the entire movie. That said, Tom Holland is amazing, as is Sophia Ali and their on screen chemistry together. The puzzles are a nice touch, and there are many callbacks to the video game franchise.
Overall it is a generic, although fun, action movie. If they made another Uncharted movie, I would see it in a heartbeat.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
About Uncharted
Street-smart thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune lost by Ferdinand Magellan 500 years ago. What starts as a heist job for the duo becomes a globe-trotting, white-knuckle race to reach the prize before the ruthless Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who believes he and his family are the rightful heirs.
If Nate and Sully can decipher the clues and solve one of the world’s oldest mysteries, they stand to find $5 billion in treasure and perhaps even Nate’s long-lost brother…but only if they can learn to work together.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.