“Uncharted” hit theaters on Feb. 18 with over $100 million dollars in the box office worldwide within the first weekend. The movie follows the thief, Nate Drake (Tom Holland) as he is recruited by Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a long-lost treasure worth $5 billion. They struggle with trust issues, betrayal and the ongoing chase from the Moncado group as they hunt for the treasure. It brings viewers back to Nate’s childhood spent in an orphanage with his older brother Sam (Rudy Pankow). The subplot of Nate’s struggle of trying to be like his absent brother and scheming tactics learned from Sam brings a human connection to the audience from the film’s video game origins.
The movie originates from the PlayStation video game, and it definitely shows. The opening shot features Nate as he unexpectedly falls out of a plane. While I’m sure this scene was intended to leave the audience with a feeling of suspense, it just left me confused. “Uncharted” was full of action and the immersive effects you feel in a video game, but lacked in storyline and plot.
This movie was unoriginal and gave the unsatisfied feeling of a waste of time. While the action scenes were entertaining, they felt repetitive and predictable. With the ongoing chase from Moncado, constant betrayal was expected. I feel that there are at least a dozen other mediocre video game-based movies and even more treasure-seeking films similar to “Uncharted,” that made this movie such a letdown.
The CGI and special effects made viewing feel immersive in the extreme diving, fighting, and chase scenes. At several points in the movie, the scene’s resemblance to the video game stands out. The specific dialogue throughout the movie makes obvious references to the “Uncharted” video game that you feel need some context to understand.
The movie leaves loose ends that the audience can only assume were left for a sequel. While there is speculation of a sequel in the works and resolving the cliffhanger is intriguing, I wouldn’t expect much from the presumed Sony franchise. I feel that this movie was heavily reliant on the starring cast members and video game fans for it to succeed.
Overall, “Uncharted” was entertaining to view, but the plotline as a whole is underwhelming and predictable.
Rating: C
