By Robin E. Simmons
UNCHARTED
The basic story is tailored made for a generic action movie whose hero is a blend of Indiana Jones and James Bond. Do the posters look kinda familiar?
Petty thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is hired or recruited by full-time treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan to recover a fortune lost by Magellan a half a millennium ago. Deciphering the clues of its hiding place could lead to a $5 billion dollar payday! But only if they can learn to work together. Sound familiar? It’s the old “bickering buddies” template. It goes back to Laurel & Hardy.
Woefully miscast, especially for those familiar with the game in its multiple iterations. Holland and Wahlberg in no are they a reflection of the physicality of their game images. And that’s only the first problem. The second big one is that it’s now a movie based on a game that already played like a movie. I think the main appeal to gamers was the increasing clarity definition and smoothness of each new game. But what is the appeal of a movie that you can’t control?
This movie directed by Ruben Fleischer shows off the directors eye for cool action sequences. But still, the viewer is left feeling lost In the middle of nowhere in a meaningless landscape.
Movies don’t have to have a “message.” In fact most people shrink from obvious message-laden treacle. But it is helpful and more engaging of the movies is actually about something. What is this piece of failed cinema about? Greed? Sony. In theaters now.
