So when it comes to my expectations for the recently released 'Uncharted' movie, I wasn't exactly having my hopes up. I wasn't thinking that the film would be particularly good and that it would be able to 'respect' the wonderful game franchise that it was based on.
After all, even though I didn't expect the film to be completely awful, there were a lot of warning signs about how the movie wouldn't be great. Things like the main actors looking nothing like the characters in the game was a pretty obvious sign not to get your hopes up.
At the same time, just because I wasn't expecting much, that wasn't a reason not to watch the film. Perhaps Tom Holland as our hero 'Nathan Drake' and Mark Wahlberg as 'Victor Sullivan' would be able to make the movie entertaining and worth my time.
So having now finally seen the movie, I have to say that 'Uncharted' isn't as bad as and as unwatchable as it could have been. It's a film that gets some of its basics right and manages to keep the story going, even though as a movie it's not necessarily that good.
Story-wise, the film, more or less, is a mashup of the four Uncharted games that have been released. It contains some of the 'best' elements from these games, like the airplane scene from the 3rd - and the pirate treasure hunt from the 4th game that was released in 2016.
Not that surprisingly, since the film has elements from different games in the franchise, it's not easy to make the story particularly natural or organic. There are going to be a lot of challenges by default if you want to make the story even remotely coherent.
Pacing-wise, when it comes to the movie, there's no question that the first 20-30 minutes in the film are very rushed. Things are introduced to the viewer in a hurry (e.g. young Drake and some of his less admirable character traits), which doesn't necessarily make you relate to him.
Indeed, as we're shown how he steals - as a bartender - a bracelet from a girl for no good reason, that isn't exactly a 'save the cat' moment that we're supposed to see. This didn't help the story and made me question what was going to happen later in the film.
Fortunately, as the story goes further, the characters get a bit more likable and the pacing becomes less frantic. As they start figuring out how to find clues and items that will get them closer to the eventual treasure (villains are there too), the film gets a bit better.
Production-wise, I think it can be said that 'Uncharted' looks relatively good. There are scenes in the movie that are very well made and exciting - especially the helicopter / ship-sequence, so if you're a fan of the genre, these bits will likely entertain you rather well.
Acting-wise, I have to say that even though Tom Holland doesn't look the part at all, he does a relatively okay job here. He and Mark Wahlberg have some chemistry together, so I can't really blame them for not trying hard enough or not being committed to their roles.
Still, when you look at the film as a whole, just because the stars do their best here, that doesn't mean that the movie works that well. It's difficult to say that this feels like an actual 'Uncharted' movie when it feels a bit more like, let's say, a 'Da Vinci Code' film.
After all, especially when you compare this movie to the wonderful 15 minute 'Uncharted' fan film starring Nathan Fillion and Stephen Lang, you can only wonder what could have been. It's clear that the fan film had a lot more charm and actual 'Uncharted' feel in it.
In that sense, in the end, when it comes to whether I'd recommend one to watch this movie, I think it's pretty safe to say that I'm not super excited about it. This is not a great film and certainly doesn't do that much justice to the game franchise that it's based on.
Still, if you're someone who likes to watch films in this genre, like 'National Treasure' and even 'Da Vinci Code', you might manage to like the movie. In that case, you'll likely find 'Uncharted' as a film to be relatively entertaining and worth your time.
