THE LAST OF US Review: HBO's Bleak, Brilliant Series Is Easily The Best Video Game Adaptation Yet

THE LAST OF US Review: HBO's Bleak, Brilliant Series Is Easily The Best Video Game Adaptation Yet

Granted, that wouldn't be a particularly difficult task! HBO's The Last of Us is set to premiere on January 15, and now that the embargo is up, you can find out what we made of the series...

Review Opinion
By MarkCassidy - Jan 10, 2023 03:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Last of Us
Source: Via Game Fragger

Naughty Dog's The Last of Us is considered by many to be among the best video games ever made, so there was understandably a lot of excitement - not to mention a certain amount of trepidation - when it was announced that HBO would be adapting the survival horror adventure for the small screen.

While some video game films/shows have found success and a level of critical acclaim (the recent Sonic the Hedgehog movies, for example), by and large, it's probably fair to say that they don't tend to be very good!

The mere mention of HBO does inspire confidence that a certain standard of quality will be adhered to, though, and the news that Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the game's creator Neil Druckmann were going to be involved didn't hurt. Still, not everyone was on board with the casting decisions, and there was some concern that the show might veer too far away from the game's narrative.

Fortunately - and this is coming from someone who views both games as masterpieces - fans needn't have worried, because HBO has delivered a brilliant, faithful take on the story, which sits comfortably as the best video game adaptation of all time.

Why The Last of Us HBO Series Having New Scenes and Dialogue Makes Sense

For the uninitiated, The Last of Us is set in a future that's been decimated by a viral infection that turns people into mindless, ravenous killers, and focuses on the relationship between a hardened survivor of the "zombie" apocalypse (Pedro Pascal), and a teenage girl (Bella Ramsey) he's been tasked with keeping safe. The ruthless Joel is far from your typical hero, and only agrees to take Ellie under his protection with the promise of a healthy payday at the end of their journey. Ellie is no happier with her new travelling companion, but as the road grows more and more perilous and the pair are forced to rely on each other to survive, a bond begins to form.

The grizzled protector growing to care for their younger charge is hardly an original premise, but the game still managed to infuse its narrative with a sense of unpredictability, and the show follows suit. If you've played through the first game, you will have a pretty good idea of how the major story beats are going to go (in some respects, it's actually more of a recreation than an adaptation), but there are a few surprises in store.

We won't go into too much detail for fear of spoiling something, but certain aspects of the tale are expanded upon, and there is one significant change involving a supporting character and the point they're introduced in the timeline (we're trying to be as vague as possible here). This may end up being divisive, but the episode in question is arguably the most powerful, compelling instalment of the season. The events of the "Left Behind" expansion are also covered, as Ellie's relationship with her friend Riley (Storm Reid) is explored in an emotional flashback.

The game can get pretty bleak at times, and the show matches its grim intensity - and then some. The Last of Us is not always an easy watch, and there are some genuinely unsettling moments as Joel and Ellie face increasingly dangerous obstacles on their journey. There are several nail-bitingly tense, terrifying encounters with runners, clickers and bloaters (the various stages of infected), but, as is so often the case with these post-apocalyptic yarns, it's the human enemies that emerge as the real monsters.

Pascal is used to playing a jaded mercenary who bonds with a young travelling companion, but Joel is a very different beast to The Mandalorian. Though his violent past is really only alluded to, he all-but admits to slaughtering innocent people in order to survive. It can be difficult to root for this type of character even when they are one of our protagonists, but the Game of Thrones alum is terrific as a shell of a man whose life has been marred by tragedy, slowly beginning to rediscover his humanity. 

There was some backlash when Ramsey was cast as Ellie, primarily because she doesn't resemble the video game version of the character (Pascal doesn't really look like Joel, either, but that didn't seem to bother people as much). It's understandable that gamers would have their own ideas about how these characters should be portrayed, but Ramsey is certain to alleviate any concerns and silence her doubters with her engaging, soulful, and often very funny turn.

As The Last of Us progresses towards its gripping conclusion (it is left open for a second season, of course), some may become a little weary of the relentless brutality, but, like the game, this is ultimately a story about a glimmer of hope emerging from the darkness, and the show is at its best when focusing on its flawed characters searching for something - or someone - to cling on to as the world goes to hell around them. 

The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO on January 15 in the US, and a day later on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK and Ireland.

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HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 1/10/2023, 3:46 AM
As someone who enjoys both games (yes I love the second one a lot) and generally thinks video game adaptations are total ass,

this looks extremely promising. The showrunner, the trailer, the fact that it's on HBO all have me excited. While the cast wasn't what I would've gone with personally, I'm sure they'll do a great job.

I hope they don't let the second game's backlash affect the direction they take when adapting it. I personally loved that story and wanna see it adapted on the big screen.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 1/10/2023, 3:53 AM
@HOTSHOT - I'm kinda hoping they already involved some of the flashbacks from the second game in this season. With only 9 episodes though, I doubt it
Spawnnn
Spawnnn - 1/10/2023, 4:24 AM
@HOTSHOT - I think the second one was way better. The record for the most GOTY awards a game ever got is more than justified. Sucks it got so much hate from the 4chan incels.
Chappers
Chappers - 1/10/2023, 4:39 AM
@HOTSHOT - Meh I just can't get excited for an adaptation of the 2nd game at all, they re-wrote and re-framed parts of the first just to try and make the direction of the second game feel more warranted

Just not for me and the 2nd season mirroring that wouldn't go down well with the majority of watchers who aren't as hardcore into their video games as others. Though I still expect them to adapt it pretty much the same
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 1/10/2023, 5:04 AM
@Spawnnn - Yeah I like it better too. There are definitely very valid criticisms people can make of it, and I can even understand why many disliked elements that I personally liked.

However, people do tend to go crazy pretending like it has nothing of value. It's more polished than most games I've played and the narrative is actually memorable.
HOTSHOT
HOTSHOT - 1/10/2023, 5:08 AM
@JakeyChappers - I mean I always knew the direction that the second game would go would be the consequences of what Joel did at the end of the first one. I knew that surviving Fireflies would want revenge and we'd get to see their side more.

So it doesn't feel like it came out of nowhere to me. Plus it doesn't really contradict anything that was previously established, and instead just adds new context to it. So I'm cool with it.

And I honestly didn't see it going in the direction it did, with that one scene that sets off the plot. That was horrific, difficult to watch, and made me feel something. No matter how many times I replay the game, I feel the same when I get to that part.

And I honestly don't have that kind of impact from most other games I play, so I love that they were bold about it.

Also it's worth keeping in mind that while I enjoyed the first game, I found most of the writing very standard (not bad but predictable) except for the ending which geniunely caught me off guard. So I love the second game for feeling like that ending but throughout it's entire runtime.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 1/10/2023, 3:56 AM
From what I gather from reviews (including this one), it does what the game achieved is a slightly different way.

From everything I saw (trailers, previews) and read (reviews, interviews, etc.) beforehand, it was really promising. So I'm glad it seems like it will deliver.
Spawnnn
Spawnnn - 1/10/2023, 4:20 AM
I had no doubts. I mean, it's an HBO production with a great showrunner and involvement of the writer/director of the source material. Not some random and clueless Prime/Netflix/Disney shit.
tmp3
tmp3 - 1/10/2023, 7:32 AM
82 on metacritic damnnnn, this shit’s gonna be heat
GhostDog
GhostDog - 1/10/2023, 7:40 AM
Can’t wait!
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/10/2023, 9:16 AM
“ Easily The Best Video Game Adaptation Yet”…

*cough* Arcane *cough*…
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 1/10/2023, 9:56 AM
@Chewtoy - Mortal Kombat '95 says "Hi" too!
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/10/2023, 10:00 AM
@Chewtoy - Arcane was great. .. This is better!
tmp3
tmp3 - 1/10/2023, 10:01 AM
@Chewtoy - i mean, it's hbo and craig mazin, and their last show was already better than arcane 😅
DTor91
DTor91 - 1/10/2023, 4:42 PM
@WarMonkey - I grew up and enjoyed the hell out of MK……but it’s not a good movie. There has yet to be a good MK adaptation in general.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 1/10/2023, 9:54 AM
They told her not to research her part. I'm passing on this as it seems like more of the same weak-sauce that Hollywood has been pumping out. Also that 2nd game looked terrible and I'm still laughing at the character in it and her broad shoulders with man-arms. I still can't believe they did that lol. Also the creator of the games seems like a real asshole so F him.
DTor91
DTor91 - 1/10/2023, 4:43 PM
@WarMonkey - So you clearly base everything on comment threads and Reddit. Great.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 1/10/2023, 6:01 PM
@DTor91 - Stuff I haven't experienced personally yes I do. I'll take word-of-mouth reviews of people with similar likes and dislikes to me. Doesn't always mean I'll agree though. But I did see a ton of gameplay from both games from game streamers so have a pretty decent idea.
Pathogen
Pathogen - 1/13/2023, 2:58 PM
lol streamers.

boy, if there was ever a sheep community, its the people that watch those twerps
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