Uncharted – Safe Start for the Franchise
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writer: Art Marcum, Matt Holloway (Screenplay) Rafe Judkins (Story)
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Antonio Banderas
Plot: Street-smart Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Uncharted starts as we meet a young pick pocket Nathan Drake (Holland) working in New York, when he gets approached by Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Wahlberg) to join him in the search for a fortune lost by Ferdinand Magellan, something Nathan’s brother did too.
Nathan and Sully are not the only ones looking for the treasure, as the descendant to the Moncada family Santiago (Banderas) and Braddock (Gabrielle) using deadlier methods.
Thoughts on Uncharted
Characters & Performances – Nathan Drake is the streetwise pick pocket living in New York, wondering whatever happened to his older brother, he gets recruited to search for a lost treasure that his brother helped search for before, learning the tricks of the trade in the treasure hunting business, never knowing who to trust in this world. He will use his knowledge to make his way through the hunt, learning fast, using his quick wits to survive. Tom Holland is good at all the stunt side of things in this film, his one-liners work, but he just doesn’t look the character people would know from the games. Victor Sullivan is the expert that recruits Nathan to help him get treasure, only along the way we meet the people he has had connection with, who are warning Nathan about his reputation. Mark Wahlberg does have good chemistry with Tom Holland, which will help with their bickering through the film. Santiago Moncada is the last remaining descendant of the family that bankrolled the original journey, he wants to the gold they found to continue his family’s fortune, recruiting Braddock to secure the deal. Antonio Banderas does everything he needs to as a villainous figure in the film. Chloe Frazer is a connection Sully has, someone who gets caught in the middle to the search for the treasure, one that helps warn Nathan about Sully more. Braddock is the mercenary treasure hunter helping Santiago, she will kill for what she wants, which will see her getting into controlling positions more often than not. Sophia Ali and Tatia Gabrielle do get their moments to shine, with Tati Gabrielle being the more memorable member of the villainous side of the film.
Story – The story here will bring Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan first meet and become a team searching for treasure across the globe, as they meet other people in the world that can be a friend or foe. Uncharted the movie is the first video game movie that I have played before watching the movie, so I would be expect certain things to happen. Uncharted does have the fun chemistry between the pair, but it does lack a certain aspect the games had, become just a flashy action spectacle, over creating the world we are used to seeing Nathan in.
Themes – Uncharted will have jaw-dropping action sequences going on, which do feel like they have been pulled right out of the video games, this is one of the biggest, if not the best part of the film. When it comes to the locations, everything works for the film, we search through a big city and have the jungle area, though not used enough. We will get some references to the video games, but overall, they feel like they aren’t enough to help the story.
Final Thoughts – Uncharted is a safe start, lacking the bigger punch for what we could have had.
