Adventure films haven’t really been a thing in Hollywood for a while now, unfortunately. Films like Indiana Jones, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and others like them have been put to the side. It’s either that or the elements that make them great are placed in other genres, often pushing action over adventure, explosions over wonder. It’s a shame but it’s something I guess I can understand. Let me explain why.
When I think of adventure films, I think of movies that focus on the thrill of the overall experience and not just a series of scenes that are there to propel us to the next major action sequence. It’s movies that focus on the thrill of the find over the thrill of survival. It’s finding the golden monkey statue in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark over living against an alien hunter in Predator. Yes, adventure can easily be combined into other genres but there is something magical about it standing on its own.
A big part of what makes adventure films so tantalizing is that they take us to places we will probably never go to ourselves. It’s a vicarious way of seeing the world, of going into the Louvre without going to Paris, of seeing Petra in Jordan, of walking through the Amazon rainforest. Adventure films go into those locations not to cause destruction (well, most of the time) but to be amazed by the wonders that they hold. That is the thrill of an adventure movie, at least in my mind.
Sadly, we don’t really need adventure films to take us around the world anymore because we can do that with the very device you’re reading this on. Open up Google Maps, enable Street View and you can “walk” down pretty much any street in the world. Want to visit the Louvre but can’t afford a plane ticket? Why not do it ? Sure, it’s not the same but can you really complain when it’s free?
What I’m saying is that the big draw of adventure films was lost when the internet rolled around and essentially removed borders from our lives. Now we can talk with anyone, experience culture like never before, learn about exotic recipes from people who are teaching you from their country, etc… The world has never been as small as it is today, which, I’m guessing, is why adventure films seem to be on the decline. Why watch a movie to feel the thrill of exploration when we can do it while sitting on the toilet and playing with our smartphones?
That’s where two upcoming video game-to-film adaptations come in. Both Naughty Dog’s Uncharted and Square Enix’s Tomb Raider are each coming to the silver screen and each has the ability to rekindle our love of the adventure genre if done right.
The Uncharted series follows Nathan Drake, a supposed descendent of famed explorer Sir Francis Drake who is a treasure hunter that embarks on adventures around the world in search of lost artifacts. Along with his friend Sullivan, he often finds himself caught up in danger as he isn’t the only one looking for that “big find”.
The series has already spawned five games (with an upcoming spin-off) and pulled in countless awards and accolades. It is widely considered to be one of the most cinematic and exciting game franchises in video game history, for very good reason. The amount of work and detail that Naughty Dog puts into each release is apparent in every moment. As the player progresses, there is a true sense of exploration and discovery that is coupled with the knowledge that there could be danger around any and every corner. From the mountains of Nepal to chateaus in France, coves in Madagascar to deserts in Arabia, Uncharted doesn’t let viewers watch a character in those locations, it allows them to take over and be that person, as through they are actually there.
A film adaptation has been in the works for several years and has only recently generated serious forward momentum. It is being directed by Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”, Real Steel) and written by Joe Carnahan (The Grey, The A-Team) and is currently in the pre-production phase with no confirmed cast, although Levy told he has, “…some people in mind and I’ve started some very secret, low-grade conversations and explorations of actors.”
What makes Uncharted so important to the adventure genre is that it takes as much time to build the characters within its world as it does the action. Some games give a character and that’s that. “Here you go, you’re this person so be on your way.” But not Uncharted. Following the journey of Nathan and crew over several games has made me care deeply about what happens in their lives. A testament to this is the ending of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which I won’t spoil but I’ll say that it felt like undertaking this journey was worth every second.
While I rattled off some impressive locations a couple of paragraphs back, Uncharted has no problem resorting to urban legend and myths to create archaeological wonders that, in reality, don’t exist. You can’t find Shambhala, for example, but Uncharted took you there anyways.
Anyone who has played an Uncharted game can attest to how thrilling it was. Hopefully Levy and Carnahan can capture that same spirit with their adaptation.
There have been two Tomb Raider films, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, and they weren’t awful, they just really weren’t all that well done. Angelina Jolie was fine as Lara Croft but that rendition of the character was a bit too pompous and arrogant for my liking.
What set the 2013 game Tomb Raider apart from the films was that it completely started over from scratch, including Lara’s own story. The game marks her first major expedition, before she learns how to be a killer as well as a treasure hunter.
Croft and her crew crash land on the lost island of Yamatai off the coast of Japan where they are beset upon by other shipwrecked bandits and mercenaries. Later, the game goes into a more mystical approach and introduces the player to the samurai warrior followers of Himiko, the “Sun Queen” who had the power to control the weather.
While the Uncharted games allowed for Nathan to travel the world, Tomb Raider confined Croft to one island. However, they managed to make a great deal of use out of this location as she traverses through caves, across rivers, up mountains, and into abandoned villages and military outposts. Just like with Uncharted, the level of detail given to the locations was just as important as the action elements. After all, there isn’t a point in feeling like you’re in danger if the world you’re playing in doesn’t feel real.
The movie adaptation is being directed by Roar Uthaug (The Wave) and will star Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) as Lara Croft along with Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) as the villain. The current release date is March 16th, 2018.
Both of these video games are held in high esteem amongst the gaming community. Both now have history and lore behind them. But what sets them apart from other video game titles is that they had enormous amounts of love, care, devotion, and thought put into every second. Some games are meant to be fluff and filler. Some are AAA titles that are meant to sell countless copies. Uncharted and Tomb Raider are meant to give players an experience that they will never forget. Now it’s time for the movies to remind audiences what a real adventure is like.
