When I first heard about the possibility of an Uncharted movie, I was very excited. The game franchise had been one of my favorites for years, giving off a young Indiana Jones vibe with great humor and even better sidekicks that immediately drew me in and made me a fan.
Mark Wahlberg’s name was always attached to this project, but at first he was rumored to play Nathan Drake. That rumor initially worried me because he just didn’t seem to fit the part. When the news broke out that Tom Holland would be playing Drake, I assumed based on his age that this first Uncharted movie was going to be a prequel. Then we found out that Mark Wahlberg was cast as Sully, which made me very apprehensive. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mark Wahlberg. He has some great movies and he’s played some great roles over the years, but I just didn’t see him as Sully.
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I watched the movie last night and, as I sat in my seat, I kept reminding myself to keep an open mind. Read on to find what conclusions were drawn from the live-action adaptation of this great game.
Hope Ahead Though The Waters Be Uncharted
Uncharted combines elements from all four games, taking pieces here and there to create what seems like an alternate timeline compared to the source material. I’ve got to say, Tom Holland did a commendable job as Nathan Drake. He was able to deliver some famous one-liners and showed some of the great physicality that we see Nathan exhibit in the games. Mark Wahlberg was Mark Wahlberg playing a character named Sully. Charming and funny, with weird face expressions, but as predictable as he is in any other movie. Again, not hating on Mark. Just making an observation.
The plot of the movie will be familiar to the fans of the franchise. Sully wants to chase a lost treasure, and he needs Drake’s help. In this version of the movie, Drake’s help was sought because Sully knew that he was his former partner Sam’s brother. Nate and his brother were separated when they were young due to the constant troubles the duo would get in together. Sam was working with Sully and Chloe when things went south, but he failed to mention it, which ends up causing some conflict between the main characters.
There are scenes here and there that don’t flow well, or where the editing seemed to have skipped a few moments in the middle. For example, only showing the very beginning and very end of that scene, almost like the production was rushing it. Then there’s the suspension of disbelief that you can choose to ignore for the sake of the overall experience of the movie.
In the end, it was not a bad movie – you can almost call it an Uncharted film. It started as just another movie with Mark Wahlberg, but by the end there were enough homages to Uncharted and action shots to feel like a genuine adaptation. I hope the sequels have the feeling that the last 30 minutes of this first movie had. If that happens, then we’re in for a franchise that will only get better with time. My final rating for Uncharted is a 7/10. Valiant effort, but it needs more character building.
What are your thoughts? Did you enjoy the movie? Let us know in the comments down below. Don’t forget to follow our social media pages for some upcoming exclusives! Till next time.
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