HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ nicely trades monster hordes for emotional depth

Mefascinated by Last of Us Ever since I first played it shortly after its release for PS3 in 2013, the ruined, dangerous, yet somehow beautiful post-pandemic world has been rendered charmingly by developer Naughty Dog, with stealth and you. A tense battle ensued caused by the need to save the . Resource felt more brutal and realistic than the Uncharted series the developers were known for.

But the relationship between the main characters, Joel and Ellie, is the true heart of the game. The story of a broken father taking responsibility for a child who becomes a reluctant surrogate daughter isn’t all that original, nor is it the game’s apocalyptic setting. , is full of conflict and brilliantly written by creators Neil Druckmann and Bruce Stralley. Performers Troy his Baker and Ashley Johnson and his entire team of Naughty Dog brought this game to life and it has stuck in my heart ever since.

It’s the kind of video game that’s begging for some sort of on-screen adaptation. Last of Us The series will premiere on January 15th. The first season includes a deeply talented cast (headlined by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie), along with Druckmann and Craig His Majin (best known for his outstanding work). Led by his team of equally strong creatives. Chernobyl miniseries, even on HBO).

Photo by Liane Hentscher/HBO

We are happy to inform you Last of Us It should satisfy fans of the game and may even bring in new viewers. It deftly walks the line between lovingly honoring the source material but not feeling overly dedicated to it. The structure of the show is essentially the same as the game. Joel and Ellie meet in Boston’s quarantine area nearly 20 years after a fungal infection ravaged the world as we know it. Circumstances push the pair on a cross-country journey that spans much of the year as they try to get Ellie to safety in the Firefly that is.

If you’ve played the game, you’re familiar with the season’s nine episode arcs. But in each act of the story, Mazin cleverly discerns what to expand on and what to leave out. The biggest thing missing is many of the huge action sets that appear throughout the game. This is not surprising as it is not realistic for Joel and Ellie to survive the many battles they face in the game. It also doesn’t make for compelling TV. There’s still a lot of action in the show, but it’s done more deliberately and usually only when moving the story forward.

As a matter of course, Last of Us It mirrors the high-budget flagship status the show seems to have at HBO. The sets and environments are magnificent in scale and detail, and the combination of prosthetics and digital enhancements bring the infected to life in terrifying ways. Encounters with these creatures seem less weighted than the game, but seeing them on screen is harrowingly memorable. (composed by Gustavo Santaolalla) are well done. This is a show that oozes quality and attention to detail just like the game itself.

Photo by Shane Harvey/HBO

What is more interesting is that Last of Us Expand to the world and its inhabitants. We’ll soon take a closer look at the pre-pandemic life that Joel and his daughter Sarah live in.The showrunners give us more backstory and a better understanding of the different ways people survive. Don’t get me wrong — most of HBO’s residents are Last of Us Shoot first, ask questions later, but most encounters are about tension rather than brutal violence.

Much has been written about the show’s two stars, Vera Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. Both have big shoes, and finding two performers of hers with on-screen chemistry that could embody their respective characters well was certainly no easy task. However, Pascal and Ramsey’s performances both immediately connected with their original characters and felt vitality and substance in and of themselves. Pairs must win quickly.

Pascal’s Joel has far more emotional depth than the video game Joel. Part of that is due to his script focusing on his vulnerability and insecurities, but Pascal skillfully portrays a wide range of emotions. can be shown. Joel will do whatever it takes to get what he needs and at the same time do whatever it takes to stay alive, he embodies the broken mind of a man who spent 20 years. Ellie brings out Joel’s vulnerable side and seeing how it pits itself against a stubborn survivor is central to Joel’s character’s journey, and Pascal nails it. Vulnerable to and even more frightening.

Ramsey, on the other hand, is charming from the first moment she appears onscreen as Ellie. The first episode offers a bit more of Ellie’s backstory. A lot of the humor and levity comes from Ellie, and Ramsey’s performance is one that only a 14-year-old would find terrifying. It captures the innocent resilience you can have in the face of fear and seemingly inevitable doom. The weight on Ellie’s shoulders grows throughout the series, with Ramsey constantly bringing Ellie to the brink of her collapse before returning to her sense of duty to care for the people she chooses. life. Her Ellie naivety and her sense of wonder are hurt many times throughout the series, but both Ramsey and her script never let her lose it entirely.

Photo by Liane Hentscher/HBO

Both Pascal and Ramsey perform well, but the magic really happens when the two are playing against each other. Naturally, the characters start to become skeptical of each other, and Joel straight-up calls Ellie “cargo.” But her fascination with seeing the world beyond the quarantine zone where Ellie is stuck causes Joel to slowly collapse. Pascal does a great job of traversing between these two sides of her in the character, only retreating into the role of an emotionally detached guardian, showing her compassion and concern for Ellie as a person. provide tips.

Ramsey, on the other hand, embodies Ellie’s ethos of opening up to Joel, and it’s fun to see this side of Ellie’s character. is done in It’s the tool Ellie uses most to win over Joel, as if she knows that sooner or later he’ll give in with a smile or a laugh. Various ways the two actors could play each other emerge. But Ramsey is also just as compelling when she demonstrates that her drive for Ellie’s survival is as strong as Joel’s, which leads her to some dark places as the series progresses and Ellie and Joel face more challenges, Ramsey shows the range.

The rest of the cast don’t get as much screen time, but they all contribute some compelling plotlines. Bartlett) and Kevon Woodard’s interpretation of Sam are two of the series’ best examples of Mazin and Druckmann deviating slightly from the original text and doing something that might not work. Although it’s a game, it’s been very successful on the show.Their episode undeniably stands out and is perhaps the best example of why Last of Us Such a successful adaptation.

The show is a little more careful with its pacing, as the second half of the season feels rushed. The pace naturally accelerates towards the narrative climax throughout the season, and his final two episodes are his one of the shortest in the season. I just wish some of the many dramatic moments near the end had more time to breathe. Having extra might have eased the feeling of pressure on things.

Also worth remembering that Last of Us A highly violent video game, the show is not shy about brutality and the occasional gore. There is That said, much of the human-to-human violence has been removed. With a few exceptions, it isn’t unreasonable or graphic and much is implied. Regardless, after over three years of dealing with a real pandemic, I respect that many people may not want the violent and often severe post-pandemic drama.

Despite those concerns, the end result is a supreme adaptation, with sensible changes to suit the medium and one that stays true to the spirit of the origin. increase. Lord of the Ring Movie trilogy, another personal favorite. These films made many deviations and changes, but Jackson always framed them as a way to make the story work as well as possible in the cinematic medium.

I feel the same way Last of UsIt’s not a one-to-one retelling. I am grateful for that. It didn’t make for good TV. Instead, Craig Mazin has taken his love of Druckmann’s story and transformed it into a show that many can enjoy, whether they’ve played the game or not.And for those of us who already love Last of Us, this adaptation stands toe-to-toe with the original. There are so many great moments that take me straight back to what I love, but even knowing the overall plot inside and out, there are still plenty of moments in each episode that either surprise or delight me. We are very excited that people who don’t play video games will have the opportunity to experience the story of Joel and Ellie through this excellent series.