Uncharted review round-up: what to expect from the video game adaptation

Uncharted the movie, based on one of the biggest and best PlayStation game franchises of all time, is now on at the big screen (in the UK, it's out 18 February in the US).

Reviews for the movie, which stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as treasure hunters Nate and Sully, have been kept back until release. But now we know what critics are saying about the film, as well as just how faithful it is to its sprawling (and bloody brilliant) source material.

Given this is a movie based on a best-selling game, starring one of the biggest movie stars at the moment (and Mark Wahlberg), reviews are hardly going to put people off seeing the film but this is what critics around the world are saying...

Uncharted reviews

The Guardian isn't a fan, calling the film "an efficient, soulless hologram of a film" but it does note that "Holland gives it his all and that the Uncharted "runs smoothly enough, with some spectacular touches".

The Independent isn't fussed, either, but does note that Tom Holland's performance is standout, explaining "in an action landscape largely populated by human bricks, it’s quite refreshing to see a former Billy Elliot slip, slide and bounce off walls with such nimble grace." It does call the film, though, "passionless and inert."

Empire finds some gold in the movie, saying that "the final 20 minutes, with a pirate-ship battle that takes to the skies, lives up to the giddy, inventive spectacle of the source material" but does reckon Uncharted is "all-too-familiar" throughout.

Digital Spy calls Uncharted "bland", mainly because "you could be watching any old adventure movie rather than an Uncharted adaptation. The games were inspired by the likes of Indiana Jones, so converting that inspiration back into a movie ends up looking derivative."

As for Wahlberg as Sully, well we will end our review round-up on what The Telegraph (paywalled) says: "Mark Wahlberg fits the role like a ballgown fits an orangutan."

Ouch.

Given the popularity of the game franchise these aren't unlikely to deter people watching the new Uncharted movie, but those looking for a faithful adaptation of the games may well be disappointed.

• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is one of the best PS4 games of all time.