Tom Holland’s Uncharted Sequel Has Already Avoided One Of The Games’ Biggest Complaints

By introducing Nathan Drake’s brother Sam nice and early in the first movie, Tom Holland’s Uncharted sequel has already avoided one of the biggest complaints from the video game franchise. For the most part, the Uncharted movie was a disappointing adaptation of the games — especially compared to the warmly received Nathan Fillion-led fan film. The official movie’s set-pieces are nowhere near as cinematic as the games’, its mystery storyline is nowhere near as engaging, and Holland and Mark Wahlberg failed to recapture Nate and Sully’s endearing father-son dynamic.

But the movie did avoid one of the most common complaints about the games. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End was widely praised as one of the greatest video games ever made, but it wasn’t without its detractors. Some fans of the original trilogy were disappointed that the fourth game didn’t feature the franchise’s traditional supernatural twist in the final act — especially since the possibility of pirate ghosts had been floated in the second act. The biggest complaint about Uncharted 4 was that it introduced Nate’s previously unmentioned brother out of nowhere, but the movie adaptation has already avoided this problem.

Uncharted 4 Was Criticized For Introducing Nate’s Long-Lost Brother Out Of The Blue

It Seemed Odd That Nate Never Mentioned Sam Before

Although Uncharted 4 was met with almost universal acclaim from fans and critics alike, it was met with some complaints about the introduction of Nate’s long-lost brother, who had never been mentioned in the previous games. Sam wasn’t even brought up by Katherine Marlowe in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, who seemingly knew every detail of Nate’s childhood. Uncharted 4 reveals that Sam was Nate’s treasure-hunting partner until they got separated during a daring prison break. At the beginning of Uncharted 4, Sam comes back into Nate’s life to recruit his help finding the lost fortune of Henry Avery.

Uncharted grossed $407.1 million when it was released in theaters in 2022.

The game does go out of its way to explain why Sam was never mentioned before. Nate felt so guilty about leaving Sam behind that he didn’t want to talk about him, even to his wife and his best friend. But that still didn’t explain why Marlowe didn’t know about Sam. As great as Nate and Sam’s relationship in Uncharted 4 was, it felt like a retcon to suddenly bring in the long-lost brother who shaped Nate’s whole idenтιтy. By introducing Sam from the very beginning and establishing his imprisonment and supposed death, the movie franchise already avoided this problem.

Tom Holland’s Uncharted Movie Included Sam From The Very Beginning

The Uncharted Movie Made Sam A Major Character From The Offset


Sam Drake In A Jail Cell In Uncharted Movie Post-Credit Scene

The Uncharted movie made Sam a major player from the very beginning. The opening flashback establishes that Nate grew up in an orphanage with his older brother. When they’re caught trying to steal a map made after the Magellan expedition, Sam sneaks out of the orphanage and promises Nate he’ll return. Before leaving, he gives Nate a ring belonging to Sir Francis Drake — a key motif from the games. When Sully tracks down Nate in the present day, he reveals that he worked with Sam to find the Magellan crew’s treasure, and that Sam has vanished without a trace.

Later in the movie, Sully confesses that Sam was sH๏τ and supposedly killed by Braddock three years ago, and that he left him for ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. This is slightly different from Sam’s backstory in the games — in the games, he was sH๏τ during a prison break and Nate reluctantly left him behind — but the outcome is the same: Sam is thought to be ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, but he’s really stuck in a jail cell halfway around the world. At the end of the Uncharted movie, Sam is revealed to be in prison, writing another postcard to Nate.

Uncharted 2 Is Set Up To Explore One Of The Games’ Best Relationships

Nate & Sam Are One Of The Uncharted Franchise’s Most Endearing Character Pairings


Sam and Nate in a boat in Uncharted 4 A Thief's End

Now that Nate’s history with Sam has been established in the first movie, the Uncharted sequel is set to explore their relationship. The movie adaptation already botched Nate and Sully’s relationship. Rather than portraying Sully as the wise, older mentor he is in the games, Wahlberg just played Sully as an older version of Nate, so the movie had two Nates. It’s a big part of why it doesn’t really feel like a proper Uncharted movie. The sequel can redeem that misstep if it gets Nate and Sam’s relationship right.

Although Sam is the older brother, Nate is the more mature and responsible one who has to act as the voice of reason.

Nate and Sam have a unique dynamic in Uncharted 4. Although Sam is the older brother, Nate is the more mature and responsible one who has to act as the voice of reason. Nolan North and Troy Baker brought that relationship to life in the game, which made Uncharted 4 more emotionally engaging than any of its predecessors. For the Uncharted movie’s long-awaited sequel to succeed, Holland and Rudy Pankow will have to recapture that.

Related Posts

Michael B. Jordan Movie With 97% RT Score Becomes Instant Streaming Hit

Michael B. Jordan Movie With 97% RT Score Becomes Instant Streaming Hit

Michael B. Jordan may only be 38 years old, but he has been acting for over two decades already. He got his start as a child actor…

“Utter Nonsense”: James Gunn Addresses Superman Box Office Concerns

“Utter Nonsense”: James Gunn Addresses Superman Box Office Concerns

James Gunn opens up about the prior box office concerns surrounding Superman and its impact on the DC Universe. Following several years of being gone from the…

H๏τ Wheels Live-Action Movie Racing Forward With Director Fresh Off 6 Million Phenomenon

H๏τ Wheels Live-Action Movie Racing Forward With Director Fresh Off $756 Million Phenomenon

The H๏τ Wheels live-action movie is officially moving forward. H๏τ Wheels toys were first released in May 1968. For years, they were a major compeтιтor to the…

Mckenna Grace Tries To Keep Her Mother’s Death A Secret From Jesse Williams In What We Hide Trailer

Mckenna Grace Tries To Keep Her Mother’s Death A Secret From Jesse Williams In What We Hide Trailer

Exclusive: ScreenRant presents a first look at the trailer for What We Hide, a tense drama starring Mckenna Grace, Jojo Regina, and Jesse Williams.

Vampire Movies Sucked For Years, But Sinners Completed A Change That Started With This M Movie

Vampire Movies Sucked For Years, But Sinners Completed A Change That Started With This $43M Movie

Vampires have been around in folklore and media for centuries, but their portrayals are far from ubiquitous. While the creatures are typically blood-sucking beasts, the rules of…

New Superman Actor David Corenswet Defends Zack Snyder & Henry Cavill’s Darker Man Of Steel

New Superman Actor David Corenswet Defends Zack Snyder & Henry Cavill’s Darker Man Of Steel

David Corenswet opens up about his view on Henry Cavill and Zack Snyder’s version of Superman as he gets ready to play the Man of Steel in…