The Last of Us premiered on HBO on January 15, 2023 to overwhelming response. So much so the HBO servers had trouble keeping up with the demand.
The television adaptation of the 2013 video game by the same name was developed by Naughty Dog and created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. It is the first HBO series to be based on a video game. It is said to be the largest television production in Canadian history.
The Last of Us follows Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie, portrayed by Bella Ramsey, cross a post-apocalyptic United States. The first episode also featured Nico Parker, John Hannah, Merle Dandridge, Josh Brener, and many more.
Mazin and Druckmann wrote the debut; the latter wrote and directed the game. Gustavo Santaolalla, original video game composer, has composed the score for the series.
With the game a huge success and already cinematically rich, many fans of the game wondered if a television adaptation was even necessary. Would it fail like most other video game adaptations before it. Fans have nothing to worry about if we are to judge the series after one episode.
The opening scenes are emotionally charged, something the video game did super successfully, and yet somehow the series creators did even better. Following the cold opening, a stellar series logo opening credits rolled with the same amazingly composed score by Santaolalla giving fans even more connection to the original material.
Now, we are not as familiar with the video game as some, so we came into this adaptation pretty fresh and we will say that if you didn’t play the game The Last of Us on HBO is still going to rock your socks.
Pascal premiered wonderfully, but in our opinion was outshined by a character we are not going to see much of played by Parker. She was outstanding and it is said she won’t be continuing to appear.
Cinematically shot like a film, should be with the cost, and we hate to compare, but could be the 2020’s version of The Walking Dead, if not better. So much at stake and damn we cannot want for the second episode on January 22.
The Last of Us was one of the most anticipated series of 2023 and hit with a bang. So many people tuned into the premiere it stressed the HBO servers, something we thought companies would understand in 2023. Hopefully this has been rectified and next week won’t be an issue.
