First reviews of the TV series “The Last of Us” produced by HBO have already appeared. Most will only see the show on January 16, but some people have already had the opportunity to watch the entire first season.
According to their reviews, this series promise a really good production, though according to some, faithfulness to the source material is the source of some shortcomings. The reviews mention an almost 1:1 adaptation, in which certain dialogues are pulled directly from the game.
Some plots, however, have been changed or expanded, such as to tell the story of characters we barely passed by in the game. Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, who play the lead roles, reportedly did a great job.
The IGN is very impressed with the series and gave it a rating of 9/10. according to the journalist, it is a “breathtaking adaptation,” enriched by “two outstanding acting performances.” The writer also appreciated that the series is friendly to those unfamiliar with the console original.
“Extracting the essence of what made the original so timeless, it rebuilds the game’s world, while changing some aspects for an almost completely stunning effect,” – IGN reads.
The journalist also mentions that The Last of Us is more interested in showing the effects of violence than the violence itself, allowing “the echoes of a gunshot to reverberate long before another bullet is fired.”
GameSpot has called the series “faithful to the source material, engaging and excellent,” saying the HBO production sticks to the game’s storyline, yet when it deviates from it, it does so to enhance the story.
BBC hailed the title as “the best video game adaptation ever.” Time, on the other hand, wrote in a review that “The Last of Us is incredibly well done, though it lacks something.”
The Variety says that the relationship between Ellie and Joel is realized okay, but could have been better. “At times it feels stingy in terms of what’s going on around these relationships – as if, like a video game, the player is expected to run straight through a location to reach the next destination.”
A pretty critical review of the series appeared on Polygon. According to the author, the fairly precise adaptation of the game’s story is a disadvantage rather than an advantage for the series. In his opinion, story in The Last of Us is not the strongest point of Naughty Dog’s production.
He says that the whole strength of The Last of Us lay in its interactivity, which allowed, for instance, calling out remorse after killing enemies. A series “stripped” of such experiences is, according to Polygon, just “one of many stories about a wasteland overrun by zombies.”
However, most of the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and it seems that there really is something to look forward to. We can’t wait to watch this TV series, what about you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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