There are possible spoilers in this review
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within the Cartel is a short film by Ubisoft, now available exclusively at Amazon Prime Video, that serves as the precursor to the forthcoming game Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, the tenth installment in the franchise. The film follows Ricky Sandoval, an undercover agent who is working to take down the Bolivian cartel from the inside and prevent their operations from going global.
If you are a lover of the action genre, this is a film that really knows and caters to its audience. With so much action packed into such a short amount of time, there is hardly a dull moment. In fact, there is enough tension to drive the story and make the 30 minutes fly on by. The film will leave you wanting to find out what happens next.
Introducing the players to the characters they will encounter in a very real and human form definitely contributes to the emotional reaction that the player will have. As opposed to a rendered sequence, seeing a villain murder someone in cold blood could make the player more eager to finish them off when encountered in the game. It also humanizes Ricky, who you learn has a wife that is carrying their child, and increases the desire to save him from his captors.
All of this being said, it is hard to compare this film with its predecessors, such as Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn that had a much more complete story and build up. In my opinion, I feel that this film could have benefited from a longer format. I also found several issues within the film, such as the fighting sequence choreography to be a little clumsy and awkward at times. The villains’ accents also seemed to come and go randomly throughout the film. The character names seemed pretty generic and I wasn’t entirely convinced that Bolivia was not entirely interchangeable with any other Latin country. There were a few times the film got a little cheesy for my taste, but fans of the genre may find that these moments are what really give the film its strength. In other words, if the intention was to create a film that aligns with the typical expectations of the action genre, then this hit every mark.
All things considered, I believe the film still accomplished its goal of hyping up the next game and preparing players to face these characters in game. I felt that the tension was well maintained throughout the film and even with the limited backstory, I still found myself invested in Ricky’s survival. If you are a fan of Tom Clancy, the Ghost Recon series, or action-packed shooters, then you may find enjoyment from this film as long as you recognize that this is a promotional film and not a stand alone movie.
Overall: 7/10
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: War Within the Cartel promotional live-action video is now available exclusively at Amazon Prime Video.
Video Review
-
Overall Score - 7/107/10
Most of my childhood was dedicated to raising my Pokémon, but nowadays I find myself taking time off to enjoy indie games and RPGs. I have always been fascinated by how easily videogames immerse us into their own worlds and stories, and I hope to be a part of this one day. Until then, I would like to serve my gamer community in helping you to navigate between the great and the overhyped.
More Stories
NAIRI: Rising Tide Review for Nintendo Switch
Guild Wars 2 and its Expansions Now Available on Epic Games Store, New Titan in ‘Godspawn’ Release Nov. 19
Parking World: Build & Manage Now Out via Steam Early Access