WDin ATX

Positive: The story gave a feeling like if we got another unique Uncharted game despite taking inspiration from a bunch of the game’s plot points because of how it mixes tradition and progression. Tom did a good job with Nate’s humor and intelligence which is a massive part of Nate’s character. Not only did he act like Nathan Drake but he made Nate more like him with his wit and changed him in an understandable way, such as when people were treating him like a kid despite being in his mid-20s. Also of note is that is that despite his appearance Tom Holland is actually 25, approximately Drake’s age. Sully was both an original character and what he was in the game. Having him look and act like the character in the games did when he was 20 years younger was an amazing idea when that’s what he *is* in this original story. The mentor barely in his prime, not the old man still mentoring the protagonist after all these years. They just met after all. They used Sam as a character *really* well this movie because it was played as if he wasn’t a late addition to the series while refraining from giving him too much more relevance than in the games. In those he was distant and presumed dead so here he is; distant and presumed dead. Negative: The flashback in general was lackluster which is made worse by the fact that there’s *much* more focus on kid Nate than in most games. It may have been jarring to have to play as a little kid after playing a bunch of levels where you’re beating up many times the number of goons that you encounter in them but that made it all the more rewarding when you get past them and find some secret of his past. In fact Nathan Drake’s past in general is underutilized despite the *extreme* importance it had in the game, such as Sir Francis Drake’s ring not being a plot point despite multiple scenes where I was thinking it was what Nate needed to use. Despite there being a training sequence a near the start Nate’s combat ability seems to vary based on the scene instead of any improvement in the movie. Like how he goes from losing to two guys in an electric room to beating several people in a bar fight with a little help to getting quickly defeated when focused on by the villains to beating a group of 5 people on a moving ship and more things like that. To finish: It’s good but not amazing and I while I generally would have just preferred a new game I’m still more than satisfied. It is its own story with its own characters and plot but it has a legacy to live up to. Ultimately if the average Uncharted game was a 10 then this would be an 8 despite feeling like half of a game because, well, it’s a 2 hour movie. It’s worth noting that this review is acting as if both a new movie and a new game were both normal so it lacks the factor of “oh my gosh there’s a movie for this series now!?” that enhances the experience so I can be more objective about what there was. Once you take that into account my feelings on if you should watch jump from “definitely recommended” to “*highly* recommended”.