Uncharted Reviews

Uncharted, an action-adventure film from director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), is based on the top-rated video game series of the same name. Despite an extensive track record of such films, the decent script by Rafe Judkins (The Wheel of Time), Art Marcum (Iron Man), and Matt Holloway (Men in Black: International) functions as a good opener for what could be the next action franchise. Orphaned brothers Sam and Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) dreamed of Magellan's lost treasure until they were separated. Now fifteen years later, treasure hunter Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) asks Nathan to join him on that search. When Victor reveals that he and Sam were once partners, Nathan agrees to the expedition, in hopes of finding his brother. But Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) is standing in their way. He believes that the treasure is rightfully his since his family financed Magellan centuries before. Sam and Nathan, with the help of fellow treasure hunter Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), must solve the mystery of the missing treasure while Santiago does his best to stop them and retrieve the prize for himself.Coming from an action film based on a video game, The story is fast-paced, as expected. Like most games, there isn't a whole lot of character development. Interestingly, the one genuine attempt at doing so (in a flashback) serves as the significant slow point of the film. The relationship is important but feels too inserted to prevent it from affecting the flow. Beyond that, it is a fun thrill ride, as long as physics don't matter much to the viewer. Holland's not-quite-innocent character is fun to watch, and the chemistry between him and Wahlberg for their roles as frenemies works well. Banderas has reached the age where he fittingly portrays the wealthy villain; so, his limited scenes leave the audience wanting more. Some of the stunts are very over-the-top and require a lot of ignoring not to be distracting. There also seems to be a desire to channel some Spider-man into Holland's character. Despite these issues, the visuals are spectacular, especially in the closing act. Much of the action feels like a self-playing video game, whether intentional or not. Mainly, it works. Like many films before it, Uncharted suffers a bit in translation from controller-driven fun to the big screen. But it is entertaining and fun, especially for fans of bombastic action flicks. And like video games, the ending includes teasers of a sequel. It should be successful enough that 'Uncharted 2' isn't too far off the map.