Culture

Relax, HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Will Be Good, I Promise

This ain't Mark Wahlberg's 'Uncharted' folks.

by Charles Rushforth  12 January 2023
A picture taken from HBO's 'The Last Of Us' , Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey look quizzically at the camera

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Early reviews for the TV adaptation of critically acclaimed video game series, The Last Of Us, are in. And good news! It looks like folks embittered by Hollywood’s previous mistreatment of video game IPOs can let out a sigh of relief: apparently it doesn’t suck.

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Of course, you can’t blame gamers for being inherently mistrustful of wide-eyed film and TV execs keen to put a “fresh spin” on their beloved games. Fans only need point at last year’s disastrous adaptation of the Uncharted series (critics found the Mark Wahlberg and Tom Holland film “aggressively boring”) as proof that producers are more careless of your beloved gaming icons than overworked airport baggage handlers.

Created by the same game company that brought us Uncharted, The Last Of Us game trades swashbuckling adventure for a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by a deadly fungal virus that turns people into plant-based zombies (yum!). Following the unlikely relationship between hardened survivor Joel (Troy Baker) and mysterious wise-cracking teen Ellie (Ashley Johnson) critics praised the game upon release for its dark narrative and Oscar-worthy dramatic performances. After a direct sequel and a comic book series, it’s crazy to think we’re now just days away from digesting the first season of the TV show. 

Developed by HBO (thank god) the show places actor Pedro Pascal in Joel’s crusty boots, with Bella Ramsey playing Gen Z survivor Ellie. But considering how crowded the zombie-action TV genre market already is, can the show really do any justice to the original game and elevate the genre?

The answer, as relayed by critics with early access to the first season, is a solid fuck yes. 

Without a shred of hyperbole, critics are hailing The Last Of Us as a “perfect video game adaptation”, with glowing reviews from The Guardian and The Atlantic gushing over how the series manages to simultaneously stay true to its source material while making the apocalypse “feel new again”.

Special praise has been universally directed at Ramsey’s performance as Ellie, whose apparent “stratospheric” commitment to the role, results in her “stealing every scene she is in,” according to the BBC. 

Featuring surprisingly rich performances from Parks and Rec actor Nick Offerman and even a surprise appearance of Aussie White Lotus star Murray Bartlett, we can all sleep easy tonight knowing that the end of the world is in safe hands.

The Last Of Us drops Jan 15, watch the trailer below.