SCIENCE FICTION LIBRARY

Anton van Beek, David Gelmini and James Whittington take a critical look at the latest sci-fi and fantasy cinema, Blu-ray and album releases…

UNCHARTED 12A In cinemas ★★★★

Following on from his successful turn as Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films, Tom Holland delivers another impressive performance as treasure hunter Nathan Drake in Uncharted, an adaptation of the enormously popular video game franchise from publisher Sony and developer Naughty Dog. Fans of the games will probably have a great time with the film, and there’s plenty here for more casual viewers to enjoy as well. Venom director Ruben Fleischer clearly knows how to deliver fun and exhilarating action blockbusters with likeable characters and engaging plots, with Uncharted arguably being his best movie to date.

With his natural likeability and his effortless charisma, Holland was clearly the perfect choice to play the junior Indiana Jones, and he really sells Drake’s journey to the viewer. There’s something just so incredibly appealing about seeing a lonely young history buff turning into an action hero over the course of two hours, so most of us will be delighted to accompany Drake on his adventure, with Holland’s genuine charm being a particular selling point. Not many actors could make us laugh so hard by desperately apologising to someone they just kicked out of a plane, but Holland manages to pull it off.

Mark Wahlberg co-stars as Victor “Sully” Sullivan, an experienced treasure hunter who takes Drake under his wing and shows him the ropes. After Sully initially recruits Drake with stories of riches beyond his wildest dreams, the two then embark on a globe-trotting adventure as they follow a series of clues which they hope will lead them to the lost treasure of the Magellan expedition. Along the way, they encounter Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), an old friend of Sully’s who might just hold the secret to finding the fabled fortune the pair are so desperate to track down. Frazer also has unfinished business with Sully, which leads to some humorous back and forth between the pair as they argue about the reasons why they previously decided to stop working with each other.

Those of you who have been following the development of Uncharted will know that Wahlberg was originally going to play Drake, and while it would have been interesting to see the Oscarnominated actor tackling the role of the central protagonist, he is still enjoyable enough as the grizzled Sully, and it is pleasing to see the character’s softer side occasionally slipping through his hardened exterior. While Sully claims to have only recruited Drake because he felt that he needed him, it soon becomes clear that he actually cares deeply about the younger fortune hunter, to the point where he even risks his life to save him. Drake also starts to view Sully as a father figure, and even tricks him into adopting a cat after seeing how lonely his mentor’s life really is. Moments like these really help to elevate Uncharted from a standard big budget adventure film into a deep and intricate character study about two fortune hunters who ultimately learn that friendship is more valuable than any hidden treasure.

One area where Uncharted falls short is with the casting of the villain, Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who is as bland as they come. Banderas does what he can with the material he is given, but Moncada is ultimately just a forgettable bad guy who has no real personality beyond wanting to become rich. Even the filmmakers seem to understand that Moncada is not a particularly compelling character, as a female mercenary named Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) takes over as the film’s central antagonist in the third act, although she sadly also proves to be a relatively dull villain without much in the way of personality. When your movie has not one, but two bland central villains, you know the writers clearly fell short in this area, and we can only hope the inevitable sequel features a more memorable antagonist.

Because this is a tentpole film with a budget in the one-hundred million range, Uncharted features plenty of outrageous and hugely entertaining action set pieces, including a climatic sequence in which Drake and Sully desperately fight to defend an ancient pirate ship after it has been lifted into the sky by aircrafts. Sure, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to see fifteenth century cannons being used against modern military-grade aircraft, but it is so damn fun to watch that you probably won’t care too much about the logistics. And speaking of logistics, do not even ask how an ancient network of catacombs which have not been explored for centuries somehow contain a tunnel which leads to a busy nightclub. This is a film you will certainly enjoy, as long as you remember not to think too hard about certain things.