The Uncharted games aimed to be “cinematic” experiences, and at least in my opinion pulled that off pretty well. There were times they felt like movies – in between the platforming and the shootouts, which are, you know, the core parts of the gameplay. So, yeah, they feel like movies if you take away that parts that make them games. Ha!
Here are some actual movies you might enjoy if you like the Uncharted franchise.
The Adventures of Tintin
Based on the comic series of the same name, The Adventures of Tin Tin follows a young boy, his adorable dog, and a drunk ship Captain as they set out on a treasure hunt. There are other people wanting to get there first, Tintin finds himself in near-constant peril, and there’s a ton of action. It feels a lot like an Indiana Jones movie, which by default means it feels like Uncharted, too. But we’ll get there in a bit.
Big Trouble in Little China
Big Trouble in Little China captures more of an Uncharted feel than plot or location, following a wise-cracking dude as he goes on an adventure that also features some fantastical elements. There’s a curse, a sorcerer, and Chinatown. John Carpenter’s cult classic is definitely one to check out.
The Goonies
The Goonies is basically “Uncharted, but with kids,” following a group of children as the try to save their homes from demolition and inadvertently stumble upon a map that claims to lead to the fortune of a 17th century pirate. There are criminals, peril, a bunch of laughs, and tons of adventure.
Indiana Jones (Franchise)
The Indiana Jones movies are probably the strongest influence on the Uncharted franchise. They follow an archaeologist as he goes on adventures to find treasure, stopping baddies from getting there first and solving puzzles along the way. The only difference is he’s significantly older than Nathan Drake – especially now. But otherwise? Pretty much the same. The 1st and 3rd are the best of them, but I enjoy them all. Yes, even Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
King Kong
King Kong follows a group of adventurers going onto an island in order to discover … well, something. Chances are you already know, but maybe there’s one of you reading this who doesn’t know what “King Kong” means. Anyway, on the island, they face a lot of danger and adventure, and while it becomes less Uncharted-y as it moves on, early in the proceedings it feels pretty similar.
The Mummy (Franchise)
The Mummy movies – the ’90s reboot franchise, anyway – are adventure movies following a snarky Brendan Fraser, a woman, and puzzles, adventure, and the undead, yetis, and a whole bunch of other mystical things. The third one, especially, has some sections that feel a lot like the second Uncharted. You’ll know when.
National Treasure (Franchise)
A globe-trotting adventurer looking for artifacts, solving puzzles, and making discoveries is what happens in the National Treasure movies. They’re not as action-packed as perhaps one might like, but their plots are interesting enough, there are some fun mysteries, and the characters are pretty fun. I mean, Nic Cage is almost never not fun, right?
The Road to El Dorado
The first Uncharted game follows our heroes as they search for El Dorado. It makes sense to feature a movie about that same journey, right? Sure, The Road to El Dorado is an animated film for children, but it’ll still give you some Uncharted feelings. And it’s a good movie. So stop complaining.
The Rundown
The Rundown must seem like a weird film in a post-Jumanji 2 world. After all, the second Jumanji‘s tagline is “Welcome to the Jungle,” which is actually the international title for The Rundown. Both movies star Dwayne Johnson, take place primarily in a forest, feature four big actors in the cast, and are action-comedies.
What’s this one about? Something about a bounty hunter trying to find someone in Brazil and the two of them going on adventures in the jungle. It doesn’t really matter. It’s fun.
Sahara
Sahara was a massive box office bomb and isn’t very fondly remembered, which is too bad because I think it’s pretty fun. It’s dopey fun, sure, but it’s funny and has some decent action-adventure scenes. It follows Matthew McConaghey, Penelope Cruz, and Steve Zahn in West Africa to look for a ship containing secret cargo … and then things go wrong. It’s never terribly perilous but it’s good fun and it’s a shame that it was such a failure.
