The Last of Us it is not an easy adaptation. Not that the game’s story is complex — in fact, it’s quite simple — but there is enormous pressure and expectation around the production precisely because of everything it represents. As one of the biggest games of the last decade, there is a mixture of curiosity and fear for the way in which this plot will be taken to the screen. However, fans can breathe a sigh of relief: the HBO brought something up to par with the original.
More than visual fidelity and even the script that even repeats entire dialogues from the game, the series’ greatest success is understanding what is the core of this story and what makes it so important. It’s valuing what, in fact, she has the best.
Although it is more of a plot in a post-apocalyptic world, The Last of Us it’s not about saving the world, killing zombies, nor a fight for survival. It’s about something much smaller and more personal: the relationship between a man broken by tragedy and a girl who has known nothing but misery since birth—and how they complement each other in their own flaws and frailties.
And the HBO series captures and recreates this very well throughout its season. Whether with a very well-built script that explores all this dynamics and the nuances of its characters, the great delivery of the actors or the very care to use all of this to further enrich the game universe, it is everything that was expected of it — and even a little further.
More than being an adaptation made just to please players, it is proof that a good story works in any format.
A father without a daughter, a daughter without a father
Faced with so many mediocre adaptations that we have seen over the last few years, the fear surrounding The Last of Us it’s as natural as our tendency to look for similarities between the source material and the series. However, what makes the production so incredible isn’t how identical this besieged Boston is to its PlayStation 5 counterpart or how Bella Ramsey repeats Ellie’s lines to annoy Joel (Pedro Pascal).
As said, it’s the dynamic between these two characters that holds the whole heart of the story. Without that, we’re talking about just another zombie show like so many others, just replacing the virus with an equally deadly fungus. And what the series does is make the most of each scene and each dialogue to deepen and develop this relationship.
This is so well done that video game comparisons soon become meaningless. Not just because everything is identical to the point where there are no references, but because it manages to replicate the audience’s involvement and engagement in Joel and Ellie’s journey.
The chemistry between Pascal and Ramsay is perfect in that sense, intensified by a script and direction that know how to extract and expose the necessary emotion. The actors deliver an incredible job when it comes to bringing these iconic characters to life and deliver a very sensitive interpretation in which everything is said in detail.
From Joel’s silent stares to Ellie’s flinching, it’s these small moments that show just how much the show and the cast themselves have understood what makes The Last of Us such a powerful name in games. More than that, how this story works just as well on TV.
And although Pascal already delivered something like this in The Mandalorian, there is a universe that separates your Joel from Din Djarin. In the case of his survivor, it is much easier to see the complexity he brings to the character in the face of his pain and the comfort he finds beside Ellie. When he holds back a laugh at one of the girl’s jokes, it’s impossible not to get emotional – and it shows well why he has become one of the big names of the moment.
At the same time, Ramsey is a huge surprise as Ellie. Although it takes a little longer for us to see her as the game’s heroine, she transitions very well between irritating and innocent, which makes perfect sense of her transformation and the impact she has on Joel. While not stealing the show, it’s easy to fall in love and want to protect this girl.
maximum fidelity
Regarding the much-commented fidelity to the original material, The Last of Us falls into the same situation we saw a little while ago with sandman. It’s such a literal adaptation that it’s barely an adaptation.
Those who know the game will realize how everything is identical. And not just in the settings or the look of the characters. There are entire situations that are recreated even with the same dialogues and framing.
On the one hand, this is everything the purist fan could hope for. After all, given the great possibility that the series will “spoil” the game, seeing how he respects and relies on the game is a more than obvious testament to how he follows everything to the letter. But, on the other hand, it takes away a little of the purpose of adapting and makes everything much more predictable and even a little monotonous.
Far be it from me to say that the problem of The Last of Us it’s being too good or something. However, as someone who has played it numerous times, it just felt like I had the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 on and I barely felt like devouring the season from start to finish.
Still, the series manages to be much better resolved in this sense than sandman, for example. First, because the game already has a cinematographic language that makes this media transposition work in a much more organic way and in a less truncated way between one arc and another.
Also, there are a few changes here and there that turn out to be the big surprises for anyone who has played. And that’s a big hit for HBO, as these additions not only expand the universe, but also fill in some gaps that the game leaves open. And not just for showing more of before the infestation, but for better developing some characters in plots that are very beautiful and impactful. Not by chance, these moments were the highlights for me.
This same logic dictates the functioning of the cordyceps, the fungus that turns people into zombies. It is a little different from what is shown in the game and with a much more visual aspect, but it works much better. At the same time, the cuts make little difference. There are no spores and the solution found to replace this local menace is even more dire.
in essence
Given all this, there’s no denying that HBO has managed to make The Last of Us really be the best adaptation of a game we’ve seen to date. He translates the essence of the game very well, understands why it is a success and replicates it very well with a script that captures all the necessary details, an incredible performance by all the actors involved and a direction that enhances all of this with each new one. scene.
The infected are there, there is tension in the encounter with the Clickers and tension in the fight against other survivors, but the series is not distracted by the action and the “video game” side of the thing and uses these elements only to create the necessary tension to develop its plots. characters. It is noticeable the care in each of the episodes to make both the fans feel represented and to show those who are coming now why this is a story loved by so many people.
Even though nine episodes seems too little to encompass the entire plot of the game, the rhythm found is perfect: there is nothing left over and important things are not left out either — everything is used to deepen its characters and make us feel each one of them. your pains.
At the end, The Last of Us manages to put us against the wall as much as the game, which just goes to show how happy he is in his adaptation.
Anyway, it’s to breathe relieved.
The Last of Us premieres on HBO and HBO Max on January 15.
