You really don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy this latest video-game adaptation. Uncharted, presented by Sony Pictures, is based on PlayStation video game series by the same name. Nathan Drake played by Tom Holland, a charismatic, carefree gold-hunter & fortune lover is lured into finding the 500-year-old treasure. He is smart-witty-agile and ‘Too Good’ to pull this off.
The film opens to a much-advertised cargo-plane fight from Uncharted: Drake’s Deception Game when Nathan free falls from an aeroplane with cargoes air crashing on him. Tom Holland, trailing on the success of Spider Man – No Way Home pulls the stunt well to set the tone for a pacey action thriller. In the next scene, a young Nathan is seen with his elder brother Sam (Rudy Pankow), trying to steal the first-ever world map. Here, Sam tells Nathan about their lineage as the descendants of English explorer Sir Francis Drake, hence the passion for exploration runs in their blood. He elaborates on his fixation for explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his unfound treasure which is said to be hidden since the 16th century.
However, they get caught while stealing Magellan’s map. Sam chooses to flee away from the orphanage with the promise to return to Nathan, while he continues to receive postcards from Sam from destinations far away.
Years later, Nathan is now a bartender & petty con artist in New York. Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), a more seasoned but less agile explorer and Sam’s old accomplice convinces Nathan to join him in finding Magellan’s lost treasure. But first, they must procure the ‘Key’ to unlock the chambers to this hidden treasure. Their main rival is wealthy Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who is a descendant of the Moncada family that actually financed Magellan’s trip back then. Santiago wants to find the treasure vehemently in order to recoup his money and fame. He has hired merciless Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) to get this feisty battle won in his favour. The other female lead in the story is the notorious and charismatic treasure-hunter Chloe Frazer, who joins the duo in Spain to unravel the biggest fortune to be found ever.
With a series of green screen special effects, the makers manage to create gripping on-screen imagery. While watching you are bound to compare it with the likes of Indiana Jones. Leading to the climax with a gruelling helicopter chase above sprawling waters, this is a harmless easy-peasy movie to watch. With a bucket of popcorn & cola, it is a paise-vasool film with a run-time of 1hr-56 minutes. Though the script could have been meatier with more intriguing puzzles and engaging action sequences, the cast handles the film very well. Tom Holland, who has referred here also as ‘Kid’ a-la Marvel movies, works well. Banderas is wasted as an actor, while Gabriell & Ali add a powerful femme factor to the watching experience.
Rated as PG by the Indian Censor board, this one is a good family watch this weekend.
Star Rating – 3/5
– Princy Jain