Much as I enjoyed the games over the past fifteen years on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, I was really curious about the Uncharted movie which had been in development for quite a long time. I would have had no clue who would play the role of Nathan Drake other then Nolan North who voiced Drake in the games and of course was it going to be live action or animated like what happened to the Ratchet & Clank movie back in 2016. When I think about the Uncharted franchise I think of two other movie franchises, but mashed into one being both Indiana Jones and National Treasure because both franchises were that good and of course solving mysterious treasure which has been lost for years.
Street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is 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. Having Tom Holland as Drake did seem like an odd choice at first when I first thought about it, especially outside of the Spider-Man franchise from Marvel since he was huge in that franchise alone for The Avengers universe; And having Mark Wahlberg as Sully is another odd choice but fits in well since most films he's been in the past have all been him just trying to be both funny and serious if you look at films like Ted or The Other Guys. It's just a shame that this Sully doesn't have a cigar and doesn't sound like Richard McGonagle from the games who voices Sully in that version.
Even more surprising that Ruben Fleischer was behind directing of the film since I enjoyed the Zombieland films I was expecting some slapstick comedy or some funny moments here and there. Yes, Uncharted does borrow most plots from Uncharted on Drake and Sam at the orphanage and also finding the treasure of pirate Henry Avery. If you look closely between the movie and Uncharted 4 there are a few comparisons and elements like most movie adaptations based on a book or a game, there's always going to be changes taken in or taken out overall. Some of the fight scenes get added along with a few easter eggs also get added, including the airplane scene from Uncharted 3 or seeing the Naughty Dog logo popping up on a small suitcase are all nods to the games.
I will admit Uncharted had some good moments which I enjoyed, I wouldn't say that it's the best video game adaptation of a movie, but it did had some good moments including the possibility of a sequel which I wouldn't mind seeing; Because when I first heard the news a few years back was hoping it would be based on the first game Drake's Fortune because the El Dorado treasure would have been a great plot to use for the movie. I'm hoping it will get used in the sequel or if not likely they'll use plot elements from both Uncharted 2 and 3 based around Francis Drake on why the ring belonging to their ancestor would play a major role if a sequel would happen. It is still worth watching if you are a fan of the games, or if you are new to the series, this may encourage you to try the series for yourself soon after.
3/5(Three Star Rating)