Review: ‘Uncharted’
With a charming, charismatic performance from Tom Holland and an electrifying turn from Tati Gabrielle, Uncharted is easily one of the best video game adaptations of all time.
For some reason, video game adaptations have never quite managed to be successful. From the Super Mario Bros. movie, released in 1993 to critical derision and lackluster box office returns, to last year’s latest Resident Evil movie, released to – you guessed it – critical derision and lackluster box office returns, video game adaptations don’t have the best reputation amongst both video game fans and moviegoers. So much so, that it led to the creation of the term the “video game movie curse,” an unspoken rule that now renders a video game adaptation a failure as soon as it is announced. Ruben Fleischer’s Uncharted, based on the highly successful video game franchise of the same name, is the latest film hoping to break that curse.
Uncharted centers on street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), a young man recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. What starts as a heist job for the duo becomes a globe-trotting, white-knuckle race to reach the prize before the ruthless Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who believes he and his family are the rightful heirs. If Nate and Sully can decipher the clues and solve one of the world’s oldest mysteries, they stand to find $5 billion in treasure and perhaps even Nate’s long-lost brother…but only if they can learn to work together.
Tom Holland, who is coming off of the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, already one of the most successful movies of all time, is as charming and charismatic as ever as Nathan Drake, landing almost each and every joke with great comedic timing and executing the film’s action scenes convincingly thanks to an impressive physicality that sells even the most ludicrous of set pieces. More importantly, however, he manages to imbue the character with some real heart and soul; when Nathan reminisces over his brother and their troubled childhood, you feel his sadness and desperation right alongside him. It’s also a huge leap for Holland; the cool and confident Drake is worlds away from the awkward, gangly role of Peter Parker that he has come to been known for.
Elsewhere, Mark Wahlberg, who was originally set to play Nathan Drake in an earlier variation of the film, is fine as Nathan’s mentor Sully, although not much acting is required from him for what ultimately amounts to an underwritten role. Sophia Ali, playing Sully’s acquaintance Chloe Frazer, cuts a likeable figure, matching Holland’s sarcastic, witty energy in a way that makes their scenes together the best of the movie. Tati Gabrielle, however, manages to leave the biggest impression as the film’s main antagonist Braddock. With a magnetic presence and deliciously evil energy, she practically steals the film whenever she appears, diving headfirst into her character’s villainy with unwavering charisma and bravado.
As a film itself, Uncharted isn’t perfect; it suffers from a shaky first act and a couple of cringeworthy jokes that even Holland struggles to land despite trying his best. Some of the third act’s action scenes border on cartoonish as well – not everything that works in video games also works in films. But ultimately, Uncharted is a fun, thrilling ride that is much more entertaining and engaging than it has any right to be thanks to a committed Tom Holland and a magnetic Tati Gabrielle. It is also, by proxy, one of the best video game adaptations of all time. Not a high bar to clear but still an accomplishment nonetheless.
Rating: 3/5
Uncharted is now playing in theaters in the UK. It will be released in the US on February 18.