Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, Tati, Gabrielle, Steven Waddington
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Runtime: 116 mins. Reviewed in Feb 2022
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
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Live action version of a Playstation game – a treasure hunt for Ferdinand Magellan’s lost gold.
More sober older audiences, for whom this film is definitely not intended, may find the opening sequences far-fetched: Holland is Nate Drake (without the benefit of Spiderman suit and powers) sliding out of a plane’s cargo hold, bouncing along various dangling bales, losing his grip, a car speeding out of the hold towards him… But wait until the narrative takes up this episode again and it seems even further-fetched.
Uncharted is based on a PlayStation game – live-action characters in impossible situations, and the invitation to the players to identify with the hero. Lots to identify with here.
Go back in time and Nate and Sam are orphan brothers living in an institute run by severe nuns. Sam runs away but promises to keep in touch with Nate always. Moving to the present, Nate works at a bar in New York City where he encounters Victor Sullivan, ‘Sully’ (Wahlberg doing his usual action shtick, deliberately unsympathetic) who knows Nate’s brother. Sully has a proposition – searching for Ferdinand Magellan’s gold treasure.
The young lads had been experts on Magellan, maps of his journeys and his journal, concluding that the gold was shipped to Barcelona and hidden there. There are two keys – one of which is on auction and which Sully intends to steal. Of course, he does, but not without a spectacular modernist chandelier clinging stunt by Nate. The rival bidder is a Spanish grandee, Santiago Moncada (Banderas).
The first part of the film is action adventure – one of the characters even referencing Indiana Jones. However, this is more like Romancing the Stone or the National Treasure films. While Wahlberg is of the age of Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Nicolas Cage, Tom Holland is 20 years younger and it is his film. They team up with a British treasure seeker, Chloe (Ali) and are pursued by a literally cutthroat seeker, Braddock (Gabrielle). Lots of vistas of Barcelona’s churches, Gaudi included, and mysterious basements, tunnels. There’s no gold, but there’s an authentic map.
Then, off to the Philippines (using Thai locations) and that mid-air action again. From then on it’s more adrenaline pumping action, even for the older non-targeted audience. It is a pirate adventure including gold bullion, stranded galleons, pursuits and double crosses, helicopter attacks, galleons raised from the sea.
In the past there was Saturday matinees. In the present there are computer games – and the chance to re-create the adventurous Saturday atmosphere with film versions like this.
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