The Uncharted movie adapts the video game franchise of the same name to the big screen, and it draws inspiration from multiple aspects of the franchise. The Uncharted video game franchise brought Hollywood action to life in a way that few others have achieved, but somehow, the movie adaptation of the series proved elusive. After many years stuck in development hell, Uncharted finally found its leads in Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, as Nathan Drake and Victor "Sully" Sullivan, respectively.
The Uncharted movie gives the adventures of Nathan Drake the Hollywood treatment, adapting the huge action set pieces and globe-spanning treasure hunts of the video games for the big screen. A number of the games' characters appear in the Uncharted movie, and there are also a great many video game Easter eggs, including a cameo appearance from Nolan North, the voice of Nathan Drake in the games. In that sense, the Uncharted movie incorporated a great deal from the games into its story.
However, the story of the Uncharted movie isn't actually a direct adaptation of any of the Uncharted video games. Instead, the movie acts as a prequel of sorts, showing how Tom Holland's Nathan Drake met Mark Wahlberg's Sully. Though it incorporates elements of multiple stories from the Uncharted games into its narrative, the Uncharted movie is actually an original creation that loosely adapts the franchise as a whole by including various elements inspired by the games.
How Close Uncharted's Movie Is To The Games
Though the Uncharted movie makes many changes from the games, it features a great deal of material clearly inspired by their stories. In fact, there are elements of almost every Uncharted video game included within the adaptation's story, and though that makes its place within the franchise somewhat confusing, it does help the movie feel relatively close to the source material. With regards to the story proper, it would seem that the Uncharted movie took the most inspiration from the fourth game in the franchise, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End — most notably the inclusion of an auction held by the criminal underworld, the appearance of Nathan's brother Sam, childhood flashback sequences, and a deranged billionaire hiring a private army to oppose Nathan Drake.
As well as those clear Uncharted video game references, the movie features elements from the previous three Uncharted games, too. Chloe Frazer's role in the movie is similar to her part in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and the plane sequence is lifted directly from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. In addition, Uncharted's post-credits scene directly references characters and events from the first game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, meaning that the movie went to some lengths to incorporate elements from every game into its story.
Though the Uncharted movie may not have been a direct adaptation of any particular video game, efforts were made to honor each title in the franchise. This proved to be somewhat divisive, but ultimately helped to set the movie apart from the games, and Uncharted's shock ending sets up a sequel that may well pick up other plot threads from the source material. This means that while the Uncharted movie isn't a direct adaptation, it's still faithful to the video games in a much looser sense.