Directed by Reuben Fleischer
Written by Rafe Lee Judkins, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali
Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language
Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes
In theaters February 18th 

by Ryan Silberstein, Managing Editor, The Red Herring

A lone treasure hunter, outwardly cynical yet containing an optimist within–insofar as a belief that finding objects from the past can lead to fortune and glory–is a well established archetype at this point. Crystalized in Raiders of the Lost Ark and brought to video games via Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series. Later on, Uncharted would bring some new gameplay elements and a focus on realistic graphics when the series debuted in 2007. A feature film adaptation has been in development almost as long, and now that the series has arrived on screen, it feels like most of the franchise’s appeal was lost along the way. 

What made The Da Vinci Code such a runaway success was its incorporation of well-known art and history into its thriller narrative. For National Treasure, it leaned into Nicolas Cage’s manic energy, embracing the absurdity of buried treasure in an age of Google Earth. Both of them have main characters that border on smug, but are also scrambling and out of their respective elements when the guns start showing up. In its video game form, Uncharted has never shied away from mass murder, but the games also do their best to develop its main cast of characters over the course of each game to make them feel distinct. It’s solid action-adventure storytelling, nothing groundbreaking for the genre, but well done in my experience. Had I never played any of the series, this live action version wouldn’t make me seek them out. Instead, I would likely dismiss them as looking fun, but shallow. 

Uncharted the movie decides it needs to be an origin story for Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), which is a fine choice, but the actual construction of his origin story feels cobbled together and not coherent. His motivations are kind of redundant, and he too often feels like a passive protagonist in his own story. Not helping matters is Mark Wahlberg, the film’s biggest weak point. I’m not a Wahlberg hater, I’ve seen the 2003 Italian Job at least 25 times, but he is totally miscast as Sully. The character is written to be selfish and duplicative, but Wahlberg’s performance never feels like a charmer. The chemistry between Holland and Wahlberg is a big step down from Holland’s work with Robert Downey, Jr., who actually would have been more fitting in the role. Antonio Banderas is also wasted in maybe the least interesting character he has ever portrayed on screen. The big bright spot in the film’s cast is Sophia Ali as Chloe. Ali brings a lot of fun, and works better with both Holland and Wahlberg than they do with each other. She is tragically sidelined in the third act, which is simply frustrating. 

The action in the film is sparser than anticipated due to its video game origins. But what is here is competent enough. With a few exceptions, it’s easy to follow, but it lacks any sort of flair beyond the cargo airdrop featured in the trailers. For a franchise that emphasizes perspective and surprising sequences, this incarnation feels like it was assembled by a committee so worried about trying to feel like a real movie that they cut out any sense of flair or distinctness. It’s not that it’s bad, especially if you catch it on cable on a sleepy afternoon. But there’s so much wasted potential lurking behind every poorly-realized puzzle here. There’s just enough of a glimpse of what could be to make this totally fine movie a disappointment. Just go back and revisit The Rundown instead.