- Directed by Ruben Fleischer
- Starring
- Tom Holland
- Mark Wahlberg
- Antonio Banderas
Now I didn’t want to go to this one. But the family insisted on taking me. You see, I have difficulty going to the cinema and seeing people lugging in 9 gallon drums of popcorn, 3 bags of chips and 2 drinks. And this is for one person, and the film will only last 90 minutes. Don’t these people ever eat outside of the picture theatre?
Therefore, when I was invited to go to ‘Uncharted’, I was told we were going Gold Class. Now this is a different concept, you go to a 3-star restaurant and eat a full meal throughout the film. First you enter and they sit you in a booth and a kind waiter or waitress takes your order and then you are ushered to your seat.
The film starts and throughout the running time you are served your meal. Drinks come first, then the first course or appetiser, then the main course and then the sweet and perhaps another drink or some coffee. Now I’m old so I have difficulty watching the film and taking it in and eating and drinking all this food while I’m trying to concentrate. The other problem is you’re sitting in the dark and your table appears to be about 9 inches by 1 foot. You can see a had a lot of spillages. I had red wine over my Country Road slacks, I dropped the chips on the floor and my ice-cream slipped from the bowl and landed 2 rows down.
I do not recommend this type of outing. A restaurant is a restaurant. The pictures are the pictures.
Where was I? Oh, yes, I didn’t want to see ‘Uncharted’, some critics had said it wasn’t up to scratch. I was pleased, therefore, that I was pleasantly surprised. It’s light-hearted, Boy’s Own fun. It’s fast paced, the two leads are excellent, interesting to note that when this project was first mooted about 2016, Mark Wahlberg was to be cast as the Tom Holland character. Wahlberg is at his fun best and we all love Tom Holland. It’s like an early ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ type of adventure. Searching for lost treasure from centuries ago. Old maps, old passwords, old shipwrecks and wicked villains. There’s lots of physicality needed from the players and they all deliver in spades. There’s some wonderful skydiving, sky-walking action and great excitement when they discover the lost ships. I’m sure there is a sequel somewhere.
Both characters are grunty, sweaty, and wear an expression of eternal befuddlement.So, just like ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ then
A great bonus is the villain. And who better to play the villain than the great Antonio Banderas. I’ve been a fan of his since his early days in those wonderful Almodovar films. And who could forget his narrator in ‘Evita’. He fits perfectly, into every scene here. Our only regret is he leaves the movie far too early, we could have taken more of him. Perhaps they could resurrect him for the sequel
Actual picture of the Grumpy Old Man finding his way to the cinema
As a footnote to Senor Banderas, if you haven’t seen it, check out a film called ‘The Music of Silence’. It tells the life of a young Andrea Bocelli and the difficulties he faced from an early age. Banderas plays, ‘The Maestro’ a musician and teacher who takes the young man under his wing and develops him into the international star he becomes. Banderas gives a moving and sympathetic portrayal.
Footnote: at the end of the movie, one has to get out of the restaurant/cinema. Be warned to get out you must climb some very high, steep steps and these aren’t easy to negotiate after all that food and drink.
I was pleased to see the film topped the box office receipts in USA in its opening week. Perhaps the critics got it wrong.
Star Rating: 4/5 [Great fun!] [Great fun!]