Movie Review: ‘Uncharted’ Is a Worthy Addition to Nathan Drake’s Adventures

Tom Holland has traded spiderwebs for pistols in the new action-adventure movie Uncharted, which premiered yesterday and stars the Spider-Man: No Way Home actor as charismatic treasure hunter Nathan Drake from the award-winning Naughty Dog Playstation video games.

Fans of the six “Uncharted” video games might have been apprehensive about the movie that languished in years of development and that featured some unexpected actors, but this Sony film has turned out to be an exciting addition to the adventure collection that does not disappoint!

Like any “Uncharted” video game, the plot involves Nathan Drake and his father-figure Victor Sullivan (also known as Sully) on a treasure hunt that spans the globe. Each Naughty Dog game finds Nate and Sully (as well as friends like Chloe Frazer, Charlie Cutter, and love interest Elena Fisher) embarking on an epic action-packed adventure to find a treasure before a competing warlord or thief can find it first, and this new Uncharted movie is no different in that respect.

In fact, the new Tom Holland version of Uncharted actually has so much in common with the games it is based on that diehard Naughty Dog or “Uncharted” fans will be very pleased!

Many fans were rooting for actor Nathan Fillion to play Nathan Drake (since the actor has expressed a clear interest in the role for years and even made his own fan film as Nathan Drake, seen below) or perhaps the actor Nolan North (who is the original Nathan Drake in all of the games), so there was some disappointment when Tom Holland was cast as a younger Nathan and Mark Wahlberg was cast as Sully.

However, don’t judge the pair too quickly; both actors do surprisingly well in their roles, with Tom managing to combine the emotional vulnerability and physical prowess of Nate into a convincing portrayal while Mark Wahlberg actually excels as a young Sully and shows off some deadpan comedic chops!

Sophia Ali plays Australian thief (and fan favorite) Chloe Frazer well, while Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrielle do a great job as the ever-present “Uncharted” villains that tail Nathan on every treasure hunt. In this movie, their respective villains are named Santiago Moncada and Braddock.

This movie has lots of witty banter (particularly between Holland and Wahlberg) and some surprisingly fantastic one-liners, eliciting lots of big laughs from audiences! Be sure to stay for two post-credit scenes, as well!

There are also plenty of plot twists and enough big, epic, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening action scenes to wow viewers. One particular conflict between Nathan Drake and the villains towards the end of the film is so uniquely crazy, wild, and exhilarating that any veteran “Uncharted” fan will definitely recognize it as a classic Nathan Drake scenario!

The movie also incorporates lots of Easter eggs that Nathan Drake fans will love, including a classic “well, well, well” joke, a cameo from Nolan North himself, and plenty of references to Nate’s brother (another fan favorite) Sam Drake.

Sully and Nate both offer plenty of references to their own signatures, as well, including Sully’s classic cigar and shirt as well as Nate’s “Oh, crap!” saying and his treasured Sir Francis Drake necklace inscribed with “Sic parvis magna”.

Sam doesn’t get much screen time in this movie, but the rapport between Nate, Sully, and Chloe — as well as the trademark mix of exotic locales, ancient puzzles, and modern combat scenes that are Uncharted‘s bread and butter — more than makes up for it!

If you’ve played the Playstation games, then you’ll love this movie even if you thought you wouldn’t ahead of time. If you had no idea about the award-winning Naughty Dog series, but you enjoy Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, or any action-packed and comedic adventure film, then you should also give the new Uncharted movie a try.

Just like the Naughty Dog games (which are famous for their cinematic nature and immersive, in-depth storylines), Uncharted is funny, exciting, charming, and — in a word — awesome!