Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 9
Duration: 60 min (per episode)
The Last of Us: Season 1 (4K UHD) – Series Review
Translating a video game (series) to a live-action movie or show is always something tricky. Shows like The Witcher started off strong, but sadly they often suffer from the same fate when the live-action format starts straying too far away from the source material. More than often, creative choices drag down the quality and because of this, beloved characters become a lot less likable. Even casting the right actors for the job proves to be tricky for these projects, as diehard fans always expect the characters to look exactly like the source material. The Last of Us initially also received a lot of backlash for some of its casting choices, but many of those who complained changed their minds when they eventually saw the quality of the series. Then again, with 24 Emmy Nominations, it’s no surprise that The Last of Us turned out to be a success.
The story of The Last of Us revolves around a parasitic fungal infection that has set root on the entire planet, and this particular type now infects humans and takes over their bodies, turning them into ravenous zombie-like entities. The infection comes from Cordyceps, and there is no known cure when it breaks out. We get to meet Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is a single dad living with his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). Joel is enveloped in his work, but it’s clear that his daughter is everything to him, even if he does tend to work late nights. Sadly, the world is suffering from a sudden Cordyceps outbreak, and the military is at a loss for what to do amidst the extreme panic. Humans are turned into frenzied beings attacking other humans, infecting them in the process. When Joel, his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), and Sarah try to make it out of the city, they sadly run into a military patrol that is under orders to shoot civilians at sight. Sarah loses her life in the process, and the story immediately fast-forwards twenty years into the future, which would be our present time.
The world is now a fairly grim and dark place, with small settlements under the control of FEDRA, the current governing body. Joel gets into certain smuggling activities while living his life in one of the said settlements. When he helps his partner, Tess (Anna Torv) retrieve a car battery they paid for but never received, things go from a retrieval mission to an escort mission. Joel and Tess are asked to escort a young girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), to a rebel facility outside the city. The duo is reluctant at first, but they are promised the necessary supplies to survive on the outside, and thus they decide to take on the mission. While the escort mission immediately hits a few snags along the way, Joel and Tess quickly find out that delivering Ellie safely to the rebel compound may change the fate of the world. It seems that the young girl is immune to the destructive parasitic infection that is still ravaging the planet.
Even though the episodes do vary a bit in length, the show’s flow and pacing are both spot on. From the moment the show starts it does a formidable job setting the right atmosphere while going through a lot of worldbuilding. There is never a dull moment, even during slower segments of the show. Sometimes there is a hefty focus on small details, and this often benefits what comes next, so it does feel that every scene is crafted with a lot of care and a hefty dose of love for the source material. It isn’t easy to create a live-action version of something that already has a huge fanbase in the gaming world, especially when looking at other series that tried to do the same for different IPs. The Last of Us is a labor of love, and it does bring you to the edge of your seat when watching the nine episodes of the first season.
It’s easy to state that the acting performances in The Last of Us are phenomenal. The series is pretty much a duet between Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, whose onscreen chemistry translates into a superb live-action show based on the acclaimed video game series. Of course, this does not mean that supporting characters do not bring their respective characters to life in an equally outstanding fashion. Outside the many new faces for this series, the show also utilizes many of the original voice actors of the game here as well. We see Troy Baker who originally voiced Joel, but also Ashley Johnson who voiced Ellie, Merle Dandridge who voiced Marlene, and several others.
The 4K UHD edition of The Last of Us: Season 1 comes with loads of special features. Not only will you see insider information as to how certain scenes were meticulously crafted, but you’ll also get behind-the-scenes footage as to how the series came to life as a whole. You’ll get to see some of the Easter Eggs the creators included in the show, such as casting the voice actors of the game(s) to also star in the show, or just references to the games themselves. There are also some lighthearted featurettes that allow you to get to know the cast members a bit better, as well as a funny quiz where the actors have to guess what show certain lines are from. There is quite a bit of extra content to plow through, making sure you can prolong your The Last of Us experience.
Conclusion
The Last of Us: Season 1 is more than a simple homage or love letter to the original video game series, it basically raises the bar of what live-action series based on video games should be. We enjoyed every single minute of the show, and we didn’t even mind it when the writers strayed a bit from the beaten path in order to flesh out certain elements of the world of The Last of Us. This is a show that newcomers to the world of TLoU, as well as fans of the games, can enjoy. If there is a series we can wholeheartedly recommend, it’s certainly this one.
Related Items
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
[…] to the franchise in the past two years, thanks to a PS5 remake of the original game and a critically acclaimed TV series, it was only a matter of time before the sequel would get its time in the spotlight once again. And […]