Uncharted Is an Unremarkable Adventure Flick

More than one fan suggested over the years that the Uncharted series could be a movie. Sure, why not? They’re adventure games with leanings similar to Indiana Jones with their globetrotting, treasure hunting, artifact collecting, and exciting action sequences—sounds like a movie all right. Unfortunately, what we got is a flawed picture trapped by both the standard tropes of the genre and the boundaries of producer-friendly blockbusters.

Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor “”Sully”” Sullivan in Uncharted. Clay Enos/Sony Pictures

A point of contention certainly seems to come from Tom Holland being given the role of Nathan Drake. He doesn’t exactly look the part: he’s younger, smaller, and has a less gruff look to him. This aspect is even pointed out during the film, where Holland’s kicks are ineffective and his height becomes a joke. Placed in such a role, he feels very much like a kid trying on dad’s shoes, stumbling to walk around in them. This feels especially true when the British actor struggles with his New York accent—a strange problem considering he’s done just fine playing New York resident Peter Parker in the Spider-Man movies.

Nathan is a bartender who is obsessed with history and artifacts as well as figuring out what happened to his missing brother. His talents include being able to mix drinks with ease, speak casually about interesting historical facts, and swipe customers’ jewelry at the same time, a skill set that becomes a highlight for the observant treasure seeker Sully (Mark Wahlberg). Though Nathan initially wants nothing to do with bigger scores, his interest is piqued when he learns that Sully’s after the lost ships of Magellan’s expedition. After flexing his history muscles, he eventually decides to join up with the thief for an adventure of discovery.

Antonio Banderas as Santiago Moncada. Clay Enos/Sony Pictures

While the staging is standard for a globetrotting adventure, the character chemistry is rather weak, and this seems like a rather crucial aspect. Holland and Wahlberg are like a mismatched pair, what with Holland’s skinny frame and Wahlberg’s blustering. Yet they don’t exactly have that odd-couple spark of charisma between them. Maybe it’s because Holland’s acting feels stiff with the accent or because Wahlberg’s flustered nature seems surprisingly tame, but it just doesn’t work. There are several beats where you can feel the film holding for a laugh that may or may not come. The times where there isn’t even a smile feel cold and manufactured, revealing the gears of the sausage-making process.

The supporting characters provide little backup. Antonio Banderas gives a rather stock performance as the villain Santiago Moncada, bound by greed and his belief in inheriting his family’s legacy. Sophia Ali plays the on/off love interest Chloe Frazer, who more or less fulfills the expected traits of a turncoat, blowing whichever way the winds of fortune will guide her. Thank goodness for Tati Gabrielle as the simple yet engaging villain of Jo Braddock, a mercenary who is willing to viciously slit the throat of anybody who gets in her way. She’s perhaps the best character because she’s never trying too hard for a laugh and feels like a real threat to our heroes.

Braddock and company. Clay Enos/Sony Pictures

Where the film succeeds best is in its big action sequences. Holland is a real treat to watch in the scenes where he uses his bartender skills to infiltrate a club and fight goons being sent after him. Even the more special-effects-heavy sequences, such as the heart-pumping opening scene that features Holland dangling out a cargo ship, have enough energy to make you overlook the painfully obvious compositing seams. I also really dug the climax of the film, which involves dueling expedition ships hoisted into the air. It’s all quite thrilling until Holland opens his mouth to make some lackluster pirate jokes, once more holding for your laughter and applause. You can probably guess how well the acquisition of gold is going to be by the end of the picture, per adventure movie tropes.

Uncharted is not the worst video-game movie, but it is certainly the most forgettable. It reaches a sort of anti-Goldilocks zone by never being faithful enough to the games with the casting but also being highly referential of the games, including a certain surprise cameo. Only those who haven’t played the games could buy Holland and Wahlberg in these, roles while only those who played the games will get the reference. The gaming crowd will probably see the this as another disaster of a video-game adaptation. For everyone else, it’ll most likely be another ho-hum adventure movie.

Sony Pictures