This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
It's a Pirate's Life For Me.
Plot Overview
Ten-year-old Nathan “Nate”
Drake (Tiernan Jones) & his older brother Sam (Rudy Pankow) get
busted trying to loot the “Age of Explorers” exhibit in
a New York museum. Sam runs away and Nate by and by joins the circus,
later to become a bartender and flim-flam artist. Sam's new confederate
in crime Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) looks
up Nate (Tom Holland) for help to lift a gold cross from the Augustine
Auction House during bidding. The cross is actually half of a set
of keys to Ferdinand Magellan's fabled treasure, the other key held
by Sully's contact Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali.) Both keys are needed to get
at the hoard, also some mysterious knowledge that Sam—presumed
deceased—had imparted to Nate in their younger days.
Some clues lead them to
the Church of Santa Maria
del Pi in Barcelona and from there to Genoa where they uncover
a world map in an old Roman storehouse set off from a Roman
antechamber of an old building. Trouble is maps weren't all that
precise 500 years ago, so where to dig? That's where Nate's mysterious
knowledge may help, it is hoped.
Ideology
We note a contrast between young Nate celebrating plunder with Sam his partner in crime and con Nate scoring all alone. (Eccl. 4:9-12) “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Now partnered with Sully he can enjoy splitting the take, and he has someone to watch his back. He has Chloe to share a (king size) bed with. And if one of the threesome goes rogue, the other two may reign him or her in. And the three operating in league is a force to be reckoned with.
Production Values
“” (2022) was directed by Ruben Fleischer. Its writers were Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, Amy Hennig, Jon Hanley Rosenberg, Matt Holloway and Mark D. Walker. It stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Steven Waddington, Alana Boden, Pingi Moli, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle and Steven Waddington. We're treated to a high caliber of actors. Holland adds dimension to his adventurous character. Wahlberg is okay as the thief on the take, Ali is fine as the female third man. Banderas is an underused villain, while Gabrielle is a well-played nasty.
The main opposition comes from Santiago
Moncada (Antonio Banderas) who brings in the A–game dignity
of an old family claiming to be rightful heirs to the fortune. Nate
& Sam Drake claim the B–game distinction as descendants
of the buccaneer Sir Francis Drake. Moncada's mercenary lieutenant
Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) is well decked-out but her third tier
people unnamed. Her short, kinky, black hair is powdered white making
it look like rabbit's fur. Her heavy rouge lipstick focuses attention
on her mouth & nose. Her huge, moon earrings make her ears floppy.
She hops from scene to scene. And she's colorfully robed like an African
chieftain. We'd peg this jet-setter as your average Africa-American
except her American citizenship is uncertain. Nor would we consign
her to black a shade she eschews. Movies are wont to even use N-words
derived from the Latin niger for black, but not here. If our PC speech were not so racially
bowdlerized, we'd use the term jungle bunny, which would
suit her to a tee. Go figure.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for violence/action and language. Its run time is about 2 hours. It's heavy on fast-paced action and light on historical accuracy cum scientific credibility. The cinematography is excellent, especially in some difficult aerial shots. The story is fairly easy to follow.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
Think “Indiana Jones”, and you get the picture. Kids will love it, historians will cringe, and movie lovers will look forward to a sequel. I thought it was fun to watch, though I had to suppress my scientific analysis. If you want science, go read a book.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed fun. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Absolutely amazing special effects. Video Occasion: Good for Groups. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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