Movie Review: Uncharted

I waited for the Blu-Ray release for Uncharted because I couldn’t bring myself to see it in the theater. I had very low expectations. Before I go any further, let me just say that I’m a lifelong gamer, a PlayStation fan that’s owned every system and beaten every single Uncharted game ever released. Yes, even Golden Abyss on the Vita. It’s a series that ranks in my top 5 all time. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of Uncharted and have a storied history with it.

I don’t know how anyone expected this movie to be any good. Not only because it’s a video game movie, but also it’s had multiple directors and been in development for almost a decade. As I watched, I continually rolled my eyes and became frustrated. Not because the movie was awful, but because I knew it had so much more potential. They basically threw in a bunch of scenes from the games, added some original scenes and called it a day. There is no respect for the characters, timeline or lore. A few Easter eggs do NOT count.

Tom Holland as Nathan Drake? Really? He had none of the personality traits of Drake, nor the mannerisms. Holland claims he played Uncharted 4, but you’d never know. He’s not funny, charismatic or charming. Mark Wahlberg as Sully doesn’t work either. He just acts like Mark Wahlberg. The same goes for the supporting cast. No one really matches their game counterpart. You can say they weren’t trying to do that, but that isn’t a valid view in my eyes. Just make an action movie and call it something else. Don’t put the Uncharted name on it.

Even as a standard globe-trotting action movie, it’s not very good. The writing isn’t great, the pacing is stilted and the acting is hard to get past. The action is quite fun and keeps you entertained but that’s about all it has going for it. That, and some cool CGI. It’s exactly what you probably expected it. Overall, it’s just a letdown and doesn’t represent Uncharted as a game series whatsoever. Am I surprised? No. Am I frustrated? Yes. If you want an Uncharted movie, go on YouTube and watch all the cutscenes from the games.

Score: 2 out of 5

– Wade Williams