Life Style: ‘Uncharted’ stars discuss box-office success and confounding critics

LOS ANGELES: Sony’s treasure hunting adventure “Uncharted” has found gold at the box office despite being panned by the critics, with star Mark Wahlberg crediting his chemistry with co-star Tom Holland as key to its success.

Based on the hit video game series, the film has been in the works since 2008 with Mark Wahlberg originally set to star as adventurer Nathan Drake.

The part eventually went to “Spiderman” actor Holland with Wahlberg playing his mentor.

In an interview with Arab News, Wahlberg, who plays the role of Victor “Sully” Sullivan, said the chemistry between his and Holland’s character was critical to making the movie “as good as we possibly can.

“You just wanted to see these guys on screen together. So lots of improvising, lots of playing, lots of banter back-and-forth, lots of making fun of each other, but then they really, they earn each other’s respect,” said Wahlberg.

However, their chemistry has not enamored critics.

They are calling it a bland rehash of movies such as “Indiana Jones” and “National Treasure,” although there has been praise for the individual performances of Holland and female lead Sophia Ali.

“Like I always thought of myself as the best friend character or whatever,” Ali, who plays the role of Chloe Frazer, told Arab News. “I didn’t think, I didn’t even imagine in like a hundred billion years that I’d be in a movie like this, so I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

“It’s sort of why I wanted to become an actor. It felt like it was one of those things that was going to be ever-changing, and ever-growing and ever-expanding,” added Ali. “And the industry is quite like that. There’s so much from the industry that I’ve been able to gain that I never really imagined I could.”

Theatergoers have a different view to the critics, with “Uncharted” more than doubling projections for its opening weekend, the highest of the year so far.

While movies based on video games have a reputation for low quality, “Uncharted” is proving a surprise hit with nearly $230 million at the worldwide box office, and a sequel already in the works.