Video game adaptations have always proven to be polarizing among fans of the source material, critics, and casual audiences, with this year’s Uncharted becoming the latest prominent example.
Reviews were tepid to put it mildly, with Ruben Flesicher’s console-to-screen blockbuster winding up with a disappointing 40 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the user rating is through the roof at an impressive 90 percent, while coming so hot on the heels of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: No Way Home played a huge factor in the movie crossing $400 million at the box office.
The script is weak, the visual effects are ropey, the chemistry between Holland and co-star Mark Wahlberg is non-existent, every action sequence bar the airborne finale is uninspired, the plot is convoluted nonsense, and there’s barely any real sense of dramatic stakes and/or tension to be found throughout. And yet, people went nuts for Uncharted, and they continue to do so on almost every platform on which you can consume it.
As per FlixPatrol, not only is Uncharted one of the 20 most-watched titles on Netflix’s global charts after being made available in select international markets, but it’s also sitting in third place on HBO Max’s worldwide rankings. If that wasn’t enough, Holland’s debut as Nathan Drake is also one of the top six features on Amazon, Google Play Movies, and iTunes, so people all over the planet are seeking out the old-fashioned adventure by any means necessary.
That bodes well for the multi-film franchise we’re definitely getting, with leading man Holland continuing to cement himself as Sony’s golden boy.
