Review of Uncharted (2022) by Diag0Nal — 19 Feb 2022

Unlike most video game movie adaptations, Uncharted is quite refreshing and shows us the origin of the lovely story that is Nathan Drake. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, while not fan-favorite choices, do a good job of embodying the spirit and banter of the franchise’s two main characters, Nathan “Nate” Drake and Victor "Sully" "Goddamn" Sullivan.

Uncharted is a clear service to longtime fans of the series. Taking huge inspiration from the games in one of the Uncharted series most iconic scenes. A sense of adventure along with large-scale, over-the-top, well-choreographed action sequences that some may find obnoxious but are reminiscent of their video game counterpart.

A couple of emotional and goosebump-inducing callbacks to the video games including an amazing nostalgic scene with the original voice actor of Nate, Nolan North. A nod to Greg Edmonson's “Nate’s Theme” as Tom Holland’s Drake dons the iconic gun holsters.

All this while also bringing a new enjoyable interpretation for newcomers to the series. While there may be some corny jokes, forgettable villains, and questionable casting choices, how director Ruben Fleischer managed to encapsulate some but not all of Uncharted’s glory into this 1 h 56-minute movie deserves some recognition.

While it cannot compare to the G.O.A.T. of treasure hunter movies in Indiana Jones, it plays second fiddle pretty well. I think fans of the game along with newcomers introduced to the story of Nathan Drake through this movie will find it to be good and with hints in after-credit scenes be excited for more to come.