At one point in Uncharted, Tom Holland’s Nathan Drake asks Sophia Ali’s Chloe Frazer when she decided she wanted to be Indiana Jones. That, of course, is a direct reference to the Steven Spielberg film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, that Uncharted models itself after. One can either look at it as a piercing meta-movie moment or lazy writing. I prefer to think of it as the former as it is a tribute to the Harrison Ford starring series, while still firmly keeping itself grounded in the PlayStation 3 game it’s based on.
The original video game (that shares the same moniker with the film) arrived on PS3 consoles in November of 2007 and quickly became one of the most popular games on PlayStation, and in the video game nation, period. That first game spawned three sequels, a spinoff as well as a “Vita” game.
Uncharted commences with an explosive tease of a crucial action scene that catapults us into the third and decisive act before going back to introduce audiences to Drake as an orphaned boy who must come to terms with the fact that his brother, Sam, had to escape the grasp of the long arm of the Boston law by leaping out a window. That would prove to be the last time that Nathan ever saw Sam.
Fast forward to current day New York City and Holland’s Drake is a bodacious bartender who also possesses a few gifts that will come in handy throughout the film—he is wickedly smart and can either talk or fight his way out of most situations. Enter Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), who says he knew Drake’s brother, and together they were working on the ultimate treasure hunt. It is something that the brothers’ Drake first hatched all those years ago in the orphanage.
See, it is believed that back when explorer Magellan undertook something that had never been done—circumvent the entire globe from 1519 to 1522—it is rumored that he and his crew of 18 discovered the world’s largest cache of gold in the South Pacific and hid it somewhere back in Spain. As Victor likes to be called, Sully believes that with Drake’s insight and panache and Frazer’s stealing skills, they may solve a mystery a half a millennium in the making.
Sully recruits Drake under the guise that if they find the gold, they will likely find his brother. The only thing is as this trek progresses, Drake learns things about both Frazer and Sully that have him wondering who to trust and what is truth and what are lies meant to ensnare these two to take on this endeavor, but also beat Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) to the ultimate discovery. It was Moncada’s family who financed Magellan’s epic journey and he believes that the gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow rightfully belongs to his family. Magellan died before returning to Spain and for centuries, Moncadas simply felt they were owed a debt that could never be collected.
Yet under the guidance of Santiago, the clan is poised to take what they feel is rightfully theirs. Not if Sully, Frazer, and Drake have anything to say about it.
Uncharted was wise to tether itself to the character of Indiana Jones. No one can ever replace Ford’s Indy (a fifth Indiana Jones movie is being filmed currently), but in this film, as the main three crisscross the globe… and it does give off that vibe. That is not a bad thing. This film possesses a good old-fashioned swashbuckling sense to it that is just a blast, especially with the performances of Holland and Wahlberg.
The film is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland and the sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap, Venom), working from a script by Rafe Lee Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway and Fleischer’s handle on the vast scope of the film—especially with its video game roots—shows off a filmmaker who has grown over the years. He has earned the right to direct Unchartered and has taken the essence of the game, combined with the script, and produced an escapist adventure that is pure popcorn fun.
There’s even a seemingly throw-away line by Wahlberg where he calls Holland Captain Jack Sparrow, another film that has heavily influenced everyone involved in Uncharted.
Bonus features abound, totaling over an hour of material never seen prior to this home video release. First, dive into Becoming Nathan Drake, a four-minute look at how filmmakers decided to bring the character from the game to the big screen. It also delves into Holland’s performance and what made him a perfect Drake.
Never a Dull Moment: Stunts & Action is a how’d they do that featurette that choose a few of the set action pieces and how Fleischer managed to still fill each of those moments with a blaring personality. Also explored is the fight choreography, certain stunts are laid out, and almost a character itself, the locales.
Speaking of the director, Charting the Course: On Set with Ruben Fleischer puts the spotlight on Fleischer’s eye for combining action and character development. It’s a fascinating piece that will have you looking back at the helmer’s previous work.
One thing that is impossible to miss and a huge selling point for Unchartered is the piercing chemistry between Wahlberg and Holland. The Buddy System looks at the two actors and how their onscreen patter mirrors their real-life back and forth.
Villains, Backstabbers, & Accomplices could not have a better moniker. As there is much backstabbing in the film, this featurette takes us inside the world of many supporting actors and actresses and how their roles helped round out this story.
There’s a great, albeit short, featurette on the C-17 Globemaster scene and how one of the movie’s biggest and most stunning action sequences came into being.
There are deleted & extended scenes that provide a fascinating and unique look at the filmmaking decision-making processes of Fleischer. Among those are Museum Deleted Scene, the Original Sully Intro, the Private Plane scene extended cut, an alternate Barcelona arrival for the gang, an extended Safe House & Balcony scene, Braddock Finds Sully Outside the Antechamber, Inside the Car Trunk, and Nate Finds Magellan’s Note.
Upon future viewings, be sure to check out the audio commentary by Fleischer. He opens with a few words about the film and then proceeds to break down the film scene by scene as if this were a masterclass in globe-trotting escapist cinema. Lastly, don’t miss the music video for the song No Mind by Milkblood.
Movie Grade: B
Bonus Features: B