Uncharted is another movie based on a video game. I’m aware of the game though I never played it. I had just woken up and was making my way through coffee when I decided I wanted to waste some time first and work second that day. So I watched Uncharted. I headed over to Amazon Prime and Uncharted was on the first page of the marquee so I decided to give it a go.
When Uncharted starts, we see a Lockheed Martin C130 (a military cargo plane) flying through the sky with it’s bay doors open and cargo trailing like a tail swinging wildly behind it. I can just make out a person or two trying to work their way across the treacherous cargo “bridge” to get back to the plane. Our soon to be hero fights off the antagonists who are chasing him across the precarious cargo made lifeline. There’s eight or so giant cargo crates all connected together with what I can only guess is some really strong military grade nets, rigging, and tethers so after a few minutes he’s kicked one guy off to his death and with a little more drama sends the other still chasing and shooting militant to his death. The cargo netting of course is now fraying threatening to break away but our hero jumps from the final crate and onto plane. As he barely pulls himself up on the plane the cargo finally breaks away and when he looks up, a Mercedes Benz Gull Wing which was still in the cargo bay is gunning its way towards him and ultimately crashes in to him as he and the multi-million dollar car get re-introduced to gravity.
That’s right, if you guessed that was actually a scene from the end of movie placed at the beginning to give us all something to look forward to, then you’re right. If you didn’t guess that, I only have one word for you. Amatuer. 😉
Uncharted is a movie about growing up, dealing with traumatic childhood issues, meeting new friends, travelling around the world with them, engaging in a treasure hunt for the lost gold of Magellan, who at that point is long dead, of course. It’s also a story about about the Infamous Eighteen, who ultimately took charge of Magellan’s flotilla when he died of either some tropical disease in the Philippines, or done in by his crew who were actually the Infamous Eighteen themselves. You’ll get other historical tidbits from Uncharted which did send me down a rabbit hole hunting for more information but it’s definitely no National Treasure, or Raider of the Lost Ark for that matter. Liberties were taken with some of the historical narratives, but it enhances the movie and my guess is that it also sticks closer to the storyline of original game.
What Uncharted might lack in originality it totally makes up for with plenty of well choreographed action, forgettable but funny quips, and finally, an Indian Jones’ish trek around the world.. It starts off a bit PG-13’ish but the violence ramps up a bit as the movie plays out but the violence is either well hidden or appropriate enough to keep the movie under an R rating. It’s definitely one of those feel good stories where a lot of the action simply wouldn’t be survivable, but it’s done in a Wile E. Coyote’ish sort of way so you shouldn’t have issue with your young teenagers watching it.
I did enjoy Uncharted and there are some tried and true actors like Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas as well as new up comers like Tom Holland and Tati Gabrielle. So if you’re looking for a choice for family night or just want to have fun watching a seat of your pants adventure movie, Uncharted will fill the bill.
Street-smart Nathan Drake is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan, and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. – IMDb Synopsis
Uncharted was directed by Ruben Fleischer. Written by Rafe Judkin, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Featuring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Tati Gabrielle and a host of other fun actors. Released in 2022 with a running time of 1 hour and 56 minutes. IMDb gives it a rating of 6.3 out of 10 and I would give it a 7.5.