The Last of Us TV Show Review: A Faithful Adaptation
The Last of Us is an HBO Max original TV show adapted from the popular video game of the same name. It tells a moving story of survival in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. The main character, Joel, is unwillingly tasked with accompanying a young 14-year-old girl named Ellie across the country for a specific purpose. And along the way, they develop a father-daughter relationship that is both complex and heartfelt. The overwhelming popularity of the TV show rides heavily on the success of the video game. Of course, that’s not to say that the show did not have its own challenges. Living up to something that is so beloved and impactful is not an easy task. Nonetheless, I think the show really pulled through and delivered a visually beautiful and interesting adaptation.
I never played The Last of Us, but I did watch the entire gameplay (played by PewDiePie) on YouTube when it first came out. I was addicted to watching the gameplay because the story had such a great narrative and memorable characters. When the show was announced, I was probably just as hyped to watch it as any other person who loved playing the game.
Since the game came out so long ago, I think this TV show is really boosted by fans who feel nostalgic and have a deep love for the game. What the show does is build on the game material and enhance the characters with deeper backstories. It might even feel like discovering new easter eggs. People who have played the game can enjoy the show as a nostalgic reminder of the game and an opportunity to learn more about characters that they grew to love.
People who have never played the game could find themselves enjoying the show based on the story alone, because the story is great. You have the horror of an apocalypse, the thrill of escaping zombies, and the beauty of complex characters, which all combine into a really engaging and fun story to watch. Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie do an incredible job! It’s a win-win all around.
Living up to the hype of this game is really hard. I think one of the main difficulties is keeping the show interesting while still staying true to the game. It’s like with the live-action adaptations of Disney animated movies - if you create what feels like a scene-by-scene re-enactment of a beloved classic, it can easily feel really boring and unnecessary (e.g. The Lion King). The Last of Us show stays very accurate to the story of the game. Every major story arc and cutscene of the game has probably made its way into the show in some way, so people who are still familiar with the game will not feel like the show is reinventing the wheel. The show expands on the stories of side characters like Bill, Frank, Henry, and Sam. These expansions were interesting to watch and became very memorable to me. I think in the next season, it would be great to create more nuances and new story arcs for the main characters as well.
The show is definitely not as action-packed as I imagined it would be. Most people might think there would be a lot of zombies, but the majority of the episodes are heavily focused on character relationships and exploring human nature. I wish there were more zombies and intense fight scenes in this first season, but I did read an article discussing how there would be more zombies in the second season.
The thing I love the most about The Last of Us is how much respect the showrunners had for the game. For instance, many of the voice actors from the original game were brought in to do cameos and Merle Dandridge reprised her role as Marlene. I also really enjoyed listening to the official HBO companion podcast with Troy Baker, Craig Mazin, and Neil Druckmann. It provided some really interesting context to the decisions made in the show and how it compared to the game. This show feels like a gathering of people who were all super passionate about the game and wanted to do it justice. When you feel that passion oozing out of each episode, you can’t help but also feel excited as a viewer.