Video game adaptations, where filmmakers take beloved games and bring them to TV screens everywhere in a hit-or-miss film. Scary, I know. The infamous genre has many reasons for its failures over the years, from straying too far from the source material to poor choices in casting. However, the HBO series from 2023 based on the incredibly well-received game, The Last Of Us, has none of these issues.
The show follows Joel Miller (played by Pedro Pascal) in the post-apocalyptic town of Boston, Texas after a brain-controlling fungal infection has taken out more than half of the world’s population. Due to an unexpected series of events, Joel must travel outside the Boston quarantine zone and into the dangerous creature-infested city. But, he’s not alone. To Joel’s dismay, he is also tasked with escorting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an unruly teenager, to Colorado where a drop-off point for the revolutionary group, the Fireflies, is waiting for them. What would be worth traveling that far, you might ask? A cure. Ellie is immune to the fungus and may be humanity’s only hope for some sort of normality, and the Fireflies might have a way to make it work. But first, Joel has to get over Ellie’s irritating teenage attitude and book of dad puns. All the while defending her from the infected and something much worse; other survivors.
Unlike most adaptations, the adjustments the series makes to the story’s plot don’t throw out what made it likable in the first place. Most of these changes are minor, stuff that would be hard to execute in a film studio is left out and additions are put in to give characters more depth. This is understandable, as a TV show filled with crawling through clicker-infested basements to avoid fight scenes and looting towns for supplies might be a little too boring (I know from experience). Even some of the larger changes, such as Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) storyline, aren’t too disappointing. In fact, this particular change gives the audience a chance to get to know the two and their relationship instead of leaving it up to interpretation like the game does.
Putting aside the alterations, one of the reasons the show is so likable, funnily enough, is how faithful some of the scenes are to the game. During the first episode, in an attempt to escape the outbreak, Joel, his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), and his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) drive a truck through the chaotic mess of what was once the town of Austin, Texas. In the video game, you play through Sarah’s perspective from the car’s back seat as you pass survivors begging for help and avoid traffic jams. This gives the player a sense of helplessness as they can only look around and watch everything go down around them. The cutscene puts you in Sarah’s shoes, as she too must rely on Joel and Tommy to get them to safety. As I watched the first episode, the scenes were so similar I felt like I was replaying the game. The perspective is mostly from the backseat of the car and the camera pans to Sarah’s face more, who looks beyond scared and completely frozen. Not only does this give the viewer the same effect as it would in the game, but it stays faithful to the cutscene’s visuals as well.
And finally, one of the most important parts of adapting anything (specifically this game) is the casting. Joel was probably an easy choice, he’s your basic middle-aged apocalypse survivor with a beard and a fondness for button-up shirts. They could’ve picked any number of actors, but Pedro Pascal fills the role perfectly. Throughout the show, Joel is faced with many hardships. These scenes are devastating to watch and Pascal never misses the mark when it comes to making your heartache with his acting. However, fans of the game considered Pascal’s co-star, Bella Ramsey, a more controversial choice. In my opinion, they couldn’t be more wrong. While they may not completely look the part, that’s not the only factor to consider when picking an actor/actress.
The chemistry between the cast is just as important. No, not like that, ew. One of The Last Of Us’s biggest plot points is the father-daughter relationship between Joel and Ellie. With that in mind, they needed to pick actors who interacted realistically, or the whole show would become unbelievable. Both Pascal and Ramsey play their roles wonderfully in that regard. Also, Ramsey does an incredible job of embodying Ellie’s annoying teenage attitude. So, all things considered, HBO’s The Last Of Us doesn’t follow this video game adaptation curse.
With all that being said, the series is worth a watch for both lovers of the zombie apocalypse genre and fans of the video games. Plus, you’d be just in time for the show’s highly anticipated season two coming out sometime in the upcoming year 2025. So, to quote the game, “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light” coming from your TV screen when you boot up HBO to watch The Last Of Us!