The trailer for the Uncharted movie has released, and avid game fans are dissecting it to no end. Rather than a straight adaptation of any single entry in the Uncharted series, the film supposedly tells a fresh story about the adventures of young Nathan Drake, thrown into a worldwide search for lost treasure before he made such exploits in his unscrupulous profession.
Considering the franchise's storied history, though, it's no surprise that the movie hangs its hat on callbacks. The trailer already contains several nods and references to Nate's console escapades. Most of these come from the third and fourth entries, which is understandable since those contain flashbacks to the hero's formative years. This made it easier for hopeful treasure hunters to find these hidden nuggets, including those below.
8 Sam Drake
At a couple points in the trailer, young Nate mentions his brother, Sam. While said brother isn't physically present in the trailer, it's clear that his exploits informed the protagonist and his interest in treasure-hunting.
To be fair, Sam went unmentioned in the games until A Thief's End, where he seemingly returned from the dead to rope his brother into one last adventure. Players see here how the older sibling impacted the hero's life and set him on the globe-trotting path. Considering its focus on a younger Nate, the film seems to be taking similar beats with the backstory.
7 The Ring
Another fundamental aspect of Drake's character, this ring might just look like a decoration or lucky charm despite how much the filmmakers focus on it. In the trailer, Nate doesn't read the inscription or say whom it belonged to.
Of course, fans know both these bits well. This ring came from explorer Sir Francis Drake, and Nate wears it as a reminder of his (supposed) heritage. It reads, "Greatness From Small Beginnings." This phrase inspires Nate to rise above his own humble roots and follow the exploits of other great men, hoping to prove himself worthy of their fortunes and knowledge (partially through puzzle-solving). That's how significant the ring is, so its attention in the trailer is no accident.
6 The Plane Fight
The most prominent set piece here features Nate fighing an oversized thug in an aircraft hold. He then tumbles out the back, clinging for dear life onto the dangling cargo. Obvious green screen aside, it's an impressive action scene.
That's because it comes straight from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and it's easily the most iconic escapade from that title. Nate stows away on a plane to rescue Sully, but his efforts end with him stranded in the desert. The movie probably won't have that same context since it's over the ocean instead, but the spectacle is unmistakable.
5 The Theme Music
During the opening narration, audiences hear a few notes as footage snippets scroll by. Typically, one might expect some generic trailer music typical of a studio action movie. Alternatively, the marketing team might throw in a current song to put on the soundtrack.
In the Uncharted trailer, though, these beats form the main theme of the games. Composed by Greg Edmonson, this piece plays over all mainline Uncharted titles. Henry Jackman even kept it when he took over music duties for A Thief's End. Neither of these guys is composing this film (as of yet), so it's unclear whether fans will hear the theme in the main event. Regardless, its presence in the trailer is a pleasant reminder of one of gaming's most epic scores.
4 "Oh, Crap!"
In the plane fight mentioned above, Dake struggles to get back in the aircraft when a car rolls down the ramp and knocks him out. He then utters these words, which most would consider a normal response to such a situation.
What the laymen don't know is that this is among Drake's favorite phrases whenever he's in a jam. If the odds are stacked against him, you can bet he'll throw out these two words at least once. It's not surprising that the filmmakers threw this phrase in here, and it likely won't be the last line they yank from the games. Maybe they're saving "Kitty got wet" for the second trailer.
3 Ship In A Cave
Drake eventually emerges from the water and stumbles upon a vast cavern with a wrecked ship in the center. With the sun shining down as a natural spotlight, it's a dead ringer for Captain Henry Avery's pirate ship. Drake's treasure hunt in Uncharted 4 revolved around finding the loot and colony of this mysterious scallywag.
Unfortunately, Nate's not searching for that colony in the movie. Instead, he's tracking Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan's voyage to a "place that's never been found." As such, the vessel likely belongs to him; it just suffered the same shipwrecked-yet-picturesque fate as Avery's.
2 Rooftop Chase
During the trailer, viewers see various glimpses of a foot chase across the rooftops. Fans of Uncharted 3 will recall a similar sequence involving a young Drake escaping from Katherine Marlowe's shadowy henchmen.
The film version shows Nate and Chloe doing the running and jumping. However, the city setting harkens back to both the climate and color scheme of the game. Once again, the movie seems to be lifting the iconography of its source material while repurposing it for a new tale.
1 Nadine Ross And Shoreline?
This may be thin, but its sights are suspect. Tati Gabrielle's villainess character appears to head a private army, evidenced by several imposing thugs backing her up. This all looks suspiciously like Nadine Ross leading her Shoreline mercs in Uncharted 4.
What's more, she's apparently working for Antonio Banderas's evil collector character. In the game, Nadine and company answered to a similarly smarmy collector named Rafe, so this scenario should be familiar to fans. It just further demonstrates the influences of Nate's last adventure on a film supposedly about his first.