THE LAST OF US : REVIEW

.A decade after the original game was released, The Last Of Us gets a live-action adaptation that no one asked for but it is safe to say, everyone loves it. From the very first episode, it is clear that creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have a profound love for the source material as they manage to keep the series true to the video games yet still pull a few surprises.

20 years on since a global pandemic destroyed civilization, Joel, a hardened smuggler must trek across zombie-infected America on a mission to save humanity. Players of the video game will be familiar with the plot of the series though the similarities do not just end there, as there are scenes and dialogue that are borrowed straight from the games, case in point the car scene from the first episode.

The series manages to maintain a unique charm to it through the leading actors, Pedro Pascal, and Bella Ramsey as their portrayals of Joe and Ellie are just the highlights of a show that arguably broke the video game curse. For a series whose pilot episode is over 80 minutes long, the pacing and world-building do not leave you asking for more or even confused about what is happening. It leaves the viewer completely aware of what is going on without overloading them. 

But the highlight of the show and the reason most people loved the video games are the zombies. These are some of the fastest, smartest, and strongest zombies portrayed on TV so far. The zombies are always a looming threat, even when they are not in a scene, they manage to steal it due to the anxiety of the characters and the viewer themselves.

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin got the perfect mixture of original content and borrowing from source material to craft a show that not only exceeded everyone’s expectations but also possibly broke the infamous video game curse.