Uncharted adapts a video game, but you don’t have to be a gamer to see where it inspires. This new film is about treasure hunters stealing ancient gold, but the bigger theft is the brazen theft in the film from Indiana Jones, Ocean’s Eleven and Pirates of the Caribbean. And yet, if anyone can commit such a brazen burglary, it is the smooth criminal Tom Holland who follows him. Spider-Man: No way home with a coolness that confirms its stellar power.
Uncharted launches in the United Kingdom on February 11 and in the United States on February 18. This is not a direct adaptation of the much-loved series of games Naughty Dog, but instead tells a new story about the origins of the two-dimensional tomb robber Nathan Drake. However, the film borrows from the games, starting directly in an action scene that demonstrates the easy charm of Holland and some incredibly anti-gravity spectacle.
We meet Drake for the first time as a young boy who sneaks into a museum to steal Ferdinand Magellan’s world map. This teenage robbery goes awry, and his beloved older brother leaves their orphanage, leaving Nathan to grow into a cheeky bartender with a side line to free women from their jewelry if they reject his persistent flirtation. Holland plays the older Drake with his usual sympathetic sincerity, which makes him fun to watch, but he is completely unconvincing as a calculating pickpocket. Still, he seems real enough for Mark Wahlberg, who shows up at the bar one night to recruit Drake for a robbery that involves – gasp! “Magellan’s map, innumerable lost gold treasures, and – double hunt!” “Drake’s missing brother.” The next thing you know, the duo is around the world solving puzzles and uncovering ancient clues haunted by a purring millionaire and his evil mercenaries.
If that sounds like a bit of fun, that’s it. Drake’s uncleaned version of Holland spends most of his time kicking his ass, acrobatically bumping into various scratches and accidents. The opening sequence is then complemented by a completely ridiculous final act that offers some delightfully silly and infectiously entertaining blockbuster performances.
By the way, a lot will depend on how familiar you are with various other films. The first meeting between Holland and Wahlberg was Ocean’s eleven – Wahlberg even appeared in a tuxedo with a bow tie – and then the couple continued to rebuild Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. For example, the film literally recreates the third Indiana Jones film. There is a missing family member, clues in a diary and a sequence creeping into the catacombs of a European city. It’s so rude that I can’t list more similarities, because it would count as spoilers.
The filmmakers are not trying to hide this playful theft by giving Holland a cheeky twist on Indy’s catchphrase. But then they kept mentioning Indiana Jones and began to feel that they were protesting too much. By the way, this isn’t even the first time a video game adaptation has ripped out exactly the same movie: Remember The 2018 Tomb Raider movie with Alicia Vikander? This was appropriated by Last Crusade so strongly that the villains even had the same name. It’s annoyingly distracting, but maybe movie studios are betting on gamers and younger viewers who have never seen Indiana Jones.
Eventually, Uncharted went into Pirate of the Caribbean mode, but at least it brought its own madness to the decks. In this sequence and throughout the film. The abundance of Holland, decent VFX and the naughty choreography of the stuntmen keep things visible, which makes the inevitable scene after the credits and the sequel more bearable.
Arranged against the Netherlands are a mixed bag of villains. Antonio Banderas can make the seductive villain of his dreams (and probably does), while Tati Gabriel is instantly as iconic as the ruthless murderer in pursuit. The only thing sharper than her blades are her outfits, and although the script seems determined to undermine her threat, she’s a welcome burst of energy in a film whose other characters are generally quite soft. Wahlberg is good as Sully’s probably unreliable mentor, but it doesn’t help the film that he and Holland are essentially the same boy with the same biceps in the same tight T-shirts, the only difference being a few years (and a lot of mileage). .
After all, with its piracy anchored by Tom Holland’s star turn, Uncharted is harmless fun. Holland may be an unconvincing kleptomaniac, but he can steal scenes and hearts. Uncharted may steal from various better films, but it is a crime without victims.
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