Uncharted is the story of Nathan Drake (Tom Holland)—a thief living in New York. One day, a treasure hunter named Sully (Mark Wahlberg) shows up to inform Nathan that his long-lost brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) was Sully’s partner but has since gone missing. The two were searching for the riches left behind by famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan when they were ambushed and separated. With the hope of finding his brother and the gold, Drake agrees to help Sully and the two set off on a global adventure in search of the riches. Unfortunately for them, there are several nefarious groups also with strong interest in the treasure who attempt to thwart the duo on multiple occasions.
What works in Uncharted is the escapade and charm. Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home) in particular is incredibly likeable as the whip-smart adventurer who constantly gets in over his head—he’s found a way to combine heroics and humor perfectly. This works particular well in the form of the audience surrogate given the wonderfully absurd action. Uncharted humbly requests that the audience just enjoy the ride as director Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Zombieland) defies logic and physics at nearly every turn, all in the name of entertainment. The set pieces are absolutely massive and intricate, and Fleischer clearly enjoys making the best use of them in clever ways. Whatever its flaws may be, during its best sequences (and there are quite a few), Uncharted is definitely thrilling.
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Individuals who don’t appreciate pulpy, nonsensical plots may not enjoy Uncharted as much as others. Aside from Drake, character motivations are either murky or disingenuous to the point of eye-rolling. There’s only so many times a person can switch allegiances before the trope becomes exhausting. And while the action is fantastic, the bits in between are so expository that they border on tedium—you never want audiences checking their watches, waiting for something interesting to happen. Finally, fans of the video game source material are likely to be torn on this adaptation. On one hand, it’s fun to see Holland embody Nathan Drake adeptly—he looks and feels the part (or at least a young version of the character). Unfortunately, that’s about where the similarities end save for one sequence taken directly from the games. More simply, it’s unclear why this had to be called Uncharted other than established brand recognition.
Uncharted is a great rainy day family adventure flick. While the story may border on forgettable, the thrills pair superbly with a big bucket of popcorn.
Recommended if you Enjoyed: Pirates of Caribbean (franchise), The Mummy (franchise)
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