It is common knowledge that films based on video games are rarely very good. The grand majority of them have a pretty terrible reputation. There isn't an exact science as to why this is, but the general consensus is that the difference in interactivity between the two mediums is too drastic. This analysis of video game adaptations is for another time, but it is a good starting point when wanting to talk about Uncharted (2022) as it could be that this film breaks the trend and rises above the rubbish that came before it. The film, based on the video games of the same name, follows Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) who is recruited by a treasure hunter, Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), to search for and recover the fortune of Ferdinand Magellan which was lost over 500 years earlier. However, they are not the only ones searching for the treasure and their adventure will lead them into danger, and reveal hidden secrets.
As the title suggests, this is not a film that I think is very good. There are a lot of issues with it in general filmic terms, and it falls into the trap of being super cliched. You can pretty much work out how the plot is going to pan out beat by beat, and there are several moments where there is an action or a line of dialogue that you just know is setting up a payoff later. That isn't a huge issue in and of itself, but it is the fact that these moments are so blatantly set up that it just becomes a case of waiting for the payoff rather than having it being a natural part of the story. And therein lies the biggest issue of the film, in that it just isn't a compelling story, or at least it isn't told in a compelling way. It is probably more accurate to say that the script, in general, is the biggest issue of the film. Aside from being extremely cliched and predictable, the characters in the film are just kind of bland. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are entertaining enough. I like them both as actors and they do have a good screen presence as well solid chemistry. Antonio Banderas has very little to do and doesn't seem to care all that much when he is in the film, and Tati Gabrielle and Sophia Ali are working with poorly developed characters and struggle to rise above it. This is especially the case with Gabrielle whose character of Braddock is so undeveloped but also is the main antagonist and it sucks any kind of care you have away. This has a knock-on effect on the action scenes as well which, while grand in scale, are mostly dull because I don't care about the characters in the scenes. And the dialogue, good lord. The film has several moments where it is trying to be funny and fails miserably, and when it isn't trying to be funny was when I had to stifle my laughs so as not to disturb everyone around me.
And it is in that last point where my enjoyment of the film comes fully into view. This is not a good film at all, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it on some level, even if it wasn't for the reasons the film intended. I couldn't help but find myself laughing and enjoying the film as this big, dumb blockbuster that it is. I enjoyed how unapologetically cliched it is, I laughed at the terribly clunky dialogue. I even enjoyed how ridiculous the action scenes were. Yes, I didn't care particularly what was going on within them, but the ridiculousness of it all kept me entertained, especially in the final action sequence which is just mental. I have never played any of the games so I have no idea if that kind of thing is a staple of the series, but regardless the absurdity at least intrigued me. It borderlines being so bad it is good, but it doesn't get to that point. It also borderlines on what me and a friend like to call a '3-star special'. This is what we describe films that we know are not very good, but that we enjoy regardless for whatever reason. For me, these do tend to be big, dumb blockbusters. The perfect examples in my case are both Venom (2018) and its sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) as well as Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and, possibly the film that started the '3-star special' movement for me, Spider-Man 3 (2007). All of these are pretty clearly not amazing films, but there is something about them that I just find so entertaining. Uncharted is so close to hitting those heights, but its problems are so clear that it drags it down.
This is a film that, like many of its ilk, seems to have a split between critics and audiences. Critics are mostly disliking it, while most audiences are coming away having enjoyed it. And I think it is obvious to see why. This is not a good film. There are a ton of issues, especially when it comes to the script and story, and the abundance of cliches means that it becomes hugely predictable and that has to be seen as an issue of the film. However, it is a big, dumb blockbuster that is attempting to hit all the marks an audience would expect from it and on that level it succeeds. I can totally see why people would enjoy this film for what it is. Even I enjoyed parts of it despite my overall opinion being a negative one. Because of that, I think it is a film that I would recommend you watch if you have even the slightest interest in it because you'll probably get enough out of it to have not wasted your time, but if you didn't care about seeing it then don't bother because there isn't anything here that will surprise you.
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