MARCUS CHEONG watches Playstation Production’s first effort to take a game to the big screen…
Uncharted (AU – M/UK – 12A/US – PG-13)
In a word: Gamey
Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) and Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) look to make their move in Columbia Pictures’ UJncharted. PICTURE: Clay Enos
First it was comic books that conquered the box office. Now it is video games that are seeking more screen time. Playstation Production’s first foray on the silver screen is their rollicking adventure game, Uncharted.
“The familiar plot is an excuse to provide exotic locations for sequences full of acrobatic stunts and outrageous action. It is, unsurprisingly, just like watching a video game.”
Nathan Drake (played by Tom Holland) is a smooth talking pickpocket working in the bars of New York. His ordinary life is upended when the scoundrel, Sully (Mark Wahlberg), convinces Drake to join a quest to discover Magellan’s lost gold. The seedy world of treasure hunting brings them into an uneasy alliance with Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), as they attempt to solve the cryptic clues that lead them around the globe from Barcelona to the Phillipines. The trio must keep one step ahead of Santiago Moncado (Antonio Banderas) and his band of vicious mercenaries.
The familiar plot is an excuse to provide exotic locations for sequences full of acrobatic stunts and outrageous action. It is, unsurprisingly, just like watching a video game. The characters flip, dodge and leap through environmental hazards while defeating hordes of generic foes before facing a boss fight. While the initial scenes are somewhat plausible, by the time the final battle begins, all semblance of reality is completely abandoned and things take a turn into the ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the charisma of the stars are not enough to save this show. Somehow, they fail to elicit the the level of humour or pathos that could have elevated the experience. The shame of it all is that we have seen these stars do so much better. Mark Wahlberg’s The Italian Job had an abundance of charm, wit and twists, while Tom Holland’s performances as Spiderman has proven his ability to thrill while evoking genuine emotion. The fault lies in the flat script that relies on tired tropes desperately trying to channel the energy and excitement of Indiana Jones, but instead it all feels deeply derivative.
There is, however, a consistent theme that expounds the destructive force of greed. Every character, other than Drake, is motivated by greed and this leads to a spiral of distrust, betrayal, isolation and ultimately death. Only those that can rise above their selfish instincts are rewarded with something more valuable than gold, and that treasure is friendship.
Uncharted is an outstanding video game series. However like many other games before it, it has failed to transition successfully into a film. With big stars, fancy sets, stunning special effects and death defying stunts, it should be better than what it is. However, without a gripping story, a well paced script and any true emotional impact, it feels more like an unskippable cut scene from a game rather than a full feature film.
