Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 10, 2022

The original Uncharted game debuted on PlayStation 3 systems on November 19, 2007. The franchise catapulted to become one of the top exclusive offerings on the PlayStation systems, generating three direct sequels, a Vita game, and a spinoff game. It feels like the film adaptation has been in the works almost as long as the franchise has been delighting fans across, now, several Sony consoles. For the longest time fans clamored for Nathan Fillion to fill the shoes of the fabled treasure hunter, but that never materialized beyond a fan-made YouTube short film. The on- and off-again production portended either the potential for a trainwreck of a movie or a faithfully crafted adaptation that could have been amongst the best video game adaptation of all time. The film is neither, falling somewhere squarely in the middle but ultimately a disappointment considering the rich source material and this picture's paint-by-numbers structure that is Uncharted in name and a few basic holdovers only.

Young Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is a bartender and a petty but highly skilled thief who doesn't seem to have much direction in life. That all changes when he meets Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) who recruits Drake to help him recover an invaluable historical treasure. Their mission is complicated by a number of external factors, not the least of which is Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) who believes his family holds claim to the treasure the duo seeks. As Drake and Sully push beyond and work through their personal differences, they find themselves entangled in a globetrotting adventure fraught with grave dangers and great rewards.

The film opens with a wonderfully conceived and executed live action take on the third game’s famous cargo plane sequence, offering an immediate hook that bridges the gap between game and live action film. It's needed because after that this could hardly be considered "Uncharted" until that sequence arrives in full much later in the film, and even then the picture plays like most any big budget Adventure film with no association to a beloved video game franchise. Replace some names, the title, and a few props while re-working a few of the action scenes specifics and nobody would be any the wiser that this is a film based on Uncharted. That's a shame considering the vast amount of A-grade dramatic content and action excellence that shape the video game franchise. Somehow, Uncharted has taken an incredible legacy and squandered the potential on a structurally and narratively cut-rate experience that does not do the games any justice beyond some overt connections and covert fan service.

Beyond the unengaging story and recycled genre elements that leave the movie feeling characterless, and unlike the games which are full of story personality and dramatic character, the film further subdues the potential with a disappointing pair of leads who do little to inhabit the original characters. Holland is great as Spider-Man, and he's well capable in this role too, but he simply cannot fill Nathan Drake's shoes. He's too young, and even as this is an origins story Holland can't make it work to move past that teenage persona which works so well in the MCU and play a burgeoning adventuring adult. Wahlberg is good as Sully, but like Holland he's good more in a vacuum and less in a way that compliments the game character, which looks, sounds, or acts almost nothing like Wahlberg's take. Making matters worse is a dumbfounding collection of uninteresting secondary characters and corresponding flat performances that cannot elevate generically crafted characters to any memorable level.

Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Uncharted's UHD presentation offers a rock-solid 2160p/Dolby Vision video experience that is a clear step forward from the companion 1080p Blu-ray. That being said it is not leaps and bounds the superior, but it is the superior nevertheless. The Dolby Vision grading yields a healthy upward boost for color depth and pop; the red sports car is probably the flashiest, most obvious color for comparison in the film, and indeed, the UHD renders the red more vibrantly, with more color dazzle and delight. But it is the not the only beneficiary; various examples clothing examples yield greater tonal impact, environments boast improved contrast and depth, and even earthy tones present with more refined grace and authenticity. Black levels depth is very good here, improving upon an already good Blu-ray in that area. the same may be said of whites, which are here more brilliant and truer, and skin tones, which are more authentic. Texturally, the resolution boost presents a more capably clear and refined picture. Obvious improvements to facial clarity and depth are apparent, but so too is the benefit to otherwise seemingly small things that quickly add up to create a more captivating and lifelike viewing experience, such as fine grains on a sandy beach seen at the 83-minute mark. The UHD handles noise a bit more confidently as well; while not overtly bothersome on the Blu-ray it is frequently in evidence in modest and l0w-light scenes, but here it is effectively reduced to near zero in many of the same places. Of course, Sony's authoring and compression are first-rate as well, yielding no discernible hiccups like macroblocking to stand in the way. This is not a UHD to rise to the top for raw picture quality excellence but it is easily the best way to experience this film at home.

Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Uncharted's UHD release features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (the companion Blu-ray features only a 5.1 lossless listen). The presentation is very good; it is not vastly superior to the 5.1 track, but it is fuller, more spatially aware and convincing, and more apt to fully drawn the listener into the film's action-adventure elements. Musical clarity and fidelity are superb; spacing is terrific and low end support is constant and balanced. Action scenes offer excellent subwoofer content to support hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, and other distinct elements. These elements blend to create a first-class audio experience that perfectly draws the listener into the movie's big, over-the-top action set pieces. Subtle atmospherics are very well integrated with natural positioning and rich clarity. The track offers little int he way of absolutely discrete overhead usage, but its blend of content does create an, overall, enveloping listening experience. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized as it plays from a natural front-center position.

Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Uncharted includes a healthy allotment of bonus content on the bundled Blu-ray; the UHD includes only the audio commentary and a few previews. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 10:23 total runtime): Included are Museum Deleted Scene, Original Sully Intro, Private Plane Extended Cut, Alternate Barcelona Arrival, Extended Safe House & Balcony, Braddock Finds Sully Outside The Antechamber, Inside the Car Trunk, and Nate Finds Magellan's Note.
• Never a Dull Moment: Stunts & Action (1080p, 5:54): As the title suggests, this piece looks at the film's intense action scenes and infusing it with a personality. It explores choreography and balancing it with character qualities, making particular stunts, Ruben Fleischer's direction, locations, and more.
• Becoming Nathan Drake (1080p, 3:59): Translating the character from the game to the film, Holland's performance and love for the game franchise, collaborations with Sony and Naughty Dog, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director Ruben Fleischer opens with a few words on audio commentaries and follows to explore the film in great detail.
• Villains, Backstabbers, & Accomplices (1080p, 4:20): A closer look at several of the film's supporting characters.
• Charting the Course: On Set with Ruben Fleischer (1080p, 4:28): Exploring the director's creative vision for and work on the film.
• The Buddy System (1080p, 3:49): Holland and Wahlberg's chemistry on set and on screen.
• Big Action Breakdown: C-17 Globemaster (1080p, 5:03): An in-depth look at making one of the film's most spectacular action sequences.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:38): "No Mind" by Milkblood.
• Theatrical Marketing (1080p, 4:12 total runtime): Nontraditional advertisements for the film. Included are Just a Little Charted, Bromantic, Harry & Tom, and Stunts.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Uncharted 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For a movie from such unforgettable origins, great stories, awesome character dynamics, and incredible action, the Uncharted film adaptation falls disappointingly, but in many ways unsurprisingly, flat. The filmmakers have tried, it seems, to please general cinema audiences more than hardcore gamers, resulting in a movie that panders to convention rather than do something bold and truly exciting like the games. It's not surprising but it is also disappointing considering such a long developmental period where it seemed the movie would never release. It is a shame that this uninspired, paint-by-numbers Adventure film product is the result. Sony's UHD package is just fine, though, delivering excellent video and audio and a nice smattering of bonus content. Worth a look, but I'd recommended even for the non-gamer to throw in the game, put it on easy difficulty, have some fun, and marvel at the vastly superior storytelling playing out both in-game and in the cutscenes.