On Jan. 15, 2023, HBO released the first episode of the new series “The Last of Us” which is based on the Playstation game by Sony. The episode received a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and people have said it is one of the greatest video game interpretations of all time. Fans are raving about how fantastic the show is.

“The Last of Us” is the story of a virus that has taken over all of humanity. The sickness takes full control of the brain, and causes people to turn into zombie-like creatures. Ironically, it is also set in 2023 during a pandemic just like the world today. Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) are the two main characters, and the plot goes along with their will to survive over the years. The development of their father-daughter like relationship is also prominent, as they go from strangers to family members. 

Moving from the controller to the remote, HBO did a wonderful job recreating scenes shot by shot throughout the episode. Chills went down my spine seeing actors replicating parts that I had played through in my own time. Pascal and Ramsey do a perfect job in capturing the characters fans know and love. Further, one of my favorite aspects about it was the facial expressions that were so similar to the CGI in the game, often causing me to forget that they’re different people. After already working together on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” the chemistry the two actors have makes it enjoyable to watch, and I think they were casted perfectly.

More often than not, whenever companies try to create a film that already has a story in place it doesn’t go well. For example the movie “Doom” has an 18% on rotten tomatoes, and that is appropriately so. Producers will try to make it their own even though the audience just wants to see the tale that is already familiar to them. This show turns that stigma around, possibly creating new ways for a video game to come to life.

The only difference present is that viewers now receive more backstory about Joel’s daughter, Sarah. This aspect is exciting for fans because there wasn’t much known about her from the game, and her screen time is limited. Depth and emotions were added to the episode because of it. I am hoping for more backstory added later on, and maybe some knowledge on where the virus came from. 

Every Sunday the show will have viewers laughing and crying as they live through the story of Joel and Ellie fighting for their last breath on earth.

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