A simple and naive plot is compensated by cool action and excellent jokes.
On February 10, a new film by Ruben Fleischer will open in Russian cinemas (“Welcome in Zombieland”) about treasure hunters starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. It is based on the popular Uncharted game series, which has become a standard in the adventure genre and is familiar to many gamers.
The film contains the most moments from the second part of the franchise – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It is this that many fans still consider to be the best in the series. But chronologically this is still a prequel to the first part. At the same time, the film contains many scenes from the third and fourth games. In a word, fans of the original will be happy: the picture turned out to be something like a construction set.
The film adaptation was announced back in 2008. But the film was stuck in production hell for 14 years and went through seven directors, while Mark Wahlberg, who was originally supposed to play Nathan Drake, had time to mature for the role of Victor Sullivan. His partner was Tom Holland, the star of the latest Spider-Man trilogy.
Still from the film “Ancharted: Not on the Maps”
Many fans of the games were immediately confused by the fact that Holland doesn't look that much like Drake. After all, for many years the main dream of fans was to see Nathan Fillion (“Firefly”, “Castle”) in this role. But they were in vain: Tom fit perfectly into the character, although he largely adapted it to suit himself and brought a lot of personal charisma to the film.
Naive plot inspired by adventure classics
Young adventurer Nate mixes cocktails at the bar and does not hesitate to clean out the pockets of the most careless clients. One day, a former military man named Sally comes to the guy and invites him on a dangerous journey to find the long-lost treasures of Magellan. On their way they encounter many obstacles and dangerous people, including Santiago Moncada, who is confident in his right to the treasure.
Still from the film “Ancharted: On not on the maps”
Many viewers unfamiliar with the game may be confused (or, conversely, pleased) that the film is too similar to the old-school Indiana Jones films or the works of Stephen Sommers about the Mummy. But the fact is that initially the developers from Naughty Dog were inspired by the classics of adventure cinema and literature.
Hence the very simple and even slightly naive plot and simple-minded dialogues. If you come into Uncharted with too much of a serious attitude, you'll probably end up lacking character motivation. Drake only needs a few minutes of screen time and a couple of flashbacks to first flatly refuse to participate in Sally’s proposed adventure, and then finally decide that he’s in.
Heroes often betray each other without any particular reason, villains die easily and effortlessly, and picturesque locations change not even because it is necessary for the plot, but simply to have a reason to arrange a cool chase across the rooftops of Barcelona. But if you pay less attention to the meaning, and perceive the film as a visual attraction, you can get enormous pleasure from it.
Crazy action from the game and sweet humor
If we're talking about the action, it's simply brilliantly staged here. Additionally, these scenes are crazy in a good way. After all, not every movie, even the most out-of-the-box and crazy one, can see how the heroes flop into the sea in a car that has just fallen out of a plane. Or how the characters fight on the deck of a pirate ship, which is flying, tied by a cable to a helicopter.
Here, to justify the authors, we can only say that all these moments were in the game. Therefore, you shouldn’t even try to understand how Nathan and his comrades managed to fall out of the plane without a parachute and not crash: this is the whole crazy magic of the movie.
Still from the film “Uncharted: Not on the Cards”
Dynamic moments are perfectly diluted with humor, and you can laugh at almost every joke. It’s also about the comedic talent of Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, whose facial expressions and body language add expressiveness to absolutely any joke.
In general, “Ancharted” can also be called a full-fledged action comedy. By the way, unlike many other titles, where the humor often looks forced and barely makes you smile a couple of times during the entire film, the jokes here are not at all stupid.
References for fans and the handsome Tom Holland for the rest
As mentioned above, Fleischer’s film will not only not upset gamers, but will also delight them with a pleasant feeling of recognition. Just look at the touching cameo of Nolan North, who voiced Nathan Drake in the games.
There are actually a lot of such little things scattered throughout the timing. But even if you haven’t played Uncharted, don’t think that the film is not for you: the screenwriters adapted the story as clearly as possible, albeit with some changes.
Still from the film “Uncharted: Not on the Maps”
And it was not in vain that Sony Pictures placed its bet on Tom Holland. Although for many, it will most likely be difficult to separate the actor from his image of Spider-Man, especially since the premiere of “No Way Home” died down quite recently. But still, Holland’s performance shows that he is maturing as an artist. Not to mention the fact that the lion’s share of the film’s charm rests on his charisma and external data.
Don’t expect anything outstanding from “Ancharted.” This is not the best game adaptation out there, but this film is head and shoulders above other, much less successful game adaptations.
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