The 2022 movieUnchartedfinally brought the beloved video game to the big screen in pure blockbuster fashion, despite an even better movie adaptation already existing.TheUnchartedgamesbecame hugely popular with the heroic and entertaining Nathan Drake seeking out lost treasures around the world and contending with greedy villains.
Despite the cinematic nature of the games, it proved very hard to adapt, with a long road to the movie finally hitting theaters. Thecasting of Tom Holland as young Drakewas a controversial approach for the movie, but despite a mixed reaction from critics,Unchartedwas a box office hit, earning $407.1 million (viaBox Office Mojo).
With fans still waiting foranUnchartedsequel, it seems the cinematic future of this franchise remains uncertain. However, there is another movie that fans can turn to that offers an even better take on the games.
The 2018 Uncharted Fan Film Starring Nathan Fillion Is Better Than The 2022 Blockbuster
The Short Film Also Starred Stephen Lang As Sully
Four years before the Tom HollandUnchartedmovie hit theaters, a fan film debuted online with some surprising casting.Nathan Fillion took on the role of Nathan Drake, an actor who fans had been lobbying for since before theUnchartedmovie was actually in the works. Alongside Fillion, Stephan Lang also appears as Sully.
The 15-minute video is a short adventure in which Drake is captured by villains looking for a valuable artifact he apparently stole. However, the kidnapping was all part of Drake’s plan as he seeks out another treasure within the bad guys' compound.Though brief, it captures the feel of the game much better than the blockbuster movie did.
Fillion, in particular, is an ideal Drake, combining the character’s intelligence, recklessness, and wisecracking.
WhileUnchartedhas big set pieces and expensive effects, it never feels like the adaptation of the games that fans had been waiting for. The casting is an issue, as Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg don’t feel like Drake and Sully, but rather two different characters within this generic treasure-hunting movie.
By contrast, Fillion and Lang fit into their roles almost immediately. Fillion, in particular, is an ideal Drake, combining the character’s intelligence, recklessness, and wisecracking from the video games.Though Holland and Wahlberg share solid chemistry, their dynamic doesn’t capture the bond of their game counterparts.Fillion and Lang have more of the classic Drake and Sully rapport, even over walkie-talkies.
In terms of scale, 2022’sUnchartedhas a big budget, but doesn’t do anything special with it. The locations look nice, and the effects are solid, but it doesn’t add life to the movie. TheUnchartedfan-film tells a contained, small-scale story that is still exciting and action-packed, perhaps showing the next movie what approach to take.
The Uncharted Fan Film Should Have Been Developed Into Something More
An Uncharted TV Series Seemed Like An Obvious Option
TheUnchartedfan-film was just a bit of fun to see these characters finally in live-action form. However, the popularity of the movie and its effectiveness as an adaptation should have led to more. By the time the fan film was released, theUnchartedmovie was already being worked on, but was experiencing a lot of difficulty.
Given the reception of this fan film, it is a bit of a surprise that the studio didn’t consider switching approaches and making anUnchartedTV series with Nathan Fillion in the lead. The fan-film proved that this story didn’t need a big-budget movie, but could be told on a smaller scale with the right actors.
With the movie focusing on young Nathan Drake, it is actually still possible that there is also anUnchartedseries focusing on an older Drake.With Fillion’s recent role in the cast ofSupermandrawing more attention to him, it is also not far-fetched to see him returning to the role, somethingUnchartedfans would love to see.
