Tom Holland’s Polarizing Video Game Adaptation ‘Uncharted’ Streaming on Max Next Month

Uncharted, the 2022 film adaptation of the acclaimed video game franchise directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom), arrives on the streaming service Max on January 15. While a box office success thanks to its $407 million worldwide gross against a $120 million dollar budget, the film received divisive reviews, with a 41% rotten tomatoes rating and an 89% audience score. Audiences clearly enjoyed the adventure starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake. Still, critics thought it to be a hollow representation of the inspired video game franchise that the film is based on. Now, viewers can decide for themselves when the title enters Max’s catalog of films and television series next month.

The film, unlike the video games, focuses on a younger Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), serving almost like a prequel to the games in the way it shows a version of the iconic character that hasn’t developed any of the mannerisms or skills that he’s most well known for in the video games. First developed by the video game production company Naughty Dog in 2007, the Uncharted series spans five different video games with a wide array of supporting characters and exotic locales, evocative of a modern-day Indiana Jones. While the Uncharted film attempts to recapture the magic of the video games it’s based on, it does so with little success.

Many of the set pieces in the film, save for the flying pirate ships in the third act (undoubtedly the best set piece in the movie) are riffs on action sequences from the video games, only without the context or emotional weight of the original story that they stemmed from. Still, Mark Wahlberg (who plays Drake’s mentor, Sully) and Tom Holland have great chemistry and do their best with the material given.

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Uncharted, despite its flaws, isn’t entirely unwatchable. For fans of the series, there are plenty of references to the greater lore of the video games. The film also features a new treasure entirely original to the film: the lost Magellan expedition, which could lead Nate and Sully to vast amounts of untold riches. There are also the gunfight action sequences, which are evocative of the game, that show the true potential a film adaptation could have.

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Given that Uncharted was originally conceived as a video game to replicate the feel of a big action-adventure blockbuster, it’s surprising that the translation to the actual big screen was a mixed bag. Still, The Last of Us, another Naughty Dog franchise, was adapted into an HBO television series that received critical acclaim, proving that adaptations can be done right. As for the future of the Uncharted series, a sequel was confirmed to be in development and is reportedly mostly dependent on Tom Holland’s availability.

Whether you’re a fan of the games who wants to watch the film for the first time or revisit it despite its flaws, Uncharted will be available on Max on January 15. However, if you have a Hulu subscription, the film is also currently available there if you don’t want to wait. Although it’s not the best portrayal of Nathan Drake, the film is a solid entry point to see if you’d be interested in the much more entertaining and thematically engaging video games of the same name.