News about the upcoming Uncharted film has been surfacing as of late, and the interwebs are buzzing with cries of anger over various decisions. I personally could not be more excited about the prospect of the upcoming movie. Although some of the early rumors have led to some head scratching (Robert De Niro?), I think the movie is being taken more seriously than the typical Hollywood adaption of a video game series. So here are my Top 5 Reasons I am (Cautiously) Excited for the Uncharted Movie.
5) Uwe Boll is in no way affiliated.
This could have even been higher up on the list in all honesty. Uwe Boll is a director of absolutely dismal talent who somehow continues to find work, despite his name being a constant punchline in any movie related discussion. He also, for some terrible reason, seems to be constantly finding himself employed to ruin any hopes we had for a movie based off of a video game. He has nothing to do with this movie. So hands down, it is already one of the best video game adaptions, if only by default.
4) Naughty Dog is Involved
Naughty Dog has always made good games. From Crash Bandicoot to Jax and Daxter, the company has helped define the early days of the PlayStation and the Playstation 2. When the PlayStation 3 launched, Naughty Dog took its game up to a level by bringing us the Uncharted series. The Uncharted games have brought a level of pacing and believable characters into gaming that hadn’t been seen before. Yes, Metal Gear has “awesome” cut scenes, but the pacing can be downright painful. Naughty Dog keeps you on the edge of your seat without rushing you through anything. This is a balance that is very hard to achieve, and Naughty Dog is a master of it. So with the team stating they will be working closely with the film, it should be fine. Right?
3) Mark Wahlberg
Love him or hate him, Mark Wahlberg has been in some very good films. Boogie Nights is great, as is Three Kings, and he is definitely the best part of I Heart Huckabees. Yes, he also has made some terrible movies. In fact he has already performed in a terrible video game movie, Max Payne. But he does bring a level of clout that is not normally associated with video games. This can only help bring some much needed exposure to the viability of video games as major market draw.
2) David O. Russell
David O. Russell is a very talented director who most recently helmed the Oscar contender and Mark Wahlberg vehicle, The Fighter. He knows how to make a good film. He is close to the antonym of Uwe Boll. His name alone will catch the critic’s eyes. He may show a surprising lack of knowledge on the internet; though there is a video of him asking who Nathan Fillion is (this makes me cringe), his talent cannot be denied. He should be able to put together an excellent film, even if it may stray a bit from the source material.
1) I just plain love Uncharted
I love this series so much that I cannot help but be excited about a movie. Even if this turns out being the next Super Mario Brothers, I will still be seeing it. Though I would love for Nathan Fillion to be in it (my love of Firefly is well documented), his absence won’t stop me from being excited. I would even go see it if Carrot Top were the main draw. Besides, there is no Uwe Boll so it can’t be all that bad.
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