Uncharted Review

Story posted March 16, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by David Myers

Director Reuben Fleischer realized that there has not been a good treasure hunting movie in a while that classified into the action and adventure genres, so he provided one. 

“Uncharted” was based on the popular video game series of the same name developed by Naughty Dog and is mostly available on Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Playstation consoles. 

The movie stars Tom Holland as newbie treasure hunter Nathan Drake, who goes from serving drinks as a bartender to looking for the lost gold of Ferdinand Magellan’s circumnavigation following his recruitment from Victor Sullivan, “Sully,” played by Mark Wahlberg. 

They later join up with Sophia Ali as Chloe Frazer in an uneasy alliance and end up in a race to find the loot before Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), the descendant of the family that financed Magellan’s trip, and his hired hand Braddock, portrayed by Tati Gabrielle, can find it themselves.

Since “Uncharted” is based on a video game series, it makes sense for the screenplay to follow the action of the main characters and for most of the locale to come from the source material. 

The story focuses on Drake’s experience except for the scenes that serve to flesh out the other characters and show different perspectives of the action.

Sully and Frazer get their share of the spotlight this way.  His action scene is in a one-on-one fight to save Drake from a deadly trap while Frazer has a shootout on an airplane, the same airplane from the beginning of the film that Drake scrambles to get back onto.

Wahlberg’s portrayal as “Sully” is a weaker performance in comparison to his co-stars. He has experience in what it takes to be a treasure hunter from heists to deception and even pickpocketing. 

However, he can be emotionless during certain points of the film.  There was one moment when he was surprised and impressed by Drake’s abilities, but in this instance, he wore a poker face almost as if he expected Drake to prevail despite what his character saw earlier.

Sully also ends up as the butt of jokes during the film, poking fun at his age. “Uncharted” really hits that fast action-adventure genre as the pacing for the movie  compares to whitewater rafting. 

Rapid intensity goes from one to five and this movie never takes the audience below two, even in scenes that are supposed to feel slow. This forces viewers to focus on the action for the whole film with no time to experience where they go. 

Watching “Uncharted” can invoke similar feelings viewers got from “The Adventures of TinTin” from 2011, with the similar premise of someone putting everything down to go on a journey with the promise of riches.

The resolution in “Uncharted” brings the current epic to a close and leaves the door open for more whereas the ending of “The Adventures of TinTin” felt unfinished, it left the audience on a cliffhanger and then never resolved it. 

This movie serves as an outlet from the barrage of superheroes and remakes that have become commonplace in cinema recently.  The pacing and lack of downtime make the film feel rushed, thus leaving the audience little to no time to slow down and get a sense of how far Drake has come or appreciate any details. 

“Uncharted” will scratch the itch of a sense of adventure, just at 1.25 speed.

Rating: 3/5 stars

David Myers is a fourth-year majoring in telecommunications.  To contact him, email at d12amyers@gmail.com