I've been putting off writing this review because I don't really have much to say. It's been just over a month since I watched the film and I'm struggling to remember even the basic plot points, let alone any memorable scenes. It was decidedly forgettable. The entire process felt like a box checking exercise by someone trying to make a globe-trotting, treasure hunter film. We've got maps, we've got keys, we've got booby traps, we've got ancient ruins buried in modern cities, we've got predictable betrayals, etc. It's all been done before, and it's all been done better (shout out to the first _National Treasure_, which feels like the last film that really succeeded in this genre). The clue following and the mystery solving are token at best, with some combination of hand wave-y exposition and straight up stupid solutions ([spoiler]Tom Holland using both keys to "triangulate" the true treasure location on the map had me laughing in the theater with how absurd it is[/spoiler]). The comedy mostly missed, with Tom Holland not able to successfully pull off the Spider-Man style quips with this character (mostly a writing issue I think). The action was unimpressive, with the climactic finale being so eye-rollingly unbelievable that it puts even the most ridiculous video game set pieces to shame. All in all, about what we've come to expect out of video game adaptations. That is to say, a disappointment.

This was okay - a typical action flick, but there were some poor choices made by everyone involved with this movie.

Namely, the ending. Now wtf was that?

[spoiler]Anyone interested in watching a movie about finding treasure wants them to find treasure and make it big time at the end - whoever decided it was a good idea to go with this nonsensical ending should be fired. [/spoiler]

[spoiler]If they just waited until Jo left the island before going to the actual hiding place she never would have seen them and they never would have given the actual location away. They could have gotten away with all of their treasure instead of CRASHING THE BOATS AND SINKING IT INTO THE OCEAN. It made *no* sense at all - especially since both characters wanted to find the treasure and Sully had been looking for it for a long time.[/spoiler]

I just can't wrap my head around the decision to take that route. This could have been a great show.

This was the first film I saw in theaters since like.. 2019 so the excitement of the big screen still made the movie enjoyable, but if I watched this at home I probably would have turned it off.

Look, I'm very much in favor of giving directors the creative freedom to put their own spin on whatever they're adapting.
In fact, I think it's quite shallow and close-minded to judge an adaptation against its source material, pretending as if that's meant to be some holy grail of perfection.
That being said: the whole appeal of the _Uncharted_ games in the first place is that they feel like a mix of _Indiana Jones_ and _Mission Impossible_, with this, sassy, horny, shit-talking protagonist at the center of it.
This movie captures neither of those aspects, and replaces them with basic movie tropes.
It doesn't feel like the aforementioned franchises. Instead, it looks and feels like your generic, throwaway action movie that usually stars The Rock (e.g._Rampage, Red Notice, Skyscraper_).
Tom Holland plays Spider-man with attitude. He's not playing (a younger version of) Nathan Drake.
Mark Wahlberg plays Mark Wahlberg.

Like, why was this project treated like a tax write-off?
It has everything a Hollywood executive could want: the source material is cinematic, action packed, fun, and best of all: it has a built in audience.
This could've easily been the next big summer franchise if this was given a proper treatment. It should be much easier to get this right than other videogame based adaptations.
So why is Avi Arad producing this? Why is Ruben Fleischer directing this? Why is this script burning through four games of material? Why is the dialogue so clunky and unfunny? Why is the casting so lame? Why does it look like plastic, when the cinematographer of this thing shot _Last Night in Soho_ and _Oldboy_?
Fuck.

3.5/10

NOTE FOR MYSELF SO I REMEMBER SOMEDAY, ONLY REPRESENTS MY OPINION/THOUGHTS FOR MYSELF NOT A “REAL REVIEW“, SO YOU PROBABLY WONT AGREE WITH IT

(also its not my 1st language)

7.5

Not as bad as I thought it’d be. Many things are different than in the game(s) but still entertaining. Tom (as much as I love him) wasn’t the best choice but still did a great job, its just that he looks way too young and different from nate, but then again the timeline in this movie is very confusing in comparison to the games.

Like from the ages of nate and sully it takes place in the third (or second, don’t remember 100%) game were they’re both young and met for the first time but in the movie its the story from the fourth game were they’re both older and known each other for many years, so they mixed everything together, which makes a decent adventure action movie, if you don’t compare it to the games.

But I guess they had to do it that way to make one movie for 4 games.

If you’re a big uncharted fan I recommend you watch it, but be prepared that its pretty different. (but ofc there a few things that are nice nods to the games)

If you’re not a fan of the games but love treasure hunting adventure movies I recommend it too, but its nothing groundbreaking.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/uncharted-spoiler-free-review

"Uncharted is an action-adventure flick, but despite a more entertaining last act, it fails to break the curse of videogame film adaptations due precisely to the lack of said action and adventure.

Even though Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg offer good performances, as well as convincing arcs by the two protagonists, Ruben Fleischer delivers an extremely generic and formulaic narrative based on endless exposition. Additionally, the secondary characters become irrelevant due to the irritatingly repetitive betrayals and constant shifts of the true antagonist.

In the end, the general feeling is that it would be much more interesting to be controlling the characters than simply watching them. It may be enough for fans of the franchise, but for the average moviegoer, it's "just one more"."

Rating: C-