UNCHARTED REVIEW: THE STARTING POINT OF A THIEF
This Uncharted movie review is not spoiler-free. It will discuss the best and worst uses of Uncharted’s video game license. Is this movie adaptation of Naughty Dog’s video games going to be able to live up?
The Uncharted movie was in a losing fight from the beginning–something Nathan Drake, a scrappy videogame iteration, knows well. This familiar, beloved character along with his sidekicks and their plundering misadventures have made the Uncharted franchise so memorable for fans. It fails to capture their individual personalities in any way. The movie does however provide a humorous origin story for the team of thieves, who have the same names that Naughty Dog’s creations.
This knowledge will help you have fun with the Uncharted movie. This film is not for you if you are looking to see Nate and Sully, or cool action scenes. This Uncharted movie reviews is not spoiler-free. I will discuss the film’s best and worst parts.
STORY – UNINSPIRING BUT THRILLING
The audience is shown a glimpse of Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), and his child with Sam, taking inspiration from Uncharted 3 : Drake’s Deceit. It doesn’t last long, and it’s difficult to feel a close bond between them. Soon, Nate and Victor “Sully”, Mark Wahlberg, get to know each other and embark on a globe-trotting adventure to find the Magellan Expedition’s lost and gold-laden ships. The plot is well-written and adds some mystery to the story by not mentioning Sam’s disappearance at all.
The story’s lack of creativity is compensated for by memorable action sets. This is one aspect the movie does well to replicate from its videogame origins. This mirroring is more like a trailer for Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. Ruben Fleischer is a good Venom director, with some originality. However, these moments are not as great as when the film is riffing off of the games. It’s thrilling regardless of where the action is coming from and it’s the most enjoyable part of the film.
PERFORMANCES AND CHARACTERS – BAD CHARACTERIZATION, GOOD ACTING
Let’s just say that Tom Holland doesn’t make a good Nathan Drake. To put aside Dream fans, there are many actors both established and new that could have done better at bringing the charming, thief alive. This is what disappointed me most about the movie, as a Nathan Drake and Tom Holland fan. Because he is so boring, it’s difficult to imagine that new audiences would feel any affection for him. He lacks charm and charisma. He and Chloe, Sophie Ali, don’t have much chemistry. However, Nate’s and Sullys banter feels natural. Actually, the interactions of the trio are amongst Rafe Judkins’, Art Marcum’s, and Matt Holloway’s best.
Holland is right to say that no character from the games was well represented in the movie. Surprisingly Mark Wahlberg does a great job of bringing the character to life. He even imitates Richard McGonagle’s Sully quite well. Sully, the Uncharted film’s character, is actually quite a good one. Although his humor is a bit forced at times, Wahlberg does have some good material that will appeal to the masses.
The thief can banter.
Sophia Ali’s portrayal of young Chloe Frazer is more about a promise of future events than it is about demonstrating why Chloe has become so beloved by the fans. Her backstory is generic, and she delivers it in typical Hollywood dialogue. The rest of the script portrays her untrusting nature well, eliminating the need to have this exchange. She’s not boring and I would love to see more of Chloe in the sequel.
Tati Gabrielle is the real star, playing Jo Braddock. She is the villain Antonio Banderas cannot match. Although there is nothing special about her bloodthirsty character, she puts on a great performance. Every line of dialogue is delivered with intensity and a glowering smile. It won’t surprise anyone who has seen Gabrielle’s work in You or The Chilling Adventures , to see how talented she is. It’s great to see that her acting skills have been able to translate to the big screen.
FLEISCHER’S DECEPTION: EDITING AND PACING
The story is not very interesting and will not keep the audience interested. The movie starts slow, which makes it a bit boring. About a third of way through the movie, the pace picks up and the action begins to be added to the mix. The set pieces are well placed and well orchestrated. Some cool moments are a bit short, but they move the plot forward rather than linger on the action scenes. It makes for a great pace, but leaves me disappointed at what could have been.
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SOUND – LACKLUSTER VIDEOS AND SCORE
Chung-hoon Chung, cinematographer and Ruben Fleischer are at their best during the cargo plane scene. This is Hollywood action at its best, paying tribute to the famous scene from 3: Drake’s Deceit. It’s outrageous and absurd, which is why it will be remembered by all moviegoers. A few other action scenes are also worth watching. They don’t reach the same heights as this sequence. However, too much attention is paid to the action and not enough to the film’s locations. Barcelona is not being used in every way. There aren’t many lingering photos of busy streets or the interiors grand buildings. Nate and Chloe go to a cool place that moves by very quickly. The crew had to give up atmosphere in order to make an action movie.
Maybe the lack of atmosphere could be improved with a more dynamic score. Ramin Djawadi’s soundtrack is mediocre and only shines in the credits. The movie’s famous Uncharted music motif ran through the film, but I was too busy to notice it because of the noise. It’s not as memorable as Djawadi’s exceptional work on Westworld or Game of Thrones. The soundtrack isn’t terrible, but it’s not great.
