Uncharted

Uncharted is a serviceable action adventure that never gives us much reason to care about its people. Ruben Fleischer has a willing lead in Tom Holland, and there are stretches when his enthusiasm is enough to keep things pleasant. Too often, though, the film settles for movement and assumes that enjoyment will follow. At 116 minutes, it feels longer than a picture this slight should, particularly whenever the action stops and the central pair have to talk.

As Nathan Drake, Tom Holland makes effort appealing. His physical commitment matters because the film needs us to believe that someone is enjoying these unlikely challenges, even when we are not. There is a useful openness to the performance, a readiness to look delighted or out of his depth, which gives the action a human point of interest. We wanted more of that pleasure; instead, he spends too much of the film trying to animate exchanges with Mark Wahlberg.

Mark Wahlberg plays Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan with a dryness that might have worked against a more distinctive script. Rafe Judkins, Matt Holloway and Art Marcum supply banter that seldom sounds like two people discovering anything about each other. We were bored by their bickering: the replies keep arriving, but the relationship barely seems to develop through them. A mismatched-partners adventure needs us to enjoy the company during the pauses, and this one too often leaves its actors waiting for the next diversion.

Chung Chung-hoon’s cinematography gives the leading man a persuasive physical presence, though the places around him have little atmosphere. The less convincing digital effects make some of the large-scale action difficult to read, just when it should be most exciting. Chris Lebenzon and Richard Pearson keep the cutting brisk, and the sheer excess occasionally becomes enjoyable on its own terms. But the rush too often prevents us from registering exactly what makes an escape difficult.

Shepherd Frankel’s production design gives the puzzle-solving scenes a welcome solidity, though the film seldom allows much time to enjoy its surroundings. These passages briefly offer something to consider besides the next impact. Ramin Djawadi’s score is efficient at supplying urgency, but less successful at giving the journey a character of its own. The music keeps asking for excitement even when a little quiet might allow the actors to make us interested.

Sophia Ali, as Chloe Frazer, brings a liveliness that makes the underwritten central pairing more frustrating. Tati Gabrielle’s Jo Braddock also has presence enough to suggest a more engaging film somewhere nearby. Antonio Banderas, playing Santiago Moncada, is less well served: the character needs more than the script supplies to become memorable. There are performers here who could make an adventure feel unpredictable, but the writing rarely gives them an opportunity to surprise us.

The standard for this sort of adventure is not originality at every turn. It is a few good puzzles, readable action and the pleasure of spending time with people whose differences produce something funny. Uncharted manages portions of that, with Tom Holland doing much of the work, but never enough at once. His enthusiasm is the reason to give it a chance, provided the jokes are not part of the attraction.