"... Fellas."

video of the day 018 & what if? 006

Uncharted

live action fan film

featuring Nathan Fillion

duration: 14 min 48 sec, released: July 16th, 2018

Short Effectiveness = 100% in its execution and adaption of their signature traits!
chance of Happening & chance of Success
=
still below 30% because of the lead past its prime in Hollywood's eyes
but would be over 60% if the studio fully back this transition into a full-length film

It's the diehard fans' dreams coming true! The game Uncharted is highly stylised and cinematic Third Person Action game in and of itself that you would think that it would make the transition to the silver screen like a duck takes to writer but in the current climate, you would be hard pressed to see any successful project that they could refer to. Just like how 2008's Iron Man was to the superhero movie subgenre that is thriving right now and leading the industry to an previously unseen heights. They still couldn't find the correct working formula for the game movie subgenre despite the number of various attempts over the years and for this specific franchise, Hollywood understandably doesn't jump right away at the prospect of adapting the seemingly straightforward premise with established characters and universe and in turns fanbase since the risk to be taken is astronomically high without any proven project to ensure the studio it is  a viable investment. It always comes down to the money in this industry and the reported attempt to play it safe by making a younger version of the protagonist Nathan Drake with Tom Holland although sounds like it could be decent, it just shows that they aren't eager to make the plunge but here is where this short comes in! Nathan Fillion has always been the perfect fan-casting for years ever since the series gains acclaims and popularity but years have passed and since the hope begins to turn bleaker and bleaker every passing moment, it was like a surprise gift that we've been looking for for so long when this short movie came out of nowhere and it was perfect in every way! From the portrayal of the core cast, the signature humour, and of course the surprisingly seamless transition of the series' signature gameplay setpieces into their live action counterparts, from his fight sequences to their one-liners and demeanours and of course that excellent TPA shot-to-shot recreation of its shooting sequence and of course that punch! Seeing Stephen Lang as Sully might colour that character in a more gruff paint comparatively but you can say that the Firefly icon was perfect as Nathan Drake, despite the visible extra pounds in the middle (and the picky comparison of his voice with the original's Nolan North's). Even how they found the clues that teases the further adventure is perfectly executed, putting this short as a perfect introductory act just before the main title card comes out to start the rest of the film. The production value actually at the same level of other big studio's offerings, certainly putting this effort as a viable test screening and a working formula that Sony needs to play close attention to if they ever so inclined to finally take the risk and adapt Uncharted as it is. Nathan would not be a viable lead in their eyes as someone who could put butts in seats compared to other A-list actors (Bradley Cooper maybe?) but he certainly got to live the version fans wanted so bad in the first place.

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a case for the impeccable short:

+ Positives +

Everything is perfect! Surprisingly so.

? Main contention ?

I wonder how well they would do in much more exotic locations and much more acts ...

- Negatives -

Not everything have to be perfectly executed to what die hard fans wanted ... the most noticeable thing is his daddy bod but that's just a minor gripe. I'm sure the more picky 'critics' could list them down for you.

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a case for the game franchise and the eventual live action full-length adaptation:

+ Positive +
An all out action/stealth game that's still going strong by going all over the world into exotic locations ...

? Main contention ?
If adapted properly, they have an already working storyline to adapt into a possible franchise.
- Negative -
I can't get behind Sony just yet for having the capability to adapt it properly.

- Synopsis -
Nathan Fillion is Nathan Drake in this live action Uncharted short film by Director Allan Ungar.
Based on the video game series by Naughty Dog.

(Director - Allan Ungar [Gridlocked, the Sound], Genre - Action, Adventure, Game, Uncharted Universe)

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Lesson Learned:

If you can't wait any longer, just round up your friends and do it yourself.

source: Allan Ungar