Uncharted

Y’know what, it wasn’t that bad. As a huge fan of the games I had zero expectations going into this, I didn’t like any of the promotional material, I didn’t really like the casting and the production hell this film went through didn’t give me any hope that this was going to be a decent film. Yet somehow it was fine. Don’t get me wrong this isn’t a good film, nor is it really an Uncharted film, sure it has some iconography from the games and the characters have the same names but other than that it’s a standard action film with an Uncharted label slapped on top.

That’s probably my biggest gripe with the film, this should’ve just been its own thing, it didn’t have to be tied to Uncharted but that name gets more people in seats which equals more money. Yay praise the IP filled hell that’s destroying cinema. This, to me, was leagues above most of the generic action blockbusters pumped out by Hollywood though. Comparing this to Red Notice, which has a vaguely similar plot and characterisation, this just works on so many more levels. Disappointingly though if this was just an original film, I think it would deserve a better rating, but as an Uncharted film, it brings it down from being just a good action film.

These movies are never shot particularly well, the CGI is off in a lot of places and there’s some downright egregious shots but when it grounds itself the action can be pretty fun and fluid, and the major set pieces had me smiling throughout. Also while not the iconic score from the games Ramin Djwadi delivers yet another great score that pays homage to the ones in the games. The humour is pretty hit or miss, but a lot more land here than I expected. Honestly that’s thanks to the performances.

When Tom Holland was first cast as Nathan Drake it’s fair to say fans of the games were apprehensive about him playing a character so many have grown to love. But he kind of nails it. It’s mainly due to the effervescent charm that Holland has when he’s on screen, he’s so endearing and completely grabs your attention. He plays Drake with a charm and wit that isn’t like Peter Parker, a worry many had, he embodies a young Nathan Drake in the universe they’ve set up pretty perfectly.

Truly shocking though is the fact that Mark Walhberg wasn’t awful and even more he was actually charming throughout. His Sully isn’t exactly the one fans of the games are used to but the dynamic between him and Holland really worked for me, the humour wasn’t overly forced, and they just had this nice back and forth that was really appreciated, elevating the film slightly from being a generic action flick.

Sophia Ali was surprisingly great too, Chloe ended up being probably the most accurate translation from the video game version of her. Again her dynamic with the two leads really worked and had you as much invested in her as Nathan and Sulley. The rest of the cast were pretty forgettable. Both villains were far too generic and had no development at all, which really is sad when the games are full of great villains.

This film wasn’t great but it was fun, the definition of a popcorn flick. If you’re a fan of the games you might leave disappointed but if you take it for what it is, it’s an enjoyable watch with some serviceable action and some passable humour.

★★1/2