Is Uncharted Suitable For Kids? How Violent Is It?

How appropriate is Tom Holland’s latest film Uncharted for children and how violent is it? Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Uncharted is based on Sony’s critically and commercially successful video game series of the same name. Holland’s character, Nathan Drake, gets recruited by his eventual mentor, treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to search for the fortunes of the Magellan expedition. The duo is closely followed by another team: fortune hunter Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) and mercenary Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle). Despite this action-adventure plot, the film raises concerns about whether it is suitable for audiences of all ages with its violent scenes and explicit language.

The production plans for the Uncharted movie version started in 2008, merely a year after the first game in the series was released. However, the film’s development kept on getting interrupted due to consecutive director changes, casting problems, and scheduling conflicts. This decade-long preparation only elevated the expectations of the franchise’s avid players. Unfortunately, Uncharted had received terrible reviews prior to its official premiere date, with critics describing it as a disappointing adaptation that lacks focus on its characters and a coherent storyline.

Similar to its source material, Uncharted has been given a PG-13 rating. The MPAA lists violence/ action and language as its basis for rating, but these are commonly expected from the action-adventure genre. Still, while Uncharted features frequent violence due to the characters’ dangerous situations, the film’s action is mostly bloodless. Weapons like guns are often used, and numerous character deaths, via instances of throat-slitting, stabbing, falling off of planes, and getting crushed by shipwreck, occur onscreen. The main characters also face volumes of unnamed assailants in order to cross various locations. While typical of a PG-13 movie, these elements place Uncharted in a similar category as Indiana Jones. Moreover, the video game adaptation’s dialogue includes curses in several scenes, which, while tolerable for older children and teens, might be explicit enough for younger kids. Parents and guardians, then, might want to be cautious in bringing children to an Uncharted screening.

Additionally, there are sexual and flirty undertones within the film, but those only lean toward the minimum. Male characters are regularly seen shirtless, while the women wear tight and impractical clothing. There are also scenes where a man is seen ogling a woman’s body, and a couple is implied to have slept together. Consumption of alcohol also plays a part in Uncharted, especially since Tom Holland’s character Nathan Drake is a bartender.

Because Uncharted serves as a prequel, viewers, especially kids, can dive right in even without familiarizing themselves with the video games’ lore. However, with its runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes, the film might be quite lengthy for its younger audience, but its critically-panned predictability and plot simplicity might just work for children. Nevertheless, when considering whether Uncharted is a suitable watch for kids, parents and guardians should bear in mind the film’s violent scenes, language, and sexuality.

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