★★★ Watched 03 Jul, 2022
Mostly a paint-by-numbers action-adventure adaptation of a video game franchise by the same name. Action sequences are a bit too conveniently choreographed and therefore look too much like a video game, which in a movie format makes them too formulaic. The game is not hiding its Indiana Jones inspiration, but now going in reverse that muse starts falling apart at the seams. There are moments it’s trying too hard and others, not enough, making it overall just an ok experience.
Tom Holland did a good job as Drake. I can see his heart in all of the films I have seen him in so far. Mark Whalberg on the other side does not fit into the character from the games nor does he try to make it his own. I also dare to say he left his acting heart somewhere else a while ago as he’s simply there to do the work and pick up the paycheck. From what I’ve seen he has fingers in so many (business) pies, that it’s hard to expect him to be fully present.
I love this game franchise and I have enjoyed completing all four main games as well as the expansion The Lost Legacy. Adapting it to the big screen sounds easier than usual because it is inherently a very cinematic game franchise. I feel it fails due to the fact that the director is not a gamer and can’t connect to the property on that level. I don’t think this is always necessary as the opposite example of Tony Gilroy, who was brought in to rewrite and polish Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and ultimately made it into a better movie in spite of the fact that he’s not a Star Wars fan at all. He’s just a good filmmaker.
As an end note, there are some nice nods for the fans of the games in a form of visual easter eggs and quick lines (including a Stan Lee type cameo by Drake’s voice actor from the games). Let’s see if they make enough money to be worth a sequel. Honestly, I do expect much more from The Last of Us series (based on the games from the same developer Naughty Dog).
Source: Letterboxd
Info: IMDb
Life of Uri 
I love archaeological / action adventure games (wow that’s too many a’s😅) like Tomb Raider so I feel like I would really like the video games. But I have never played. Which ones your favorite.
The Rogue One script is so good. That’s an interesting example of how a writer/director not knowing the source material can either help or hurt the production, as was the case with Uncharted. It’s an “X-factor”
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I love the new generation of Tomb Raider games. I’ve completed the new trilogy which has a similar vibe as Uncharted. The latest reboot includes RPG elements like leveling your character and crafting, which makes things even more interesting. Raise of the Tomb Rider (2015) is my favorite.
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Me too It’s fun to upgrade your skills and craft – like acquiring the skill to arrow an enemy and hang them from a tree! And a good puzzle is always my favorite, especially if it guards a relic. Rise of the Tomb Raider is great. I actually played quite a bit of the multiplayer mode of that one too, as well as the quintessential campaign. If Uncharted is a similar vibe I’ll def play at some point. Which one of the Uncharted games is your fav?
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The 2nd game is the most balanced and also fan favorite. I completed it twice. But I also enjoyed the 4th because the previous 3 were made for PS3 (you can get a whole collection with updated resolution on PS4) and the last one was released only on PS4.
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Talking about action-adventure video games with crafting and leveling up mechanics. I’m playing again Days Gone (https://bluri.home.blog/2019/12/23/my-days-with-days-gone-ps4/) now on PS5. A while ago I finished it on PS4 that got stolen, so I lost the save file to be able to play game+, but I had some framerate issues, which of course are gone on the PS5 hardware. Such a technically smooth experience.
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