70. Uncharted; movie review

 

UNCHARTED

Cert 12A

116 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

Nowadays, it feels as if every new action movie is based on a video game.

Uncharted is no exception and, as there have already been three PlayStation sequels, we can presume that the film versions will follow suit.

This picture is another milestone on the stratospheric rise of Tom Holland who, at 25, has become one of the biggest stars of the 2020s.

He plays Nathan Drake, who is a petty thief obsessed with the stories of history and treasure fed to him by his elder brother when he was a young boy.

The pair are split when Nathan is ten years old and the only contact has been through postcards which appear to contain cryptic clues, leading to a golden bounty.

Key to unlocking them is treasure hunter Victor 'Sully' Sullivan played with suitable deadpan by Mark Wahlberg.

Sullivan would sell his own granny if it meant he could track down the gold of the explorer Magellan.

But, while there is evidence that it exists, only solving clues reminiscent of those in Indiana Jones movies will lead them there.

Inevitably, there are ruthless competitors on the same trail - including a stereotypical villain (Antonio Banderas) and a duplicitous treasure-hunter (Sophia Ali).

The action is fast and furious with the leads falling from planes into the sea and facing myriad unexpected obstacles.

Time and again, they defeat the seemingly insurmountable only to find they merely have a small piece in the jigsaw on an odyssey, literally to the other side of the world.

It is all breathless stuff while there is a quite charming double act between Holland and Wahlberg.

My problem was that I had seen pretty much all of the highlights and gags in the trailer for Ruben Fleischer's movie. Indeed, the teaser has a couple of jokes which are not even in it.

It has inspired me to close my eyes during them in future.

Meanwhile, Holland has admitted there is too much concentration on his biceps and not enough on the quality of his acting. He's probably right.

Reasons to watch: Plenty of action

Reasons to avoid: If you have already seen the trailer

Laughs: A couple of chuckles

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating 6/10

Did you know? Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe was originally launched as a means of finding a western route to the Moluccas, a small archipelago in Indonesia known for its stores of precious spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

The final word. Tom Holland: "At times, it was less about land a mark and go through this scene and more about land a mark, stand like this and see my bulging biceps… It was a mistake and is something that I will probably never do again." GQ

Share this post