Bartender and petty thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by treasure hunter Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to track down a lost fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan when he sailed around the world between 1519 and 1522. 

Based on the PlayStation game series Uncharted takes its inspiration from the likes of Indiana Jones, The Da Vinci Code and the National Treasure films. The games are hugely cinematic and have developed a huge following placing quite some expectation on this film. The question of how you approach the film will definitely flavour how much enjoyment you get from it. 

The plot, or what there is of it revolves around Nathan deciding to help Sully on the basis it might help him find his long lost older brother Sam. We get to see Nathan and Sam briefly as young children in an orphanage before Sam leaves to search for treasure before moving to an adult Nathan. At this point the film quickly cycles through its set pieces; a heist in the US, a Da Vinci Code traipse around Barcelona’s churches and catacombs before finally the action packed finale in the Philippines. 

Character development is thin on the ground but is probably fine for what it is trying to achieve. Tom Holland is charismatic and buff as Nathan, Mark Wahlberg is less charismatic and acerbic as Sully and they constantly bicker. Antonio Banderas is a non entity as the villain and the most intriguing characters are played by Tati Gabrielle and Sophia Ali. The former as Banderas key henchmen and the latter as an adversary/love interest for Drake. 

As a family adventure action flick it is the epitome of “just fine”. It will not be challenging the likes of Indiana Jones but I would happily watch it over the likes of The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure. 

As an adaptation of a game it probably will upset some purists. But the reality is that if they were truly faithful Nathan Drake would be a mass murderer of henchmen whilst occasionally staring at a puzzle for some time before figuring it out after lots of trial and error. Fans may be disappointed that Nathan Fillion, a dead ringer for the games Nathan Drake was not hired. But Fillion is in his 50’s and would not have the physical presence that Holland has or the ability to do multiple sequels. This is also an origin story of sorts that allows Drake to put together his natty ensemble and is pre Sully moustache. Fans of the game should keep their eyes peeled for voice actor Nolan North to cameo though if that might keep them happy. 

Stay all the way to the end for the post credit scenes setting up sequels.