The Last of Us – When You’re Lost within the Darkness

There’s a specific amount of nervousness concerned when a beloved online game is greenlit for an adaptation as television and movie variations of video games have all the time been hit or miss over time. Luckily, The Last of Us – certainly one of my favorite recreation franchises ever – is squarely and firmly within the success class. 

The pilot episode manages to completely seize the ambiance and temper of the sport with a perfectly solid assortment of characters comprised of a bunch of massive names from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie to the return of Merle Dandridge, reprising her position as Marlene, a outstanding member of the Fireflies.

A sizeable chunk of the episode is devoted to introducing us to the world earlier than the fungal cordyceps an infection takes maintain, simply as John Hannah’s scientist within the prologue predicted (a enjoyable cameo I wasn’t anticipating). It means we get to spend somewhat extra time studying extra about Sarah, Joel’s daughter, a personality we spent tragically little time with within the recreation. It makes her loss of life scene all of the extra tragic and it is one of many moments that works greatest as an nearly direct translation from recreation to TV.

They actually went all out with being as devoted to the sport as potential, with some iconic strains taken phrase for phrase, holding long-time followers glad in addition to offering a strong introduction to the world for new-time viewers. They even reimagined the shot of the collapsed buildings on the finish after Joel, Ellie and Tess make their escape. It helps the world we’re watching unfold really feel acquainted to followers and creates an genuine and exquisite rendition of an apocalyptic world that feels harmful and damaged.

There are some adjustments made to assist the plot really feel somewhat extra cohesive. We really get to see Joel do a little bit of smuggling for a FEDRA soldier they usually additionally barely modified the Tommy plot, making it so he is gone lacking as a substitute of merely left. Finding Tommy is Joel’s main motivation for leaving the Boston Quarantine Zone and it is a good second for the narrative to assist paint a extra intricate image of Joel’s character. He’s already misplaced his daughter so it is sensible that he would do something to verify he would not lose his brother as effectively. 

Losing Sarah was probably the most pivotal second of Joel’s life and you’ll see it when he throws the physique of the kid into the hearth. But his ache at dropping her is much more apparent on the finish of the episode when he protects Ellie from the FEDRA soldier and in how overboard he goes with regards to killing him. It’s going to be fascinating to see how Joel’s trauma begins to shift and remodel as he turns into nearer to Ellie over the course of the sport. 

What did you consider The Last of Us’ pilot episode? Are you followers of the sport or newcomers? Sound off within the feedback beneath!