I’m a big fan of treasure hunt movies, as they create better escapism than most kind of action/adventure stories. Who wouldn’t fantasize of finding a massive treasure that will change history? With the new Uncharted, now playing in theatres, all I’m fantasizing of is some originality.
While the film is often fun to watch, two core problems make it hard to enjoy the action: one is the sheer implausibility of the stunts. The second is that all the best moments are largely stolen from other adventure movies of the last 50 years.
Sony Pictures, who produced the film, finds the premise of Uncharted from the characters of Playstation’s megahit game series, by no coincidence also owned by Sony. But instead of copying the plot from one of the four main video games, the film acts instead as a prequel and origin story for main character Nathan Drake (Tom Holland, also still in theatres starring in the latest Spider-Man.)
Nathan is a 25-year-old in New York who hasn’t heard from his history-loving, artifact-stealing older brother in years. When a friend of his brother (Mark Wahlberg) asks for his help finding a gold stash worth $5 billion, Nathan agrees in hopes of finding both the treasure and his brother who’s gone missing.
One thing that’s absolutely clear, in the opinion of this professional movie-goer, is how solidly Tom Holland has unquestionably established himself as a bona fide movie star. He has talent in expression, line delivery, comedy, stunts - he’s the whole package. And he’s a marvel to watch on screen.
Holland and Wahlberg have great chemistry together, and the rest of the cast perform their stunts aptly. But their co-stars Tati Gabrielle, Sophia Ali and Antonio Banderas are all more often campy instead of convincing - it’s like they’re holding back a smirk knowing how silly the script is.
Many of the stunts are cool, yes, but many of them also infuriatingly defy all physics and logic just for the sake of looking cool. The fight on the cargo boxes behind a moving airplane? The velocity and blowback would make it all impossible. That’s just one example of several how the whole cast should have died trying any of this.
Most of the coolest moments in the movie are also directly (and unapologetically) stolen from other, better treasure hunt films. The aerial red line over the stained map? The booby trap doors shooting arrows? Both classics from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The characters even tease each other by calling them names of other adventure heroes like Indiana Jones and Jack Sparrow.
The likely truth is, like many pure adventure films, Uncharted is campy, illogical and sloppy in its editing and screenwriting. Despite that, it’s a whole lot of fun to watch and it works as mindless, brain-killing entertainment.
Maybe it’s hard to accept 21st century treasure flicks like the National Treasure and Tomb Raider franchises just aren’t very good. But common sense be damned - the high stakes race to find the gold is still an exciting set up to watch unfold.
Is it a good movie? No. It is a fun movie? Fans of the titles mentioned above and fans of the Playstation franchise will have a lot of fun at Uncharted. Moviegoers who are undecided in advance will probably find it stupid and shallow.
Uncharted
4 out of 10
PG, 1hr 56mins. Action Adventure.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer.
Starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Tati Gabrielle, Sophia Ali and Antonio Banderas.
Now Playing at Film.Ca Cinemas, Cineplex Winston Churchill and Cineplex Oakville & VIP.
