In the midst of “Uncharted,” the brand new blockbuster film from Sony Pictures, a bunch of fortune seekers enters Barcelona’s Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi in quest of hidden treasure. Underneath the Fifteenth-century church is the supposed resting place of a horde of gold stashed by the crew of Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer known for circumnavigating the globe. The intrepid protagonists carry two cross-shaped keys, which they hope will give them access to the treasure. They face a series of obstacles: A relief of the Virgin Mary serves to activate a dart trap; heaven-and-hell iconography results in a near-death by drowning.
Now, you may think that given the layers of Catholic iconography present on this sequence, faith or religion is unquestionably going to play some type of role within the film.
Despite all of its references to Christianity, “Uncharted” offers us nothing greater than an easy treasure hunt.
And also you can be fallacious. Despite all of its references to Christianity, “Uncharted” offers us nothing greater than an easy treasure hunt.
This can be a problem that happens repeatedly within the film. The protagonist, Nathan Drake, is definitely an orphan raised by Catholic nuns who finds himself chasing after a lost treasure, hidden by a Catholic explorer, using clues and objects which are present in Catholic locations—and yet not once within the film does he reflect on any of that.
This is especially disappointing since the “Uncharted” series of video games from which the film is tailored actually has a history of engaging with these themes. The series spends time showing Nathan being raised by Catholic nuns in Boston, which ends up in a depth of theological knowledge that aids him in his adventures.
The protagonist, Nathan Drake, is definitely an orphan raised by Catholic nuns who finds himself chasing after a lost treasure.
The lifetime of Nathan and his brother Sam on the orphanage can also be richly detailed. They’re the frequent objects of scorn from one nun due to their propensity for getting in trouble, and she or he desires to expel them. And while the priest answerable for the orphanage doesn’t think they’re quite lost causes, their lack of trust within the orphanage, and specifically this nun, moves Sam and eventually Nathan to depart.
While the film retains the concept that the Drakes grew up in an orphanage, which is called after St. Francis of Assisi, it eliminates all of the crucial details that add depth to how the boys ended up as thieves and vagabonds.
The film does take some plot inspiration from the fourth game within the series,“A Thief’s End.” In keeping with the Gospel of Luke, Christ was crucified alongside two thieves. In some apocryphal writings, they’re called Gestas and Dismas. Gestas, often known as the impenitent thief, joins the assembled crowd in mocking Jesus, while Dismas, the great thief defends Christ and asks him to recollect him once he enters the dominion of heaven. During “A Thief’s End,” Nathan and Sam acquire a cross featuring St. Dismas as a part of their quest for the lost treasure of famed pirate Henry Avery, but Sam is shot and presumed to be killed in the method. Nathan keeps the cross for the subsequent 15 years as a reminder of his brother; when his brother unexpectedly turns up alive, the cross seems to be an important piece of the puzzle of their renewed seek for Avery’s treasure.
The “Uncharted” game franchise has collectively sold over 40 million units; why mess with that success?
In the sport, Henry Avery considers himself a “good thief” because he’s a privateer, that’s, a pirate hired by the English government to raid ships from rival nations. Nathan and Sam similarly consider themselves to be “good thieves” because they only steal from the long-dead, and Nathan’s decision to maintain the cross for therefore a few years seems to bring him luck. St. Dismas, the patron saint of repentant thieves, is watching out for these “good thieves.”
The sport also provides a very important quote from St. Dismas that becomes the thematic underpinning for the entire narrative. On the back of the cross is inscribed the Latin sentence “Digna factis recipimus”—“We receive the due rewards of our deeds.” That is taken from the words of the penitent thief in Luke 23:41 and is indicative of his repentance. It’s after this that Christ replies, “Today, you’ll join me in paradise.”
At the tip of “A Thief’s End,” Nathan finally gives up his thieving ways for good, all because of St. Dismas, and in consequence he’s spared the awful fate that befalls the rival thieves who were also trying to find Avery’s treasure.
“Uncharted,” the film, has almost none of this. It does feature crosses which are used as keys to the treasure of Ferdinand Magellan, however the crosses don’t have any figures on them. And there isn’t any mention of St. Dismas or the importance of this good thief within the lives of Nathan and Sam, either. It’s shocking and in addition bizarre. The “Uncharted” game franchise has collectively sold over 40 million units; why mess with that success?
A Bible isn’t only a book. A cross isn’t only a key. A statue of the Virgin Mary isn’t only a trap. And a video game franchise with a dynamic tapestry of Catholic culture and theology woven in…well, without all that, “Uncharted” isn’t much of a movie.
