An adaptation of Sony’s über popular Uncharted video-game franchise has been in the works since 2008. Since then we’ve had 4 main instalments, several spin-offs and a decade for original Nathan Drake actor Mark Wahlberg to completely age out of the role and step into the shoes of Drake’s mentor Sully. That’s a lot of pressure to throw on a film and expectations were understandably low as the film limped towards release after even more COVID-induced delays. I’m happy to report that Uncharted is a surprisingly fun, boisterous adventure that more often than not does right by its source material. Shoddy writing and some comically underwritten characters may dampen the experience, and it is hard to ignore the film’s obvious borrowings from other (better) action franchises, but if you can put those negatives out of your mind then you’ll likely wind up having a lot of fun with Drake and Sully.
Having been separated from his brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) as a child, Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) lives in his shadow, getting by as a bartender and pickpocket and yearning for the day his brother will finally reappear. When an apparent friend of Sam’s, Victor Sully (Wahlberg), offers Drake the chance to reunite with his brother if he helps him locate the fabled treasure of Ferdinand Magellan – a childhood dream of Sam and Nathan’s – Drake jumps at the chance, signing up for a mission to steal a relic believed to hold the secret to the location of the treasure. The pair soon learn, however, that they are not the only ones after Magellan’s treasure, with the ruthless and wealthy Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and former friend of Sully’s Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) hot on their heels.
The success of the Uncharted games came from their clever reworking of the tropes of adventure classics like Indiana Jones into globe-trotting epics that allowed the player to step into the hero’s shoes and control the outcome. By turning the series back to a cinematic medium, you inevitably lose that interactivity, leaving what amounts to a hodgepodge of different action films from Indy to National Treasure and Pirates of the Caribbean. That might sound unoriginal – and it is – but the combination is surprisingly effective. It isn’t often that we get a modern treasure hunting blockbuster and despite some clichéd over-the-top set-pieces (others are genuinely brilliant), Uncharted scratches that itch, doing none of those franchises better than them but together forming something strangely unique and enjoyable in its simplicity – just turn your brain off and enjoy.
A lot of the enjoyment from the film admittedly stems from Tom Holland. Coming off the back of Spider-Man: No Way Home – one of the biggest films in history – it is no surprise that Holland can carry a film of this scale with ease, portraying a slightly less intelligent but no less cocky and charming version of Drake than his video-game counterpart. It’s impossible to form the same kind of connection to Holland’s character from one film as opposed to spending 20 plus hours in a game with the character but the clever tweaks to the film’s story – borrowing pieces from different games rather than a straight adaptation of any one in particular – and seeing the beginnings of the bickering banter between Drake and Sully form sets the film apart from the games and carves out a niche for this interpretation of Nathan Drake.
For his part Mark Wahlberg is simply himself, bringing none of the mannerisms of the Sully from the games and relying on his usual endearingly combative schtick that was so successful in films like The Other Guys and Daddy’s Home. The chemistry with Holland is there at times, particularly when the duo first meet, but there is certainly room for improvement in the inevitable sequel in so far as defining the relationship between the pair. Antonio Banderas is woefully underused as a villain, rattling off his vaguely menacing lines in a vaguely menacing voice in the few scenes he is given, while Sophia Ali’s constantly shifting accent is a painful distraction from her constantly shifting allegiances as mistrusting fellow treasure hunter Chloe.
Uncharted isn’t the saving grace for video-game adaptations nor is it the new pinnacle of the action-adventure genre but it is effective in its judicial borrowing from all of the best action-adventure films, forming something familiar but always entertaining. Holland is surprisingly great as Nathan Drake, making the role his own rather than moulding himself to fit the character from the games and brings his usual charisma and physicality to every scene. The rest of the cast might not be able to keep up with him and the action becomes big blockbuster noise at times but, considering what could have been, there’s a lot more treasure in Uncharted than the map to it would have you believe.
Uncharted stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Steven Waddington, Rudy Pankow, Tiernan Jones & Antonio Banderas – In cinemas now.