Whenever audiences or fans hear the word "video-game adaptation", a shiver of fear passes down their spine. Over the years, video-game films have had a bad rap of creating either mediocre, dumpster fire, or dumpster fire rolling off a cliff level films, with many believing that video game movies just don't work. So when it was announced that an adaptation of the action-adventure game Uncharted was finally in the works, fans got decidedly nervous.
However, despite the obvious fears, there is the off chance that like Sonic The Hedgehog, a surprisingly pleasing video-game adaptation that many hail as being the best, there are some ways Uncharted could be one of a number of video-game movies that could be great.
10 Worried: Short Film
While Uncharted has never seen a feature-length film, it has gotten the live-action treatment in another way. Back in 2018, a fan film based on Uncharted was released, with the picture-perfect casting of Nathan Fillion as Nathan Drake and Stephen Lang as Sully.
One of many fan-made shorts based on video games that are worth the watch and an excellent show of a live-action Uncharted... which doesn't bode well for the feature. Given how well received the short was, to try and top something as simple as a short could go one way or the other.
9 Success: Cast
Despite the picture-perfect casting that the short pulled off, the film can work mainly due to it being an origin film. Because of that, a grown-up Drake doesn't work in this scenario, with the likes of Nathan Fillion and Stephen Lang being too old.
Tom Holland and Mark Whalberg as Dake and Sully, however, is as good as casting as it's going to get. Given that fans have already gotten a look at what Holland's Drake and not to mention the casting of Antonio Banderas, there's hope for the feature.
8 Worried: Unnecessary Characters
Having to adapt a video-game world into a film is difficult work. In order to keep the movie in order, snips and cuts have to be made so that the film work, and while the obvious choice would keep the cast simple, studios often go another route and push in characters from other entries in the series besides the first.
Whether it be for fan service or to get people excited for a sequel that may never happen, shoving in unnecessary characters like Nadine Ross would only hurt the film.
7 Success: Characters Brought To Life
Every gamer has a favorite video-game character they love to play as, someone that they would love to see done right in an adaptation and as the gamers transition into audience members, they sometimes find themselves getting that chance.
To see the likes of Nathan Drake, Sully, Elena and any of their dastardly foes on the big screen would be more than enough for the audiences. Couple that with the very notion of hearing Nate and Sully's classic banter and sometimes, that's all a movie needs to do.
6 Worried: Same Old Story
It's easy to take a video-game and copy and paste the story already established into a script, call it a day and get ready to film. As such, fans would look forward to seeing the classic Uncharted stories play out, whether it be the search for El Dorado or a hunt for pirate treasure.
However, this also comes with consequences, as just copying the already established story could only make sense to the ones who've played the game before. That method of storytelling can prove unsuccessful for all adaptations.
5 Success: New Story
Of course, while the copy and paste method was and still something a great number of older film adaptations have tried, in recent years, some have tried a different route, to show a brand new story set in the game world that gamer's and audiences aren't used to.
The method has had varying effects, with some like Detective Pikachu succeeding while others such as Doom failing. However, with a new story done right, Uncharted could end up being successful and captivate viewers with a new tale from the world.
4 Worried: A Whole New World
There are two sides to every coin. Even though creating a new story for an adaptation is generally the smart move, there is always the off chance of going too far.
In 2002, fans walked into theatres hoping that the adaptation of the horror-survival game, Resident Evil, would recapture the elements that made the game so terrifying. Instead, fans were given a generic action movie that went so far against the story the game established that it didn't feel like an adaptation(not to mention that it's considered one of the worst video-fame movies of the 2000s) and Uncharted could fall into the same trap.
3 Success: Action Pieces
If there's one thing that could bridge the gap between the game and the movie worlds, it's a mind-blowing action sequence. No tomb robber is without some amazing traps or challenges to overcome and fans have seen Nathan Drake brave them all.
From dangling off the edge of a train to frenetic car chases and even dueling in a burning galleon, fans always look forward to one amazing action piece after another and the very prospect of Tom Holland facing the same excites anyone hoping for an incredible film.
2 Worried: Development Time
On the surface, spending years on a project sounds as if it could benefit the game. If more time and effort is put into said adaptation, there's a high chance that it could work. However, this isn't always the case and can in fact prove disastrous.
Over the past couple of years, the Uncharted film has gone through many rewrites, multiple attempts at filming, and nearly seven directors. Those kinds of facts either mean that the game is simply unadaptable or the methods being used have been ineffective.
1 Success: Grounded
At its center, Uncharted will always be an action-adventure story following a treasure hunter as he battles one of many vide0-game movies villain, plunders the loot, and gets the girl. Yet, despite all Indiana Jones similarities, Uncharted contains plenty of differences and has a grounded sense to it.
Most of the treasures or curses have some kind of explanation behind them and the stories, although full of over-the-top action, often times break it up with emotional moments that make the game feel more life-like and relatable, a move that the adaptation could benefit from.
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