Films with treasure and clues have always appealed to me. And a film with Tom Holland dangling by ropes and crates from a plane in peril is even more my kind of treasure hunt flick. Unchartered fits this bill.

Fans of the Uncharted video games will also love the Uncharted movie. Holland goes from jumping and slinging webs as Spiderman in the video games to jumping and swinging from planes as Nathan Drake in Uncharted. I loved the Uncharted video games and that definitely added to my enjoyment of this film. It helps that the film also has a better story line than the games ever had.

In Uncharted Nathan Drake is a smart kid who also happens too be a thief. He is recruited by Victor “Sully” Sullivan, played by Mark Wahlberg, to assist in hunting for a fortune that was lost 500 years ago by Ferdinand Magellan. Drake and Sullivan could become extremely wealthy if they find the treasure, but greedy and ruthless millionaire Santiago Moncada, played by Antonio Banderas, stands in their way. The plot is a little cheesy at times, but the film has a clever premise and the interactions between Holland and Wahlberg are entertaining.

Unlike the video games, which were skewed toward young people, Unchartedthe film is a fun ride for all ages. It’s a cat and mouse game at times and the tactics they employ are creative and visually funny, yet suspenseful. It is also witty, heartfelt, and adventurous. This film isn’t without flaws, but I still found it entertaining. Three stars for Uncharted.

Director Roland Emmerich has made several end-of-the-world type flicks, including Independence Day (1996), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), and 2012 (2009). Moonfall may be his best yet.

Emmerich’s first two end-of-the-world films have a similar science and mission as Moonfall, and both of those were well received. But Moonfall has blockbuster potential and is a fascinating look at yet another possible cataclysmic ending for the world.

Moonfall introduces us to NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler, played by Halle Berry, another former astronaut, Brian Harper, played by Patrick Wilson, and conspiracy theorist KC Houseman, played by John Bradley. These three brilliant people discover that some force has shifted the moon from its natural orbit, causing natural calamities on Earth and posing an immediate threat to our survival. The three of them put their heads together to figure out what to do, and they end up on a daring, if not impossible, space mission to fix the problem.

Moonfall is yet another thrilling and daring rollercoaster ride from director Emmerich. Despite the dire topic, I found the film to be a lot of fun. It was visually stunning and there were actually, surprisingly, quite a few laughs. Some of the science behind the premise was slightly over-the-top, but that didn’t interfere with the enjoyment. Seeing it in IMAX, as I did, definitely adds to the fun. For fans of disaster films, Moonfall is one they’ll enjoy. Three stars for Moonfall.

Death on The Nile has an appealing premise and an A-list cast, but the plot lacks at times and it almost seemed like a repeat of another of director Kenneth Branagh’s recent films, Murder on the Orient Express (2017).

Branagh is not just the director
of Death on The Nile, he also stars as Detective Hercule Poirot, who is vacationing on a Nile River steamer when a young heiress is murdered. There are many possible culprits, and Poirot is tasked with putting the pieces together. Along on the cruise is Poirot’s friend Bouc, played by Tom Bateman, and Bouc’s mother, Euphemia Bouc, played by Annette Bening. Also along is Windlesham, played by Russell Brand, and husband and wife Simon Doyle and Gal Gadot, played by Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot.

I found the performances of Branagh, Hammer, and Gadot to be where the best chemistry is in Death on The Nile. But the film just seemed out of focus at times. It was also, again, a little too similar to Murder on the Orient Express. And despite the who-done-it theme, it was too predictable for my tastes. I did enjoy some of the outstanding cinematography and scenery, however. In my teen years I traveled to Egypt and I have many good memories of seeing the pyramids and other attractions along the Nile.

To be honest, Death on The Nile is not terrible, but it could have been so much better considering the cast. Branagh still has a brilliant mind for directing and acting, and his performance as Detective Poirot is solid. But given its problems, I’m giving Death on The Nile just two and a half stars.