By Teresa Acosta
“Uncharted”, based on the video game of the same name, is the cut and paste version of every cliché action movie out there. It has all the elements necessary for suspense inducing thrills, yet it somehow still lacks the right formula.
Jumping right into the action the first scene shows an unconscious Nathan Drake, played by Tom Holland, tethered to cargo that is still attached to a plane in mid flight.
This is a flash forward into the story that doesn’t reveal the outcome until further into the movie.
The spectacular action that opens the movie seems promising, but it just doesn’t ever get to the next level.
The story is about an orphan named Drake and his older brother. The brother vanishes after getting caught trying to steal a map that may lead to a legendary treasure.
Drake grows up not knowing what happened to his brother but is still connected to him through postcards Drake receives over the years.
He is later approached by Mark Wahlberg’s character, the treasure-hunting Sully, looking for help finding the treasure.
No one is to be trusted and everyone seems to be out for themselves.
The acting from Wahlberg is the usual role he plays of a tough guy who cracks jokes.
He plays the same character he has played in other action/adventure movies.
It works, but it’s just nothing special. Holland, however, adds a bit more depth to his acting in this role.
In some of the more serious scenes, the audience vicariously feels his heartbreak and anguish. Still, he recycles acting skills from his other movies, playing the clueless, clumsy twenty-something-type that he does so well.
The most exciting and stand-out feature of the film is the choreography of the battle scene between all of the treasure seekers. It is everything expected from a high-risk adventure, including explosions, helicopter crashes, hand-to-hand combat and plenty of death-defying stunts.
It even drops a teaser at the very end, leaving so many questions unanswered, the mystery of which suggests a sequel is necessary to continue the story.