Treasure Hunting - Uncharted, Reviewed

I came late to the Uncharted video game franchise, mistakenly believing it to be a shooter. When I played it and discovered it was treasure-hunting, exploration, and puzzle-solving game, that also had the requisite amount of combat to qualify as an adventure game. 

But what I appreciated most was the dialogue and interactions between the characters, particularly in the sequels. I also appreciated the wrap-up in the fourth entry, so I was looking forward to a different take on Nathan Drake in the recent live-action movie adaptation of Uncharted.

Tom Holland is well-cast as the wise-cracking treasure-hound, encountered here as a very young man, but a little older than the teenager who first encounters his older counterpart and eventual patron, Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) in the game.

I don't think of Tom Holland as a particularly great factor, but he has an earnestness that serves him extremely well as both Peter Parler and Nathan Drake. I think he stands a very good chance of becoming a brilliant entertainer who plays variations of himself, along the lines of a Jeff Goldblum. The role also requires incredible fitness and willingness to commit to stunts that Holland's tenure as Spider-Man has amply prepared him for.

Fantastic locations, crackling dialogue and a menacing heel turn by Antonio Banderas make Uncharted a very enjoyable matinee experience. True, there aren't too many surprises, and this film also suffers from giving too much away in the trailers, but frankly, the more PG-13 adventure shows there are, the happier I am in general.

But the truth is, there is more depth in the videogames - but that shouldn't be surprising, should it? Over four Uncharted games, you, the player, make all the choices for Nathan Drake; where to go, how to fight and so on. You have far more time to see interactions with the character, even the cinematics that you don't really control. More time even than most streaming or television series could boast.

The next big video game adaptation will be HBO's The Last of Us featuring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay. TLoU was one of the most intense video-game experiences - hell, one of the most intense narrative experiences, period - I have ever encountered. I am curious to see how much of the game's intensity, compassion and moral querying translates into a dramatic serial.

In the meantime though, if you fancy a lightweight, globe-spanning treasure hunt that feels like a lighter version of Indiana Jones and features a charming lead actor, Uncharted is a pretty solid find.