Video game adaptations are slowly becoming more and more mainstream thanks to the success of films like "Tomb Raider", "Detective Pikachu" and "Sonic The Hedgehog". Sony is seeing this success and has opened up their own production company to make their own video game adaptations, starting with one of their most beloved franchises, "Uncharted". Serving as a prequel to the games, the film is a mostly original story that follows a younger Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan teaming up for the first time and seeking the lost treasure of Magellan. While the story itself is original, it does feel like it belongs to that franchise unlike the story of "Sonic the Hedgehog". The tone is also very much like the games in being this fun, peril-increasing adventure. It's not meant to be super serious and that's the point, even if it can get a bit over-the-top at times. The humour however leaves a lot to be desired. Very few jokes land, mainly due to the choppy editing and pacing that ruins the delivery of the joke.
Tom Holland as Nathan Drake is divisive to say the least. While it is a prequel and the film is focusing on a younger, less experienced Nate, Holland will never look like the character because he will always look like a babyface. Still, Holland did the best he can in this miscast role, offering his awkward charisma and dedication to the action. Mark Wahlberg is also miscasted as Sully, who is more gruff and a wiseass in the game, compared to just the jokester in the movie. Wahlberg does a fine job though and the two leads have decent chemistry. The side cast is also good with one exception. Sophia Ali is spot-on as Chloe, a backstabbing, no-nonsense treasure hunter from the games, and Tati Gabrielle is also good as Braddock, a mercenary racing against Nathan and Sully for the treasure. The one character I had issues with that's not tied to the portrayal is Antonio Banderas's Santiago Moncada. While Banderas is great in the role and adds character and motivation to an otherwise cliched role, the film makes the stupid choice to be killed off halfway in the film by Braddock for no reason. I understand that Braddock is the more threatening role, but she is also a generic one. Banderas adds some needed charisma and a bit of development to make him a potentially entertaining villain, but the script just demands a twist in the story. Regardless, the actors and actresses give it their all and it's up to the viewer whether they can be fine with Holland and Wahlberg's performances.
Ruben Fleischer has proven to be a competent director in his "Zombieland" films and in "Venom". However, this is probably the one film he sort of went on autopilot for. While Flesicher knows how to shoot a competent, slick production, he fails to inject a sense of style or flair to this film compared to his previous works. This is probably due to the choppy editing by Chris Lebenzon and Richard Pearson. Their editing is probably mandated by Sony to keep the film under two hours, which results in the film to have the jokes be cut short, scenes end in awkward places, the action being hindered, and the ending to have two mid-credit scenes back-to-back with one being a more appropriate ending than the ending itself. The cinematography by Chung Chung-hoon is adaquate. There are some neat shots and angles used, particularly in the action, but a part of that is hampered by Fleischer's lack of direction. The score by Ramin Djawadi is uninspired for the most part as it mostly sounds like stock adventure music. The only time the music is memorable is when Djawadi actually uses the motifs of the "Uncharted" theme, which is renditioned well. The soundtrack is also forgettable, using modern music that I can't remember for the life of me. The visual effects are decent with the set-pieces of the cargo plane being the standout and transitioning to live-action well. The action sequences are mixed though. While the set-pieces and choreography is creative, the editing is so choppy that it's almost trying to hide the action at times. It's watchable, but it feels underwhelming at parts sort of like Fleischer's directing.
"Uncharted" is one of the better video game adaptations made, but that's not saying too much as a movie. While the original story work fine enough, the tone captures the fun of the franchise, Holland and Wahlberg are enjoyable to watch, the cast in general does a good job with their roles, and the visual effects are good, that's really all the film has going for. The humour is poorly executed, the portrayals of Nathan and Sully are inaccurate, Santiago is killed off so the generic Braddock can fill the villain role, Chung-hoon's cinematography is standard, Djawadi's original score is bland, the soundtrack is Sony fluff, the action is hampered by Lebenzon and Pearson's editing, and Fleischer's directing is uninspired and felt made out of committee. The film suffers from the same problems as "Sonic the Hedgehog". There's clearly potential to deliver great things in a sequel, but the first film must be cheap and streamlined to make money in order to deliver on these promises, which is simply not a good way to make these adaptations.
Verdict: 5.5/10. Average, but nothing special. A sequel can be better, but that's not how franchises should be made.
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