Uncharted Shines a Positive Light on Otherwise Bad Video Game Movies

By: Dylan Lepore | @dylanslegos

With the number of video games coming out these days, more studios, producers, and directors want to explore the movie-making possibilities that the video game industry offers.

While the Super Mario Bros. (1993) movie started it off, it seems since 2014, video game to movie adaptations have significantly increased.

Starting with:

• Need for Speed (2014)
• Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)
• Warcraft (2016)
• Assassin's Creed (2016)
• Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)
• Tomb Raider (2018)
• Rampage (2018)
• Detective Pikachu (2019)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
• Monster Hunter (2020)
• Mortal Kombat (2021)
• Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

And this list does not include TV shows and the many animated movies that came out or are in the works!

Are the studies finally learning from their past mistakes of notoriously lousy video game adaptations?

Well, Sony seems to be spearheading the movement with Uncharted in theaters now leading recent weekend box office records; according to BoxOfficeReport.com's Twitter, "Uncharted grossed an estimated $35.0M internationally this weekend [Feb. 25-27, 2022]. Estimated international total stands at $143.0M, estimated global total stands at $226.4M."

While the critics didn't outright think the film was all that original, according to reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film seems to have won over the hearts of typical moviegoers with its ticket sales and reviews. 

Jake Wilson, a film critic for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote, "It's all mildly amusing, mildly exciting and entirely routine, just as you might expect from a director such as the reliably faceless Ruben Fleischer (Venom), who manages to go from one hit to the next without ever showing any particular talent."

While Kathleen N., a verified reviewer on Rotton Tomatoes, wrote, "This movie was so much fun! The storyline draws you in, the action keeps you involved, and the interaction between the characters keeps you in the middle of it all. Simply put, this is Indiana Jones meets National Treasure. There are more to come, and it cannot be too soon!!!"

Before Uncharted, Sony helped release other films like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Ratchet & Clank (2016), Heavenly Sword (2014), and The Angry Birds Movie (2016) - with The Last of Us and Twisted Metal TV Shows now in the works.

It seems like video game adaptations to movies are heading in the right direction, but Uncharted just might be a lucky coin tossed in the fountain. 

But with that, Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo, said in a conversation with Epic Games chief creative officer Donald Mustard at the annual DICE Summit last week, "It's a gaming company in my opinion that is going to be the most potent entertainment company in the world."

So, anything can happen.