Video games-turned-into-movies have had an underwhelming history to say the least, and Uncharted makes a gallant attempt at changing all that – even though it still ultimately comes up a little short.
That’s mainly due to this Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg Indiana Jones-wannabe action-adventure only partly paying homage to the illustrious heritage of the famed award-winning franchise, that has four iconic games in its locker.
Holland stars as a younger version of legendary fortune hunter Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake, while Wahlberg portrays seasoned treasure-hungry veteran Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan. But despite ‘game’ efforts from both of them – especially from the movie-stealing Holland, whose stock has really risen on the back of the juggernaut success of Spider-Man: Far from Home – they’re just not the same characters from the game.
After Nathan – who now in his twenties doubles up as a bartender and thief – was separated from his brother in an orphanage as a young teenager, he hasn’t heard from him in a decade. Enter the grizzled Sully to temp Nate to go hunting for the legendary multi-billion dollar Moncada treasure half-way around the world – with the potential of locating his brother as part of the bargain to compliment the loot.
But things aren’t going to be easy with Antonio Banderas’ ruthless Santiago Moncada – who believes he’s the rightful heir to the treasure – hot on their heels. And with Tati Gabrielle’s lethal mercenary Jo Braddock by his side, and Sophia Ali’s fellow ‘freelance’ fortune hunter Chloe Frazer added into the mix, Nathan has to work out who to trust as he tries to find his bro, with Sully included in this ‘bracket’ too.
And with several enigmatic action sequences – which fans of the game will gleefully spot from a mile away including the breathtaking ‘plane’ intro – and Holland’s central performance, this is always watchable fare, despite it never ever ‘moving the needle’.
It does fall guilty of plodding at times, but there’s just about enough meat on the bone that hints at potential for the film franchise’s future – especially with the end credits ‘stingers’.
And as a side note, it’s great to see The Last of the Mohicans’ – one of my all-time favourite movies – actor Steven Waddington get some blockbuster screen-time as one of Braddock’s posse, as hired muscle known as ‘The Scotsman’.
Ultimately Uncharted is a hard one to judge. On one hand it’s better than the very low bar set by video game adaptations, but on the other it maybe could (and should) have been a level higher with the star power involved.
It’s definitely better than the last Tomb Raider movie for starters – and the awful recent Resident Evil effort – but is still a bit of a mixed bag where you can’t really put your finger on whether it actually disappoints or not.
So, if you’re a fan of this type of thing it’s probably worth charting a course to find out the answer to that for yourself.
ESP Rating: 3/5
Gavin Miller
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough, Out Now
Cast: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Antonio Banderas, Steven Waddington, Rudy Pankow & Pilou Asbeck
Running Time: 1 Hr 56 Mins
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk for all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux
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