The Uncharted movie is finally out in the wild and is stacked full of Easter eggs for fans of the games to spot and hunt down.
We were pleasantly surprised by how good the Uncharted movie was, describing it as potentially the best video game movie adaptation we’ve ever seen. Part of why we loved it so much is down to its references to the games. While Uncharted gives itself room to carve out its own identity, there are still plenty of callbacks to its origins.
Here are five Easter eggs that you might have missed in the Uncharted movie.
Naughty Dog Logo
This one appears quite early on, and it’s a real ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment. Towards the beginning of the film, Nathan Drake is digging through his belongings from the St Francis Orphanage. When opening his old and tattered suitcase, you can see a bunch of stickers on the inside of the lid. One of those stickers is the Naughty Dog logo, the studio that makes the Uncharted video games.
It’s Naughty Dog that came up with the concept and introduced Uncharted into the world back in 2007. It’s great to see the movie acknowledge its roots, especially in a reference that only eagle-eyed fans will clock.
The Auction House
Speaking of references that only fans will get, this next one will only be spotted by those who played Uncharted 4. I may be overthinking this, but it seems like the entire auction house sequence in the first act of the film is ripped straight out of Nathan Drake’s final adventure.
The concept seems awfully familiar. In Uncharted 4, Drake and Sully are looking to steal the cross of St. Dismas from an auction in gorgeous Italy. The plan is to knock out the lights and steal it from the auction room. Sully ends up engaging in a bidding war he can’t afford with the game’s main villain, owner of a private army at his side.
This plotline is recreated almost beat for beat in the movie with Drake and Sullivan also looking to steal a familiar cross in the same way. Events deviate slightly, which I won’t spoil here. Nevertheless, it was cool to see the chapter from the game play out in live action.
The original Nathan Drake
Let’s be honest, you couldn’t make an Uncharted film about Nathan Drake without including the man who first brought him to life. Nolan North, the man who lends his voice to Drake in all of the games, makes a significant appearance towards the start of the film’s third act.
Following a huge action set piece, Drake and Chloe Frazer find themselves washed up on a holiday island resort. As they make their way up the beach, they spot a man lying about on a sunlounger. After a short conversation and a quip about also falling out of a plane once, Drake and Frazer move on. This is actually Nolan North, un-subtly nodding to his time portraying the character.
Musical Leitmotifs
This one was much more subtle than Nolan North showing up, but it was extremely impactful for those who’ve played plenty of the Uncharted games. At several moments throughout the film, a classic musical leitmotif is used in the soundtrack, particularly towards the end. The leitmotif is borrowed directly from the video game soundtrack, punctuating the film with some heavy hints of nostalgia.
I noticed the music sting when Nolan North appeared on screen, as well as a couple of times during the film’s epic, action packed finale. Of course, the main theme from the game plays out in its entirety once the credits roll. It was certainly a nice way to pay homage to the games that came before it.
Classic Look For Nathan Drake
Despite looking about ten years too young, Tom Holland does a fantastic job of pulling off the Nathan Drake look. The wardrobe department does a fantastic job of recreating his classic look, but it all comes together in the film’s closing moments.
As the action reaches its climax, Drake finds a trusty brown gun holster to wear. It’s this piece of equipment that completes the look and solidifies him as the Nathan Drake that we know and love from the games.
For our full thoughts on the Uncharted movie, give our review a read!
Were there any other Easter eggs that we missed in the Uncharted movie? Let us know across our social channels.
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[Featured Image Credit: Sony Pictures]