HBO’s The Last of Us was announced back in 2020 and, since then, fans have waited anxiously for the series to reach their screens. The road has been long, but we’re finally days away from its premiere. To say that expectations are high would be a gross understatement, considering the show is based on one of the greatest video game franchises ever made. Those adaptations don’t typically pan out all that well, yet this production is already proving to be an exception. Critics’ reviews are in, and it’s honestly wild just how many are all in on the post-apocalyptic drama.
If you’re like me, then you’ve probably been somewhat nervous about the highly anticipated production, despite the impeccable trailers that feature the sweet sounds of Clickers. Rest assured though, you’re in for an exceptional ride. CinemaBlend’s own Nick Venable had nothing but positive things to say about the massive (and incredibly expensive) undertaking. And in laying out his praise, he gave the series an impressive title:
With HBO’s The Last of Us, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have quite possibly delivered the greatest game-sourced TV show of all time, if not the best game adaptation in any capacity. It’s lofty praise, no doubt, but it’s barely hyperbole, given how well it handles elements that so many adaptations botch beyond belief.
It goes without saying that making an adaptation of anything – whether it be a novel or a video game – is challenging. One has to find a balance when it comes to honoring the source material and adding new elements. It’s long been said that The Last of Us would change up some elements without undoing the original game’s story. And based on Simon Cardy’s review for IGN, the show manages to deliver on its promise on presenting the dark tale without just replicating it beat for beat:
The best adaptations don't just imitate their source material but aim to enrich for those familiar with it, while also acting as an entry point for those who aren’t. HBO's The Last of Us does exactly that: a brilliant retelling of one of video games’ most beloved stories that rebottles the lightning of what made it so special to many in the first place, letting it strike again to stunning effect. Thanks to a pair of phenomenal lead performances and a beautifully executed vision of what it is to find hope and love in a world hellbent on denying it, The Last of Us thrills from the first episode to the last.
For the uninitiated, the show takes place in a version of the United States that’s been ravaged by a fungal-based infection. 20 years after the onset of the epidemic, a smuggler named Joel is tasked with escorting a young girl named Ellie across the country, as she may hold the key to humanity’s recovery. Along the way, the two form a surrogate father-daughter bond that captured gamers’ hearts in 2013. This is greatly due to the efforts of lead actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who manage to bring a significant amount of complexity to their roles, according to Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting:
Pedro Pascal is perfectly cast as the hardened smuggler with a profoundly checkered past. Joel is a textbook antihero, prone to making ruthless choices in the name of survival and, occasionally, love. Yet Pascal ensures he never loses empathy, even when perhaps he should. Bella Ramsey’s Ellie is a complex teen who exudes vivacious youth while internalizing the weight of the world. Both leads suffered traumatic losses that shaped their present, and how their journey forces them to reckon with their survivor’s guilt and past trauma creates compelling arcs for both.
Of course, there are only a handful of shows that can be deemed “perfect” (and I’d argue that Breaking Bad and The Sopranos are among them), and there are some who’ve found fault with this take on Naughty Dog’s acclaimed Playstation game. Slant’s Pat Brown commended the cast for their performances but, all in all, he feels that the show leans too heavily on its source material:
Elsewhere, The Last of Us relies far too much on material taken directly from the game, as if merely stripping back the stealth and combat elements of gameplay were sufficient to adapt it for television. The result is a series that not only often runs like a compilation of extended versions of the game’s cutscenes, but is also almost assertively middlebrow. There’s a general shirking away from horror tropes like atmospheric tension and explicit evisceration, for one thing, that renders a story about ravenous monsters rather toothless.
Most critics, however, seem to be very high on just how close the show is to its video game counterpart. In his review for The Washington Post, gaming journalist Gene Park lauded the show for its faithfulness to Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley’s OG work. However, Park also applauded the program for being able to conjure up a compelling odyssey that differs from the source in some important ways:
That story is of a kind that could not have been told in the game. The game’s true magic lay in allowing players to embody Joel and Ellie. This meant the perspective of the story could never leave their eyes, lest we lose control as the audience. But in the show, the camera and the writing are finally liberated from the two leads, allowing new side stories to flourish, enriching our understanding of the world and its characters. For those familiar with the game, “enchanting and romantic” are two words you might not associate with this story. But HBO’s revision manages to tell a loving story in a loveless, lifeless world.
As someone who’s been excited for this project for some time now, it’s great to see that so many pundits are digging it. And if you need any further proof to back up the positive buzz, the show holds a 96% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as of this writing. I don’t know about all of you, but I get the feeling that the Home Box Office network may have something on its hands that could rival (or even surpass) Game of Thrones.
You can see what all the chatter is about when The Last of Us premieres Sunday, January 15 at 9 p.m. ET as part of the 2023 TV schedule. Episodes will also be available to stream using an HBO Max subscription.
