The Last of Us (TV series)
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The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years after a mass fungal infection sparked a global pandemic. The infection causes its victims to transform into hostile, cannibalistic creatures resembling zombies. The series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the post-apocalyptic United States. It premiered on January 15, 2023, to critical acclaim.
Plot
After losing his daughter in 2003, smuggler Joel Miller must escort a fourteen-year-old girl across a 2023 post-apocalyptic United States.
Why It's Immune
- Excellent acting, most notably from Pedro Pascal as Joel and the non-binary actor Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
- Great direction from Craig Manzin, best known for his work on Chernobyl.
- It stays faithful to the already-amazing video game it was based on and expands upon it by adding new scenes that add some context to the game.
- In the first opening minutes of the first episode, we have a talk show explaining how the Cordyceps fungi could evolve and potentially wipe out all of humanity, given the lack of treatment for the infection. It creates a sense of dread, even if you never played the game.
- In the first episode, we see Sarah, Joel's daughter, making breakfast, going to school, fixing his watch, and selecting a movie from her neighbor's house for her father's birthday.
- Not only that, but the episode's dialogue at times is almost word for word from the games.
- The second episode showcased the fungus spreading to Indonesia, indicating that the Cordyceps fungi aren't a domestic threat but worldwide.
- It also implies that the virus originated in flour, as there are scenes in the first episode where Joel and Sarah avoid eating flour-containing foods. This is eventually confirmed in episode 3.
- Bill from Episode 3 now meets up with Frank, whom we never see in the games aside from his body and they bond together before taking their own lives.
- By episode 4, the showrunners included a new character named Kathleen. She is the Kansas City revolutionary leader, and her right-hand man Perry is hunting for Henry and his deaf brother Sam.
- And what is the best thing about Perry? He is played by Jeffery Pierce, the same actor who played Tommy in the video games. Even Joel and Ellie's voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson have roles in this!
- The cinematography is great and gives the feeling of watching a movie. It also replicates the look of a video game.
- Set designs and costumes are also top-notch, making you feel like you're in a zombie-infested United States.
- The opening credits are memorable and almost reach the Game of Thrones level of a memorable opening sequence.
- Joel and Ellie are still likable characters who share great chemistry like in the game.
- Also like the opening credits, the show has its memorable moments.
- Like in the games, there's an opening scene in the town where the outbreak occurs and there are people running everywhere, with two memorable scenes being a scene where a panicked group of moviegoers fleeing the theater and another with a plane crashing that actually terrified Nico Parker, who played Sarah in the show as it was done through practical effects.
- Another scene involves the Fireflies launching an attack on the military that is so well-executed that it needs to be seen to be believed.
- This show boosted the popularity of the games so much that sales for The Last of Us Remastered and The Last of Us Part 1 increased as a result.
Bad Qualities
- Although fine, the pacing can drag a bit, especially in the first episode, where in the first 20 minutes, not much happens.
- While faithful to the source material, the word-for-word scenes from the game make you feel like you want to play the game instead of watching the show. Remember, as this is an adaptation of a video game, the interactivity element from the video game is gone.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Last of Us has an approval rating of 97% based on 261 reviews, with an average rating of 8.85/10. The website's general consensus reads, "Retaining the most addictive aspects of its beloved source material while digging deeper into the story, The Last of Us is binge-worthy TV that ranks among the all-time greatest video game adaptations." Metacritic calculated an average of 84 out of 100 based on 40 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Several reviewers considered it the best adaptation of a video game, rivaled by Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.