Uncharted is a complicated game to adapt into film because in so many ways it already is one. It’s a blockbuster adventure defined by breathtaking set pieces, charming characters, and globetrotting escapades that are all designed to be witnessed in a linear, heavily scripted fashion. Naughty Dog took ample inspiration from Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider – both of which have established themselves in the world of cinema already – and now it feels like the whole creative process has come full circle.
When the film adaptation was first announced my initial reaction was befuddlement. Of all the games to twist into mediocre films we’ll forget about in a matter of days, why Uncharted? I suppose it has some form of brand recognition and slots into the mould very easily, but for years scripts were rewritten and directors were swapped out until we finally landed on a finalised project. Tom Holland is on board as Nathan Drake while Mark Wahlberg fills the shoes of Victor ‘Goddamn’ Sullivan. The results aren’t too shabby at all, and you can read about in my full review, but I do wish the film didn’t rely so much on the games that inspired it, as it zaps the experience of an originality it almost certainly has otherwise.
All the trailers for Uncharted highlighted moments that were pulled directly from the game, which made some of its larger set pieces predictable in a way that lowered my interest. You’re already ageing the characters down and altering their appearances drastically, so suddenly seeking to ape set pieces straight from Drake’s Deception and A Thief’s End felt lazy and uninspired. In the full picture they almost certainly are, with the auction house scene feeling dry and predictable while the cargo plane sequence suffers from an unusual sense of pacing and a conclusion that comes around far too quickly. It’s messy, and could have been better.
When Uncharted is willing to explore new ideas, albeit ones still heavily inspired by the games in terms of storytelling and environments, it stands on its own two feet. The second act follows Nate and Chloe as they descend into a church in Barcelona, eventually finding themselves amidst underground catacombs filled with mysterious puzzles to solve. It’s classic Uncharted, but it’s like we’re solving these riddles alongside them because we haven’t seen them before.
Yes, it’s a different take on Uncharted, but it’s one that’s similar to the game without entirely relying on it. Part of me cringed when Tom Holland grabbed onto a ledge in a way that felt laughably similar to the games, but it was clearly a loving homage to the character, and not something done in pure laziness. Moments like this work, yet there are far too few of them. Fans of the game will walk into this film with an expectation of chemistry between Nate and Sully, and it isn’t until the final act that such banter begins to materialise. Sully is played as a morally grey character with greedy intentions, so much so that he is willing to leave Nate for dead for a few brief riches. He’s a very different personality here, and the film's closing 30 minutes lean into that dichotomy well.
It’s a new interpretation of this legendary duo that works, because it’s willing to try something brave instead of taking a visual from the game and transplanting everything about it into a new medium. This lazy composing does not work, as we’ve seen time and time again, so when Uncharted tries something daring I can’t help but stand up and take notice. The pirate ship set-piece is a perfect example of Uncharted coming up with a fresh idea while boldly abiding by conventions the series is famous for.
The witty banter, disregard for murder, and grin-inducing musical swells are all here, and unlike the cargo plane or auction house, we've never seen it before. It’s fresh and exciting, unpredictable in its execution while peppering in moments of pure fan service just to get fans frothing at the mouth. I couldn’t help but get invested when Tom Holland finally threw on his bandolier, whipping out a pistol to murder a random henchman before being thrust off the airborne boat by a nonsensical surge of velocity. It’s all nonsense, but original nonsense, and for that very reason it works.
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