Tom Holland’s Uncharted can be enjoyed by viewers who aren’t familiar with the game series created by Naughty Dog, but those who are aware of the franchise will get a bigger kick out of it. That’s because the movie made sure to leave in many fan service materials that are certain to be a hit.
From details that relate to the costume and set design to character traits, the movie has moments that game fans will instantly recognize. Knowing these details adds another context to the viewing experience, so it’s worth taking note of the biggest elements that can be found in both the movie and the game series.
Sully's Dad Jokes And Nathan's Smart Mouth
Sully and Nate brought Uncharted through their quirky dialogue that tied into their snarky personalities. It was adapted from the games, where Nate could never keep his mouth shut, even when he was in mortal danger, as seen in the film in times like Nate making remarks about the Scotsman’s accent when he was close to being eliminated.
In the same vein, Sully couldn’t keep his dad jokes to himself, with the best instance when he quipped “well, well, well,” at what was an actual well. It was taken from Uncharted 3, where Sully made the exact same joke when staring down at a well.
Nathan Drake's Look And Aesthetic
Nate never had a special look for himself in the games, wearing casual clothing devoid of any designs on his apparel. The movie brought Nate’s default appearance to the forefront, complete with the gun strap around on his shoulders with the pale t-shirt.
Nate’s overall aesthetic was adapted into Tom Holland’s appearance, as Holland even had the strands of hair falling on his forehead as Nate does during conflicts in the games. The ring around his neck completed Nate’s look as it was in the first entry in the series.
Nathan And Sam's Separation
Sam’s inclusion didn’t come around until the fourth installment of the Uncharted games, while the movie chose to reveal his existence right from the get-go. However, it stayed true to the detail of Nate being in the dark about Sam’s survival status, believing his brother to be gone.
Although Nate and Sam were into treasure hunting before the latter’s disappearance in the games, Nate truly began his career with Sully. The movie went along the same lines to show Sully getting Nate into the adventurous life by motivating him to go after the treasure that Nate and Sam had wanted to find together.
Sir Francis Drake's Ring
The importance of Sir Francis Drake’s ring didn’t come into play until the third game, before which it was shown as an item that motivated Nate to stay into treasure hunting. The film brought the ring in its exact likeness to the source material, complete with the inscription engraved on it.
Nate’s motivation here was provided by Sam, as his brother told Nate that the ring symbolized their destinies to do something great with their lives. Much like the games, Nate went to great lengths not to part with the ring because he considered it to be an integral part of who he is.
Nathan And Sully's Relationship Originating Through Conflict
Nate and Sully were the Uncharted, having duped everyone involved to walk away with their lives. However, there were a lot of conflicts they had to partake in to get there, which was how they became acquainted within the games as well.
While the story was very different, the essential detail was the same, as the pair met when they had rivals chasing after them for clues to the treasure. In the games, Sully protected Nate from his associate’s forces where they were nearly killed, while the movie had them become firm friends when Sully saved Nate’s life from Braddock.
Chloe's Switching Loyalties
Calling Chloe duplicitous can Uncharted, as she betrayed everyone involved for her own benefit. The game version wasn’t as cold because she really did care for Nate and Sully, but her loyalties were constantly in question in her debut appearance.
The detail of Chloe holding Nate at gunpoint was out of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, where she turned the gun on Nate to protect herself from the villain’s wrath, which was among several instances where she appeared to abandon Nate. The movie never had her reconcile with Nate as in the games, but her traitorous ways were very similar to the source material.
The Secondary Antagonist Betrays The Original Villain
Braddock was easily among the characters with the best fighting ability, which was similar to Nadine Ross from the games, but an even greater detail was her betrayal of Moncada. It was a reference to Atoq Navarro’s actions against Gabriel Roman in the first game, where Navarro similarly killed his boss after Roman had outlived his usefulness.
Braddock was shown to be Moncada’s underling, even implied to be subservient to him as she didn’t retaliate against Moncada’s putdowns, only to slay her boss when Moncada’s resources had gotten Braddock on the island to claim the gold-laden ships as her own.
An Elaborate Puzzle That Requires Two People To Complete
There are quite a few puzzles to unlock in the games, and the majority of them are grand in design which requires Nate to scale monuments and monoliths. While the movie didn’t bring such extravagant puzzles, it did include the detail of two people having to solve a clue to progress forward.
The film had the two crosses in use, with Sully in command of one and Nate the other. In addition, Nate and Chloe were left in peril when Sully didn’t activate his cross, which was an homage to the games that have numerous scenarios where Nate nearly loses his life until his partner completes their part in the puzzle.
Nathan's Brawling Fighting Style
Nate mows down enemies in droves in the games, which wasn’t adapted into the movie. However, his fighting style certainly made an appearance, as Holland’s version utilized everything in his surroundings to attack his opponents, in addition to his agile skills.
The games showed Nate to be a brawler who couldn’t really fight someone with actual combat ability such as Nadine Ross - the film had a similar dynamic between Nate and Braddock. Nate’s improvising during combat had him throw out many quips, which is a similarity in both versions too.
Starting With A Flash-Forward
Apart from the first game installment, every entry begins with Nate in an unexplained situation where his life is in peril. It’s a way to get fans invested in the story straight away, as Nate is stuck in terrifying scenarios where his demise seems to be in the cards.
The movie included this detail by showing a flash-forward to Nate falling in mid-air after the plane fight before cutting to the beginning of the story. The practice of starting things off in a high-impact scenario is a staple for the series as a whole and the movie’s adaptation reaffirms this aspect.
