Uncharted Makes The Case For And Against Loyal Casting
Neither Holland nor Walhberg are that accurate, but one succeeds where the other fails
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The casting has been the most controversial aspect of the Uncharted movie, but after seeing it hammered into my eyeballs through the power of an IMAX screen, it’s clear the issue is far more complicated. Much like Tom Holland’s previous blockbuster, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Uncharted isn’t going to trouble the Academy Awards any time soon, but it’s a fun romp that knows exactly what it is. It pays homage to the games with a hidden Naughty Dog sticker, an excellent cameo, and a few set-pieces, but as our reviewer Jade King noted, it’s best when it does its own thing. Nowhere is that more clear than in the casting.
There are four main cast members to discuss here. Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, and Sophia Ali play Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, and Chloe Frazer respectively – all characters well-known from the video games. Meanwhile, Tati Gabrielle plays Braddock, an entirely new character who steals every scene she’s in. Right off the bat, Braddock is a strong argument for not being an entirely faithful adaptation. She’s an invention of the movie, and improves the story in every perceivable way. Braddock is a lot like the set-pieces in the movie. Like the pirate ship in the jungle, she’s not from the games, but she feels exactly like she could be.
Sophia Ali continues this argument. Likely because Chloe is not as central to the story as Drake and Sully, as well as the fact Ali is far less famous than Holland and Wahlberg, she has not been discussed much in the discourse around the marketing. Perhaps though she has been ignored because she undermines the movie’s greatest criticism. Holland and Wahlberg are not good lookalikes for their characters, but Ali is a perfect like-for-like when it comes to Frazer. She’s also the film’s weakest character.
Holland and Wahlberg head in opposite directions. Both of them interpret their characters from the established formulas the game provides, but with differing success. This is partly a hunch based on their ages, although traces of it do appear to come across in the performances – I wouldn’t be surprised if Holland had played each of the games as his primary research, while Wahlberg had stuck to the script. Neither are exactly faithful, but Holland seems more in tune. He also has significantly more pressure on him, so his success may be more impressive.
Both of the characters are too young, but that’s more obvious with Holland, who is best known for his role as a high school student even if he’s playing his actual age of 25 here. Holland also has an obvious rival – many fans, off the back of his age and the unofficial fan film, will accept no other Drake but Nathan Fillion. Holland is better equipped to carry a franchise and leads this movie well – at least one sequel is probably on the cards with its early international box office topping Eternals, Black Widow, and Shang-Chi – but Fillion remains the people’s champ. I’ve already written about why Fillion, too old to be a leading man, too loyal to the games, too one-note, and not to mention having already showed his whole hand, would have been a poor choice, but I did harbour a worry that I’d be unable to not see Spider-Man doing Indiana Jones, but Holland is a convincing Drake here. Maybe it’s because he says “shit” so often.
Wahlberg is not just playing a different version of Sully, it’s a different character. Likeable enough in places, good chemistry with Holland, holds his own in the action scenes, and generally a decent enough part of the cast, but not Sully. He’s more enjoyable than Ali, even though she’s far more loyal to her game-version. Wahlberg has less competition too. While Paul Newman and Burt Reynolds would have been excellent Sullys, both have the considerable disadvantage of being dead. There is no Fillion standing in Walhberg’s way, but he manages to feel too different from Sully and too dull for his differences to matter. It’s the flatness from Chloe and the disloyalty from Drake rolled together into a new character whose motivations are unclear. Unlike Braddock, who breathes fresh air into the formula, Sully feels stale. Wahlberg is decent enough in the movie, but he’s not Sully, and what he is isn’t any better.
Many people who go into Uncharted determined to hate it will find reason. We all knew Wahlberg was miscast and Sully, and so we were right! It doesn’t matter that Holland was miscast and does a great job, that Ali is perfectly cast and still fizzles, or that the film’s brightest star is an entirely new character. You were right about Wahlberg, congratulations. Dear lord, what a sad little life Jane.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/uncharted-casting-mark-wahlberg-tom-holland/