'Uncharted' Review: Tom Holland's game adaptation is breezy, but fails to pack a wallop
'Uncharted' is stylish, breezy, has its moments of action and plenty of instances where Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg kinda play themsleves. It's okay considering their characters are part of an origin story of a game adaptation. The visual effects are laudable, the bang-to-buck ratio is pretty neat and the plot, despite being flimsy, makes for a worthwhile watch. It's a little unfair to expect the movie to be on par with 'Indiana Jones' or Nicholas Cage's 'National Treasure' — films that have gained cult status over the years.
Holland is a kid on road that leads him to success. He's not the friendly web-slinging supehero, not again until there is something concrete about another 'Spider-Man' movie in the works. In the meantime, he's dabbling with roles to perfection by putting himself through the wringer to fit the bill of the persona he's portraying. In 'Uncharted', his Nathan Drake seen effortlessly dishing out some muscle-ups and flaunting his abs and parkour skills. He's also learnt how be an artful dodger and is bent on finding Magellan's treasure that didn't really exist to the people present day.
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Mark Wahlberg's Victor 'Sully' Sullivan is a man with trust issues. He's just out there to find the treasure and use Drake for his brains and his young legs. The duo team up in a search for gold and find a not-so-dependable ally in Sophia Ali's Chloe and tussle it out with badass baddie Braddock (Tati Gabrielle). Antonio Banderas comes from the lineage of the Moncadas and is out there to pocket the gold for himself. What ensues is one helluva ride around the world, Magellan's flying ships that would make 'The X-Files' a few years from now as the 'The Flying Ships' and some corny jokes clubbed with unbelievable action.
Director Ruben Fleischer puts in a lot of effort although much of this is a greenscreen adventure. At best, the action is made to look like a pro navigating the game expertly and surviving through fire and ice. The cast holds its own, but safe to say, Holland shoulders much of the load. Wahlberg is a tad bland, but after his stints in 'Transformers', we can just agree collectively that he's built for these movies. Ali shines in her appearances as does Tati. Banderas has a rather abrupt end to his character but is very much the grand villain whenever he fills the screen.
In all, 'Uncharted' is a one-time watch, but may rake in more eyeballs if and when it hits any streaming service.
'Uncharted' is running in theatres near you.