One Stop Pop: Uncharted
by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
We all have that feeling. You know the one: you finish watching a movie and something about it hits you in just the right spot. Whether it was the theme, the story, or even the characters, there was a quality about it that almost makes you want to turn around and go back a second, third, or even fourth time!
Bar the reality of living in the movie theater for the rest of your days, you turn to the rest of pop culture and start to look for other avenues where you can find that same feeling.
Well I’m here to make this plight easier for all. Each month, I will take a piece of pop culture that was prevalent in the social consciousness — whether it is a movie, TV show, or something else — and then recommend other forms of media for those who want to stay in that world a little bit longer.
Welcome to your One Stop Pop, internet!
Archaeology and code-breaking adventures is a genre in and of itself that has spurred forth many an adaptation. Whether it be the Indiana Jones blockbusters, Lara Croft, or of course the media of the hour — the Uncharted game series.
Now a blockbuster of its own, while the film may not have quite lived up to all expectations, it was certainly talked about by most everyone in February this year. So whether you did end up enjoying PlayStation’s inaugural film production and wanted more, or whether you were left wanting by all it lacked, here are some other forms of media to scratch that Uncharted itch.
TV Show: Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol
Taking it back to one of the modern classics of this genre, in both book, movie, and now TV format, Dan Brown has dominated the mass populous desire to solve intricate mysteries that sit at the heart of our society, and its institutions.
This time taking the guise of a long form series, the show takes infamous symbologist Robert Langdon (Ashley Zuckerman) and pits him against a religious zealot who has tasked him with solving a series of deadly puzzles in order to save his kidnapped mentor (Eddie Izzard), and thwart a chilling global conspiracy.
Exploring such stalwart organizations as multiple religions, the Free Masons, and the idea behind total identity rebirth, this show takes the original Brown novel and elevates it into an even more exciting tale that keeps audiences enraptured from episode to episode. However, while it’s intelligent enough to keep you interested and guessing at its many different codes, it’s also got plenty of the campiness and ridiculous action that fans would have come to know, love, and expect out of Langdon’s — and Nathan Drake’s for that matter — escapades.
More serious in tone, but just as much fun, I recommend you check out the first (and only) season that’s now streaming on Peacock.
Book: Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan
Moving from a multi-adapted work to one that is screaming to get the same treatment, this is the first in a soon-to-be-series that explores the adventures of Jane Doe. Described as “Narnia meets Mad Max,” the book follows the titular Jane as she embarks on a quest to save her father who has been lost in a place between worlds: a dangerous labyrinth of shifting rooms, infernal booby traps, and secret gateways. With only a couple of eccentric friends by her side to help, Jane must race against time and powerful enemies to secure her father’s freedom in this labyrinth of mysteries.
Taking that archeological nature of the Uncharted titles and going beyond into the mystical, there’s a sense of pure adventure that lives within the pages of this novel. Starring a stalwart, headstrong, exciting new heroine, this is a young adult narrative that easily pleases anyone looking to dive deeper into the genre at just as fast of a pace.
Reading this is like playing a video game or watching a movie, due to the way in which the story absolutely flourishes from page to page. If reading isn’t for you, but you still want to experience the excitement, the audiobook is a great choice, with unique narration that helps the words leap off of the page in a completely different way.
Direct and simple, yet masterful in the way it’s told Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds will have you diving into the next book and begging for more from Lachlan, and from potential movie studios as well.
Pick it up from your nearest book retailer or library to experience it for yourself!
Video Game: The Last of Us (and its sequel)
So maybe what you were hoping for in this Uncharted adaptation was just a really great movie, one of quality, that maybe explored Nate and Sully’s bond beyond that of a scoundrel and his apprentice.
If so, I would guide you to another video game by Uncharted creator Naughty Dog Studios — The Last of Us and its much-talked-about sequel. Now some of you may be rolling your eyes at this recommendation, as it’s not something that’s exactly new, original, or buried in the pop culture world. If you haven’t played it, you’ve definitely heard about it, and so my recommendation might be about three years too late.
And to that I would say, pish posh! Especially as if there was ever a time to replay the game (or finally experience it for the first time) it would be now due to the Hulu adaptation looking to release early in 2023. With Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian)as Joeland Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Ellie, this is slated to be a dire, emotional, and highly successful video game adaptation, if not the best to ever be released (we’ll see how I feel about this in hindsight).
Really delving into the relationship between a young sprite, their mentor, and the danger that surrounds them at every turn, this might end up being the better version of the Uncharted movie, with less ‘fun’ adventure, and more horrifying ‘zombies’
If you want to check it out, buy the game (and its sequel), on your Playstation now!
Podcast: The Leviathan Chronicles
After all this, maybe you still have a taste of adventure nagging at you. You want to explore a new world, help solve a mystery, and have it not be related to a previous successful property if possible.
Well ask and ye shall receive. I’d like to direct you to a podcast that will give you all that and more in The Leviathan Chronicles.
Taking the form of a revolutionary science fiction audio drama podcast featuring the voices of over 60 actors, professional sound effects, and an original music soundtrack, The Leviathan Chronicles is based in hidden city that lies deep within the dark trenches of the Pacific Ocean. Leviathan is home to a community of immortals that sought to create a utopia over 1,000 years ago, and having sought to live in peace, and secrecy, these immortals have helped influence world events for the advancement, and betterment of mankind. However, one day, a young genetic scientist named Macallan Orsel discovers a terrible secret that threatens to bring down Leviathan, and all its built, threatening civil war, a power struggle with a clandestine government agency, and more.
It’s exciting, it’s captivating, and what’s more, you feel as if you’re part of the action for every step of the way; so if that sounds like something that could entice and excite you, go find it on your favorite podcast player and experience all 50-plus episodes for yourself!
Adventure awaits! That’s the thesis for today’s article, as it is for any Uncharted title — even the recent film. Adventure and excitement, but also bonding, mystery, and the threat of impressionable power. Hopefully the above satiates that desire and keeps you occupied in between all that March has to offer, whereby I’ll then return with whatever blows up the airways next month.
So, as always, until next time, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop, and we hope to see you again soon!
You can follow Alice-Ginevra Micheli on Instagram and Letterboxd