When it comes to video game adaptations, there’s way more misses than hits. Try as they might, studios are just going to keep churning them out. Uncharted, for instance, was stuck in development hell long enough that one of the stars (Mark Wahlberg) aged enough to have to play a different character — that’s a really long time. So it probably took some rewrites when Tom Holland was cast to play Nathan Drake with the character originally modeled off Nathan Fillion. But low and behold, Uncharted winds up being way more fun than it probably deserves to be.
Nathan is a street smart Vicenarian who still pines for his brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) after Sam abandoned Nathan 15 years ago. Working as a bartender with a knack for pickpocketing, Nathan soon meets his true calling when Victor Sullivan (Wahlberg) enlists his help — along with the resourceful Chloe (Sophia Ali) — to find the lost treasure of the Magellan expedition before Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) get to it first.
Never having played any of the Uncharted games — of which there are a lot — probably helped temper expectations, but director Ruben Fleischer shows he still has the knack for comedy and action he promised with the release of Zombieland over 12 years ago. And while it may be of the turn-your-brain-off-and-bask-in-the-absurdity variety, you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy yourself. It’s anchors away with Nathan and Victor bickering their way to hidden treasures in a hilarious battle royale of Millennial vs Gen X.
Filled with huge action scenes, and interesting puzzles for the characters to work through, Uncharted plays like the love child of Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code with a splash of The Goonies for good measure. I never knew I wanted to see a tug-of-war between helicopters and pirate ships — and now I have. Just be sure to stay for the mid-credits scene which may leave some bewildered, but makes for a big payoff for fans of the game. Considering that’s the main target, I’m glad I enjoyed myself. Even more so, the fanbase will too.
