The Last Of Us - TV Series Review

The Last Of Us TV show takes a lot of stunning and brave changes to the video game original! A lot of the episodes completely retell the events of the game, with entirely new story-beats, settings and characters. However, does this new HBO adaptation live up to the original game? Read on and I'll tell you what I think!

The differences:

Episode 1 starts off with an interesting prologue, never before seen in the games, with a 1960's talk show discussing the cordyceps virus and how it would spell the end of society, if it evolved to infect humans. Then we see a lot more of Joel's real daughter, Sarah, we get to know her better than in the game. The rest of the episode plays out almost exactly like the games, but with significantly less action (more on this later). The same goes for episode 2 too, but Tess' death is quite different. It's by episode 3 when things take a massive change in narrative, as we actually get to see Bill and Frank's relationship blossom (something we never saw in the game) and episodes 4 and 5 give us a whole new villain, with a revenge plot very similar to that of Abby's from The Last Of Us Part 2, at least in my opinion. Episode 6 plays out like the events of the game, but surprisingly, Tommy's sanctuary is actually Jackson from the second game instead of the abandoned watermill from the first. There are also plenty of part 2 references throughout this whole episode. The last couple of episodes play it safe and close to the original game, even the ending was a shot by shot recreation from the game's cutscenes, which was pretty cool to see in live action. Personally, I adore these changes, the show feels the most unique and exciting when it derails from the game's plot. Maybe that's just because I've already played the game so I know what happens, therefore I enjoy not knowing what's happening in the new scenes. However, part of me feels like the show does a poorer job of capturing these game scenes, like I'm watching some poor high school play, that isn't as great as it's original movie.

The TV adaptation is far more focused on drama than action. Unlike the games; where you'll be smashing zombies to pieces, or shooting heavily armed soldiers and bandits, the live action equivalent spends far more time developing characters and stakes. This has it's own strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately, I think the severe lack of action makes the post apocalyptic world feel un-threatening and dull. There are still key moments of action present, but these are moments from the game too crucial or important to be ignored for the sake of narrative. Episode 5 does have a really epic action sequence however, when a bloater rises to the surface with a hundred more zombies, storming onto the scene to wreck havoc. This is followed by an intense shoot out between the bandits as they fight to survive, while Joel and Ellie escape to safety in by far my favourite episode of the season. Even the villain gets what she deserves, when a clicker feasts upon her body, in a rather brutal and grotesque fashion! Unfortunately the show never reaches these thrilling heights again, and although it's interesting to see these characters interacting more like real people than action game characters, it ultimately takes away the horror and dread that comes from playing the game's thrilling events in a dark lit room. Where the original Last Of Us felt scary and intimidating, the TV show feels a lot more safe and peaceful, which doesn't make for a very threatening apocalypse.

In conclusion; The Last Of Us TV Show is a worthy adaptation. Although the game's recreated scenes aren't as great in my opinion, it more than makes up for that, with it's new scenes and stories. However, the lack of video game style action feels strange, especially after playing the game myself. I couldn't help but feel like the post apocalyptic world felt too safe and calm, rarely making us scared or thrilled. Although I respect the show's changes in narrative, it ultimately ends exactly the same way as the game. Making this feel like some weird choose your own adventure version of the story, where I make different choices, but it ultimately ends the same way no matter what. There are a lot of changes fans would genuinely love in part 2, as that game received a lot of mixed reviews due to it's bizarre story direction. People love the first game's plot as is, so the TV show does fumble the script a little bit with it's changes. However, because the second game is a bit bumpy, this could be the perfect chance to give us a whole new story that fans would appreciate more. Only time will tell what The Last Of Us has in store for us. With the rumoured third game in development, I can guarantee this series is far from over! Currently, I think The Last Of Us Season 1 is a decent enough show, it's not quite as perfect as the game, but still a good show worth watching. I rate it 3 stars out of 5.