The Last Of Us

“The Last Of Us Part I” and “The Last Of Us Part II” are my favorite games of all time! I consider them "The Godfather" of gaming. These games helped me through the hardest times of my life and this is why I adore them. When I first heard that HBO was making a TV show out of them, I was skeptical, especially knowing that most video game adaptations fail. Thankfully, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman pulled it off! 

What made the video games so special and memorable was the storytelling and the performances. Luckily, the show perfectly executed that. Seriously, the writers on the show did a phenomenal job and I couldn’t be happier than this as a huge fan of the games. Some moments here were better executed than the game and vice versa. They complement each other. Another reason why I love the game and the show so much is the themes. On the surface, it might look like a zombie show but deep down it’s much more than that. It’s about family, friendship, brutality, revenge, grief, love and so much more. 

What I appreciated here was that they had enough courage to try something different. Episode 3 was the biggest and most welcomed change from the games. That episode was beautiful and too damn sad. It’s definitely one of the best hours of TV that I’ve ever seen! I think it’s time to address the phenomenal performances. Wow! Everyone and I mean everyone perfected their role. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's chemistry on screen was amazing. It felt like I was watching Joel and Ellie in the game. Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Storm Reid, Gabriel Luna, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodward, Scott Shepherd, Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, and Laura Bailey were simply amazing. Furthermore, I would like to mention 3 masterful performances by Anna Torv, Nick Offerman, and Murray Bartlett. The cast was simply breathtaking!

Exceeding 10 million per Episode you’d expect quality. Holy Shit! The set designs were accurately recreated. Furthermore, I need to mention the VFX. The VFX blew my mind. The beautiful VFX combined with the cinematography made for some epic and breathtaking shots. Last but not least, I would like to mention the fantastic score by Gustavo Santaolalla. You NEED to listen to them! No show is perfect and here are some issues that I had with it. First Off, the pacing was awful. The show started off really well then began rushing through important moments. This was not an issue in the game and that’s why I was disappointed. Secondly, the show was not at all brutal except for the last 2 episodes directed by the incredibly talented Ali Abbasi. The show needs to be more violent, especially in seasons 2 and 3. To sum it all up, Mazin and Druckmann did a phenomenal job at adapting the game into live-action and I can’t wait for season 2. Oh, and please give Bella and Emmy!