HBO’s The Last of Us Review
It appears that the curse of horrible TV/film adaptations of videogames has been breaking away. The new The Last Of Us adaptation is a show that holds much promise in its first two episodes that have come out as of the time of this review.
It all starts off insanely strong with its whopping 1 hour and 20 minute long runtime, the pilot begins similarly to the game but with a new addition for the episode’s cold open. It’s an immensely chilling scene that does a fantastic job at setting a dreadful tone for the rest of the show. Afterwards is a simple, but amazing looking intro accompanied with a somber guitar playing the theme.
From here we see what is essentially the game’s introductory prologue adapted into television. What the show maintains so well is its ability to keep the same story beats from the game, to the point that some portions of it are word-for-word just like the game, while adding an abundance of context and character interactions. It’s these interactions that help keep it all so compelling and, in some cases, make moments much more impactful than what they were derived from.
Now, it would be a crime to keep going without giving praise to the acting in this series. As mentioned before, there’s so much more in terms of character interaction and all of these are absolutely carried by the performers. Pedro Pascal (he/him) plays Joel, and does an excellent job of once again playing a character who suddenly is in the care of a younger person. Alongside him is Bella Ramsey (they/them) who plays Ellie, and does so in a way that is hilarious at times despite the grim conditions. However, my biggest shoutout goes to Nico Parker (she/her) for her performance as Sarah, Joel’s daughter, in the pilot episode for a moment that was just emotionally crushing to me.
This is a definite 5/5 for me, hardly any shows in recent years have got me so eagerly awaiting the next episode to come out. The Last Of Us is available to stream on HBO Max.
One of my earlies memories was watching stories unfold on a small TV in my room. Ever since then, I've always wanted to become a filmmaker to put stories of my own onto all manner of screens. Being a fan of writing alongside this has also led to my love of writing analysis/reviews on the things I view. It's a joy to share to others my thoughts and insights on media.
