While hardcore fans of the videogame series may be disappointed, this movie prequel has a great cast, plenty of humour and lots of treasure-hunting action that should provide plenty for everyone else to enjoy.

Premise: Bartender and petty thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is approached by the enigmatic Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to help him find the fabled lost gold of the sixteenth century Magellan expedition – the same treasure that Nate’s older brother Sam was searching for when he disappeared years ago. But Nate and Sully aren’t the only ones chasing the lost fortune, and no one can be sure of who to trust.

Review:

There are two ways of judging this big screen adaptation of the successful Uncharted videogame series – one is how it compares to the games, and the other is how it works as a standalone movie.

I was a big fan of the Uncharted games, which were great fun and captured the feeling of starring in your own cinematic, blockbuster movie, while also having a surprising amount of emotion and maturity in places too. That said, I’m not so precious about them that I can’t separate my experience of playing the games from my experience of watching this movie, as they were always going to be very different.

“…part of what makes the film so much fun is the easy humour that Tom Holland & Mark Wahlberg bring…”

It is probably fair to say that this movie version of Uncharted lacks the depth or inventiveness of the games, and so I can see why some gamer fans have been disappointed by this adaptation. But I think there are some extenuating circumstances, not least of which is the fact that this movie is effectively a prequel to the games. Therefore, although I was initially surprised (and a little disappointed) by the decision not to include the character of Elena Fisher in this movie, in hindsight it does make a lot of sense. As fundamental as Elena is to the series (she is, after all, arguably the catalyst for most of the games’ emotionally impactful moments), she meets Nate after he’s become the “Nathan Drake – Treasure Hunter” character that we know and love, and so it wouldn’t make sense for her to meet Nate in this prequel where he’s in the process of finding that persona for the first time.

Instead of the Nate/Elena relationship, this prequel focuses on Nate meeting Victor Sullivan for the first time, and the origins of their relationship. This may mean that the film lacks some of the emotional impact that the games (especially the second, third and fourth ones) had, but you have to walk before you can run. By spending the time developing Nate into his eventual treasure-hunting persona, the film also avoids the problem of Nate appearing fully formed onscreen as (cynically) an Indiana Jones knock-off. This film also shies away from the more supernatural/fantastical elements from the games, but this is also perhaps not surprising if the film was trying to avoid direct comparisons to Indiana Jones and 2018’s Tomb Raider.

“…the cast are all great, centred around the chemistry between Tom Holland & Mark Wahlberg…”

But if there are any complaints to be made about this film, I imagine they’re likely to come from gamers who aren’t happy about the way in which the material has been adapted – but those coming to the franchise afresh are unlikely to have such baggage. I saw this film with three others who had never played the games before, and they all loved the movie. And that’s perhaps not surprising, as once you start looking at how the film stands on its own two feet rather than how it compares to the games, there’s an awful lot to enjoy.

Firstly, there are the action set-pieces. Some have been lifted directly from the games, others are inspired by elements from the games, and some are completely new – but they’re all a lot of fun. Part of what makes the action (and the film as a whole) so much fun is the easy humour that Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg bring to the movie. Whether they’re verbally sparking off each other in the scenes that they share, or whether Tom Holland is selling the comedic moments alone (like he is in the film’s opening sequence), there’s always a line, a look or a pratfall to make you smile.

“…relative newcomers Sophia Ali & Tati Gabrielle make a real impression…”

Speaking of the movie’s tone, it is a little inconsistent in a few places, almost as if they filmed some scenes before deciding which tone they would ultimately be going for. For the most part, Uncharted is a fairly light-hearted action adventure that would probably be suitable for most (older) children, but there are a couple of scenes that jar a little (including one where someone’s throat is slit, albeit off-camera). It’s arguably a minor quibble, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you are thinking of taking under-12s to see it (and, from an adult’s perspective, seeing a completely bloodless depiction of someone having their throat slit was so unrealistic that it did take me out of the moment).

The cast in Uncharted are all great, centred around the chemistry between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg in their lead performances. As a fan of the games, it may take you a moment to get over how young these actors are in comparison to their characters in the games, but this is a prequel, and non-gamers will instantly take these two actors’ performances to heart. Antonio Banderas seems to be having fun continuing his run of over-the-top villains (following on from The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard last year), while the relative newcomers Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle make a real impression with their roles.

“…a lot of fun thanks to its slick action sequences, its cast, its treasure-hunting shenanigans & its playful sense of humour…”

The story itself could, perhaps ungenerously, be described as being fairly familiar, given that it essentially boils down to a scavenger hunt in which the characters follow one clue to the next in the search for the treasure. But I feel that such a description would be unduly harsh, given that not only are there plenty of exciting moments along the way, but there are also plenty of twists that keep (new) viewers on their toes (even if some long-term fans may be less surprised).

All in all, while Uncharted may not feel like the most original film you’ve ever seen, it’s a lot of fun thanks to its slick action sequences, the chemistry between its cast members, its treasure-hunting shenanigans, the catchy score from Ramin Djawadi, and its playful sense of humour. I came into this film with relatively low expectations, and I was very pleasantly surprised – overall, I thought this was significantly more enjoyable than last year’s Jungle Cruise or Red Notice (both of which are getting sequels) and so if there’s any justice, this won’t be the last we see of Tom Holland’s take on Nathan Drake.

Also, there is a mid-credits extra scene (but no end-of-credits scene).