Review of the Uncharted Movie

-Nate

Review of the Uncharted Movie

I finally had a chance to see this movie in the theater. While I know about the video games, I have not played them. Even so, I love the genre, and this one looked like it would be fun to see on the big screen. Here are some of the my thoughts about it.

• The opening surprised me, since it was in the middle of a set piece action sequence that had been highlighted in the trailers. I could see this working in a gaming session, too, though. Take the heroes, drop them into a predicament, and then once they figure out how to escape from it, reveal just how and why they were there in the first place.

• I don't love morally ambiguous protagonists, and the lead characters in this movie had a lot of that at the start of the film. Even so, they had good chemistry together, and so I was willing to give them a chance.

• Being a pickpocket at a restaurant where you are also employed as a server seems like a bad way to make a living.

• The puzzles and physical items in this film were better than what I'd expected, and the water trap added some fine drama.

• There are a couple of effective surprises in the story, too.

• The final action sequence, involving helicopters airlifting old shipwrecks over the open sea, was fun. I doubt that the physics of the scene actually works but, if you except the premise, then it makes for great action. In fact, I think it might fare even better in an RPG session, in which the GM need only describe the scene, and leave it up to the players to imagine the specifics.

• Finally, there are plenty of elements at the end of the film that could lead to sequel movies. I don't want to spoil them, but it seems clear that the filmmakers are hoping to establish a franchise. As I was satisfied by this installment, I'm definitely open to seeing more of them in the future.