Uncharted

Based on the successful and popular video game franchise from Naughty Dog, Uncharted has Tom Holland take on the role of globe trotting fortune hunter Nathan Drake. Drake is recruited by Sully Sullivan, a seasoned fortune hunter played by Mark Wahlberg, to look for the lost treasure from the Magellan expedition that Sully had once searched with Nathan's long lost older brother Sam. Along the way they reluctantly team up with Chloe Frazer, a former associate of Sully's, and have to contend with rivals and mercenaries looking for the same prize. While it's written well, the story itself isn't too remarkable and doesn't have anything new or unique separating it from other similar films, like say the Indiana Jones films. The performances from the cast is really strong, with Holland and Wahlberg having a great dynamic between each other. While I never played the games, from the videos I've seen I do know that despite Holland giving a good performance, his portrayal is a lot different from the video game version. In the games, Nathan is a gun totting action hero who likes to crack jokes and enjoys sarcasm, with Holland's portrayal often not the best with action and a bit hyper. While one could see it as far from a perfect adaptation, Holland playing a younger Drake could mean we eventually see him grow in to the more well known character from the games. As one expects with director Ruben Fleischer, the action in this movie is well shot, choreographed, and well edited thanks to Chris Lebenzon and Richard Pearson. The crazy and over the top set pieces that the games are best known for are brought into this adaptation and work really well. Special mention towards the final action scene involving centuries old ships being lifted into the air by helicopters with Drake and Sully fighting villains while flying. The cinematography from Chung-hoon Chung wasn't anything special but does a good job at portraying different places with their own distinct looks. A fun moment that is a nice reference to the games is a cameo from Nolan North, the voice of Nathan in the games, who briefly interacts with Holland's Nathan. While Uncharted may not be the best video game based movie or elevates the genre, this is still a fun, though very flawed, ride that could lead to sequels that fix some of those issues. Over all: 80%

2022 top list so far:

1. The Batman

2. Dog

3. Scream 2022

4. Uncharted