Uncharted review: Only Tom Holland's déjà vu act will make you want to watch this fun, shallow action film

3/5

Experienced treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) recruits street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) to recover riches acquired by Ferdinand Magellan and lost 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. What begins as a simple heist for the duo quickly turns into a race around the world to reach the reward before the savage Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who believes he and his family are the legitimate heirs. Nate and Sully have a chance to unearth $5 billion in treasure and possibly even Nate's long-lost brother if they can understand the clues and solve one of the world's oldest mysteries... but only if they can learn to work together.

Heists, the thirst for owning antique pieces, and heartbreaking backstories are common plot points of many films made in the West. Uncharted is the latest to fall in this same category. In the past year, this is the third film to come from the same genre after Jungle Cruise and Red Notice. Uncharted is somewhat in the middle of both these films, as it has been created straight out of a hit game.

Featuring Tom Holland in a hangover from Spider-Man, well, of course, the actor shot for Uncharted immediately after No Way Home. Throughout the film, he seems to just perform the deadly action sequences just like he did as the friendly neighbourhood superhero, barring his red suit and web slings. In it, Holland plays a kleptomaniac bartender who has been left alone by his brother Sam in search of two ships filled with gold.

Although Nate (Holland) is smart for his age with historical knowledge about priceless stuff, his emotional quotient overpowers him often. To create an add-on, Victor Sullivan, aka Sully, is way older than Nate and knows that only Sam's brother can help him hit the jackpot with gold.

Thus starts their heist journey to acquire the long lost gold somewhere on earth. Joining them is Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali), who is selfish and greedy, undoubtedly when it comes to the treasure, but tries to juggle between her heart and brain. On the other hand, there is Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle), a ruthless mercenary who works with Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), a sadist treasure hunter.

All of them have the same mission: to find the ship filled with gold and attain supremacy!

The film gets to the point immediately without wasting any time and tries to sum up everything in an hour and 57 minutes of runtime. However, like how one can drop a level while playing a game, Uncharted suffers from the same. At a point, it feels like things are just being repeated and we are lost in the game trying to reach the next level.

The action sequences are too much fun to watch as they mainly involve Holland. But it gives a sense of déjà vu the whole time, thanks to the recent viewing and enjoyment of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Nonetheless, the actor is a show-stealer with his performance. And lo, he also gets to go shirtless unnecessarily, but who is complaining?

Wahlberg is his usual self, but not that much fun to watch. It seems like the actor was in Planet of the Apes (2001) and Transformers: Age of Extinction mode. The dry humour works well for him, but they aren't funny enough to make one laugh out loud. Sadly, he doesn't add much to the story either, as, after a point, you might forget he is a part of the film.

Two badass female actors in Uncharted, Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle, are enjoyable and the two pillars of the film. Their action sequences and smart planning are the main catalysts and help in taking the story forward. However, Gabrielle takes the cake with her silent, powerful, yet dangerous performance.

Those who are aware of the game Uncharted would even feel the action choreography is pretty similar to what they did in the game. Rafe Lee Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway's screenplay make for a good attempt, but lack originality for sure. Ruben Fleischer's direction is fun as a visual spectacle. Ramin Djawadi's incredible music will make your feet tap many times.

Uncharted is a decent attempt and a fun watch. But it can surely get into the path of being one of the forgettable films, sadly.

Tom Holland's action and performance are a visual treat and the only good part of the depth-lacking adaptation of the Uncharted game.