I skipped seeing Uncharted for several weeks because I felt that its preview, with its mid-air fights and flying Magellanic ships, was too over-the-top for me.  I finally caught up with Uncharted today, and my read of the preview was correct.  The movie is over-the-top, and silly, with plot holes that cannot be ignored.  But it is also fast-paced fun, with vigorous performances, some distillation of its more violent aspects, and a real sense of adventure that evokes Raiders of the Lost Ark in its finer moments.  It’s not bad at all.

Ruben Fleischer’s film follows young Nate Drake, a thief / bartender / adventurer looking to make his mark on the world.  Opportunity arises when treasure chaser Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) persuades him to help find Magellan’s lost treasure — and possibly Nate’s older brother Sam, who hasn’t been seen in years.  But others are after the treasure as well, and their paths cross in New York City, Barcelona and, finally, in the Philippines, while the stakes grow ever higher.  Two women factor into the action, too, one of whom is Chloe (Sophia Ali), an associate of Sully’s, while the other, Braddock (Tati Gabrielle), is a deadly killer working for Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), who wants Magellan’s gold to reclaim his family’s honor.  All of these people and more are after the gold, but who can be trusted?

Pretty much nobody, partly because that’s what makes movies like this intriguing, and partly because this plot is based on a popular video game of which I was blissfully unaware.  Yes, the movie plays like a video game, with plenty of big set pieces and lots of action, with characters largely driven solely by greed and revenge, violence on a large scale (yet fairly toned down here but for a couple of grisly moments) and unmissable nods to pop culture stalwarts like Raiders or The Da Vinci Code.  It’s simple enough to follow and enjoyable enough to let the athletic escapades roll past without thinking about them too much.  Even my wife noted some of the plot holes, so the film does not stand up to close scrutiny, but it is fairly entertaining.

The big scale conclusion, with its flying helicopters and ships, reminded me why I skipped it in the first place, but I was able to relax and enjoy the ride.  This should not be anyone’s idea of great cinema, but it is diverting and rather fun.  Tom Holland makes a spirited young hero, fast on his feet and incredibly coordinated, but we know that already from his Spider-Man moves.  Holland and Wahlberg make an intriguing, athletic team.  More of these modern piratical movies are undoubtedly on the horizon; at least this franchise has started fairly well.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  15 May 2022.