To the edge of the universe and back, Endure and Survive. HBO’s adaption of the critically acclaimed video game from 2013, The Last of Us, is finally here and fans are already calling it the greatest video game adaption ever. With a huge 4.7 million viewer debut and a very positive first episode, this post-apocalyptic drama may very well be the great video game adaptation ever. The series is Co-created by Craig Mazin, known for creating the hit mini-series, Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, the game's original director. It also stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
The series follows Joel, a hardened middle-aged survivor, and smuggler, tasked with escorting Ellie a 14-year-old orphan, across a post-apocalyptic United States. On their journey, the pair must defend themselves against hostile zombify creatures known as the Infected, as well as the totalitarian military, bandits, and even cannibalistic groups. Due to the outbreak of the infection happening 20 years prior, Ellie never knew what life was like before the infection.
Pedro Pascal does a fantastic job of portraying Joel's well-worn persona, complete with a southern drawl, and carries himself with a genuine air of wisdom and weariness. He tends to be quiet and somber, but his eyes have a tremendous way of expressing intense emotion. He is indeed an excellent choice for the role because he can act at either end of Joel's emotional range, from tenderly compassionate to ruthlessly violent, and remains calm and collected in the face of difficulties.
Bella Ramsey is incredible as Ellie, seamlessly flitting between delicate vulnerability, youthful energy, and determined presence despite being a tad edgier than the game's counterpart. Her performance is surprisingly good and is well deserving of praise for changing the way people perceive a character whose prior interpretation has become so deeply embedded in the gaming community. Only having a small screen time in this first episode, one can where she gets even better in sync with Joel and Ellie's relationship in the latter episodes.
Merle Dandridge reprised her role from the video game as Marlene. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson the original game actors for Joel and Ellie, will return as important characters in the latter episode. This is a great way for the tv adaption to honor the amazing cast of the video game. Many other adaptions, always seem to ignore the original video game cast, talking to you Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Although never been a fan of the hand-held camera technique, this technique works quite well for the chaotic, post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Co-Creator Craig Mazin directs the first episode and captures the world of The Last of Us video game beautifully. Fans of the game will be thrilled by how many scenes from the game are in the tv adaptation and perfectly expand upon those scenes. However, adding these expansions and additional scenes, causes important game scenes to be removed or cut down. The pacing of the story at least episode one is quite rushed and at times doesn’t allow viewers to take in all the info. We already seeing many Youtube videos of Top 20 Things You Missed in The Last of Us: Episode One. The rushed pacing may not affect fans of the game, but newcomers may be lost at times.
HBO's The Last of Us premiere episode exhilaratingly builds the groundwork for the psychological torment that will await us at every turn. It immerses us in a world on the verge of calamity before masterfully catapulting us into one that has been sunk into its depths. It features an all-star cast and technical talent behind the camera to match. It is constantly engaging for most of its prolonged runtime, even when significant details are being presented to us too fast. Whether it's your first or a hundred time experiencing it, the series perfectly captures everything that makes the first chapter of the video game's narrative so exceptional.
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