You can call such films differently: cinematic chewing gum, an attraction, mindless fun. And still, after leaving the cinema after watching 'Uncharted', the chances are extremely high that the film will leave a pleasant aftertaste.

Synopsis

A young bartender and part-time talented thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) receives an offer from the mysterious Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) that he cannot refuse: to go in search of the treasures of Ferdinand Magellan and, possibly, meet his missing brother.

With the support of the daring Chloe Frazer (Sophia Taylor Ali), the new acquaintances find themselves up to their necks involved in solving centuries-old mysteries and a direct conflict with the wealthy Moncada dynasty, which is not afraid to use all the necessary money and connections just to get ahead of our heroes.

Spiritual Heir to 'National Treasure'

It seems that the usual idea of treasure hunting with a historical subtext never gets old. If a major studio takes on the filming, investing a lot of money in production and hiring professionals in their field, the result will always be good. Or not?

In this case, everything worked out. 'Uncharted' is surprisingly easy and enjoyable to watch, even though it does not pretend to be high cinema or excessive intellectualism. Of course, much is far-fetched (sometimes you want to raise your hands to the sky and ask: "And how did the authorities of Barcelona not discover in all these years what the heroes found in a day?!" or "Did no one ever think to slightly move the altar?!"). Of course, the main characters turn out to be walking clichés, and their brilliant ability to solve puzzles on the fly only elicits a smirk. No one argues that the plot's attempts at deceptive maneuvers are instantly seen through by the viewer.

But at some point, 'Uncharted' works to relax the brain and enjoy the actors jumping across the screen. Some shots are simply excellently staged, the actors give their all for their fee, and my favorite Chekhov's guns, albeit weakly, do fire.

Is the New Film an Adaptation of the 'Uncharted' Games or Their Prequel?

Well, let me delve a little into the film from the perspective of someone familiar with the game series. I'll try to keep it brief so as not to scare off completely new viewers unfamiliar with the source material.

Firstly, one can ponder for a long time about where this story fits in the canon. Most inspiration was drawn from the fourth part of the franchise (the childhood of the main character and his brother, the theft during an auction, a couple more moments that I don't want to spoil for you). But Nate's meeting with Sully and the appearance of Chloe Frazer, which can be directly linked to the subsequent events of the second game, places everything at the very beginning of the chronology. At the same time, the nature of the relationship between Sully and Nate shifts slightly from "father-son" to "older-younger brother." So for now, I would call it a non-canon with a slight reinterpretation, and we still have a small chance to see Elena in sequels, for example.

(By the way, I was sure that Chloe from the film is a symbiosis of Chloe and Elena, but after thinking it over, I abandoned that idea.)

The strongest side of 'Uncharted' is precisely the fanservice: stickers with the Naughty Dog logo, certain camera angles with Nate aiming to jump, a very specific way to start the narrative, the canonical shoulder holster, an extremely amusing cameo – all of this should resonate in the hearts of game lovers. The fanservice here is done with taste, not trivially, and without hindering the perception of those unfamiliar with the series.

Not Without Major Flaws

The casting flaw, unfortunately, will spoil the impression precisely for those who grew up with the games. Holland still plays , and Wahlberg plays Wahlberg with all his Wahlbergisms – as amusing as it may be, alas, they can only be taken seriously with a clean slate. They are not bad, but they are very loosely associated with Drake and Sullivan.

Roman Kovalev

Review of the film 'Spider-Man: No Way Home': fanservice has finally won

On December 15, 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' was released, the main Marvel blockbuster this year. The most anticipated project of winter. The most large-scale Spider-Man film. The most, most

Open material

Another huge problem with 'Uncharted' is the wasted main antagonist. To avoid going into unnecessary details, I'll just say that Antonio Banderas could and should have been used better than was ultimately done. Somewhere around the third act, any semblance of a good antagonistic beginning was sacrificed for the character arcs of the main heroes.

And still, as already mentioned, all the main characters are clichés on legs. Nothing particularly interesting came out of them – but for a standard story, they are quite sufficient.

Verdict

'Uncharted' is pleasant to watch. The feeling is like falling into a timeless pit and feeling like a child again in front of the TV in your room. And that's how you should treat it – like a child who doesn't yet know how such films trample logic and that they will see similar characters a million more times in their life. If you can abstract yourself – or if you want to take a child to the cinema – 'Uncharted' will be a good choice.