Movie Review

Movies that are based on successful video game franchises usually tend to be disasters. Films like Assassin’s Creed (2016) and Mortal Kombat (2021) are just a few of the messy, unpolished and downright insulting works to hit the big screen. It is safe to say the movies based on video games usually end up to be pretty terrible, but I am glad to say that Uncharted (2022) does not make this hall of “lame.”

Released on February 18th,  Sony’s Uncharted stars Tom Holland as the clever Nathan Drake alongside Mark Whalburg as the greedy Victor “Sully” Sullivan. The movie begins with Sully recruiting the extremely quick and clever Nathan Drake on a quest to find the 500 year old treasure left by explorer Ferdinand Magellan. This thrill-packed action adventure film follows the two main characters as they travel from Spain to the Philippines in order to find this lost fortune. On their journey they are met with strong female characters such as Chloe Frazier, played by Sophia Taylor Ali, and Braddock, played by Tati Gabrielle, who also seek the rewards and come to play major roles in the plot. 

The two protagonists face several challenges along the way, such as dodging cars mid air while falling from a plane and almost drowning in underground mazes all while being chased by the main antagonist Santiago Moncada and his goons. The film becomes a  race to see who can reach the billions of dollars of gold first, while having to trudge through the several betrayals that happen along the journey.

This concept of a goose chase is nothing new to cinema, but Uncharted executes it well. The chemistry between the Hollywood titans Tom Holland and Mark Whalburg is extremely charming and a major plus to the movie. The quick-paced action and extremely “in your face” sequences all make it a memorable watch.

At times Uncharted can feel slightly generic or somewhat hollow especially when the two star actors aren’t interacting. What the movie lacked in interesting dialogue, underlying themes, and memorable phrases it made up for in unique action scenes and creativity.  The soundtrack is the typical suspenseful drums and strings of an action movie, nothing too special. Overall Uncharted is nothing to rave home about, but it was certainly an entertaining and worthwhile experience. Tom Holland’s and Mark Whalburg’s chemistry certainly save the film from catastrophe and give what you want from an entertaining action adventure movie. I would give Uncharted a solid 7.5/10.