It may be Uncharted, but the destination is adventure…
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali
Running time: 116 minutes
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular, action-packed video game series, Uncharted packs a punch with fast-paced fight scenes, swashbuckling treasure hunting and even a sprinkling of humour.
The film follows Nate Drake (Tom Holland), descendant of pirates and Sir Francis Drake, as he gets dragged into a hunt for the world’s biggest treasure trove by the mysterious Sully, played by Mark Wahlberg. Nate thinks he’ll find his long lost brother as he searches for the treasure, but of course there is a mix of bad guys and double-crossing treasure hunters hot on his tail.
Tom Holland is great but some of his drink-guzzling and thieving antics miss the mark; it seems it’ll be a while before he can shake off being our friendly, baby-faced Spider-Man…and he certainly doesn’t look like the burly game character he’s meant to be playing. Meanwhile, Antonio Banderas and Mark Wahlberg are safe, sturdy staples to add into the cast.
Don’t expect it to break the mould, but it’s a great way to spend a few hours during a dark and miserable February
However, wild card Tati Gabrielle (who you may recognise from Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and You) plays a fantastic villain with her well-practised sinister undertones, and it’s wonderful to see her on the big screen.
As it’s a typical American action film, there’s not actually all that much more to say. It hits all the marks for good fun, small laughs and good-natured sentimentality. Of course, you’ll have to suspend belief for some of it – how some of the Spanish relics and hiding places weren’t uncovered is beggar’s belief – but you do for most good films.
It won’t replace adventure classics like Indiana Jones, and don’t expect it to break the mould, but it’s a great way to spend a few hours during a dark and miserable February – we happily welcome the sequel that’s hinted at at the end of the film.
Did you know? A 15-minute Uncharted fan film starring Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake was released on YouTube in 2018, and was praised by franchise creator Amy Hennig.
Uncharted is in cinemas now
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