“Uncharted,” an action-comedy treasure hunt film starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was released in theaters on Feb. 18. Reminiscent of similar films including “Jumanji,” “National Treasure,” “Mission Impossible” and “Indiana Jones,” the plot is both impractical and nothing new.
Nathan Drake, played by Holland, is a young bartender secretly searching for his older brother who abandoned him when they were kids living in an orphanage. Victor Sullivan, played by Wahlberg, persuades Drake to join him on a quest to find Magellan’s ships and the gold lost along with them. The pair form a stereotypically unlikely bond in their quest as they attempt to hunt down the long lost treasure, getting caught in a multitude of sticky situations along the way.
The film creators were extremely bold in calling it “Uncharted,” as it fails to stray away from every other action-packed treasure hunt film out there. The plot is flavorless and predictable — even boring at times — as it pulls out each generic trope and subplot earlier films have already used in terms of quest narratives.
The only potential this film has is its ability to cast well-known, big-shot actors. Holland and Wahlberg’s growing success in the movie industry rescued the film from flopping as their popularity drew in a massive crowd, despite the film lacking substance. If it weren’t for the talent, “Uncharted” would have no grounds for standing, and audiences would have immediately brushed this movie off for what it is — an all too familiar and foreseeable film.
The chemistry between Wahlberg and Holland’s characters was tiring and over-the-top, having been done so many times before. Holland’s character is bubbly, athletic and sarcastic, while Wahlberg’s character is cynical, self-centered and dated. Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), the mens’ female sidekick, is an indistinct seductress and double agent whose character never really develops a personality beyond exhibiting severe trust issues.
The script was poorly written and the jokes fell flat. All of the punchlines included have been done before, and any real sigh of a laugh was few and far between. Though the actors played their characters quite successfully, the overall plot lacked satisfaction with boring character dynamics and a narrative filled with holes, so much that it was extremely difficult attempting to justify spending the money to see this movie at the theater.
“Uncharted” is based on the run-of-the-mill, third-person-perspective action-adventure video game, initially released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3. The game “tracks the globe-trotting doings of its Everyman hero, said to be descended from the British privateer Sir Francis Drake,” as summarized by the New York Times.
It is understandable why fans of the video game gravitated towards the film. Yet overall, critics were disappointed with its creation, with Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer deeming it aggressively mediocre, giving it a 40% rating.
The movie seemed very much like a video game. It was unrealistic, the stunts were over-the-top, and the characters were 2-dimensional. It wasn’t a waste of time, but it was disappointing, especially with the expectations set from the trailer and the actor’s reputations.
The trailer gave away most of the exciting aspects of the film, making the rest of the film a letdown. The small taste of the movie the trailer revealed did not leave many interesting moments behind to enjoy to the same extent.
The film even ends with a presumptuous “cliffhanger” that teases a sequel. The film was likely confident in its ability to perform well at the box office due to the help from Holland and Wahlberg, but a second film is not necessary nor will it deem itself worthy of being made.
With “Uncharted,” Hollywood has pronounced itself as a money hungry business, and they certainly know how to reel it in — even if it means sacrificing creativity and recycling old plots with new characters.
“Uncharted” was clearly relying on Holland’s current stardom to boost its ratings and viewings due to his recent success in the new Marvel film, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” This film was recently reported to have surpassed “Avatar’s” long standing position as the second highest domestic grossing film of all time, evidently showing the filmmakers interest in casting him.
Though his talent is evident, this film is below Holland’s standards. However, based on other films he’s done, he certainly could have done better in branching out from the MCU. Holland may have been doing “Uncharted” a favor by starring in it, but “Uncharted” was not paying him any favors in return.
It may not have been a terrible movie, but “Uncharted” fails to bring authenticity and flavor to the big screen. Easily forgettable and lacking emotion, it was sort of a throw-away film in the realm of action-adventure. Still, it is undoubted that any sequels will be pumped out to milk Holland’s status and procure more money for the soon-to-be franchise.
Lillian Dunn is an Entertainment Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. She can be reached at lbdunn@uci.edu.
