Parker’s performance is warm and compassionate to boot, which makes the prologue’s gut punch ending just as, if not more, hard-hitting than the game’s. One of the masterstrokes of the game was putting the player in control of Sarah for a while, which makes her subsequent death at the end of the prologue all the more devastating. The show obviously can’t offer us the same type of immersion, but what it does offer is more time with Sarah as she goes about her day, getting her dad’s watch repaired for his birthday, and visiting their neighbors. The story then jumps to 2003, introducing us to young Sarah Miller (Nico Parker), her father Joel, and his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna), who together try to make it out of Austin alive during the emergence of the cordyceps outbreak. While none of this is in the game, it adds a welcome element of real-world context that grounds the story in a meaningful way. The word “pandemic” is uttered prominently, and global warming is alluded to as well. The show also adds a few new narrative wrinkles to the proceedings, such as a flashback to a 1968 talk show on which an epidemiologist (John Hannah) explains that fungi are a much greater threat to humankind than any virus, being that in certain cases, fungi can take control over the bodies of living hosts like ants and, potentially, humans. While it isn’t a beat-for-beat recreation of the game’s first act, the adjustments and additions to the story are tasteful and, in certain respects, actually improve upon the original. As longtime fans might expect, episode 1 covers the game’s infamous prologue, the 20-year time jump that follows in Joel’s story, and the introduction of The Last of Us’ unique brand of dystopia. Judging from the first episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, fans have nothing to fear - other than the infected fungal monstrosities waiting at every turn in this refreshingly faithful adaptation. Does such a game that’s already so cinematically rich really need to be adapted to screen? Will the new actors live up to the performances of the original cast? Will a new format mean changes to the original story? So when it was announced that the game would be adapted to TV by HBO, several questions naturally arose from the fanbase. The Last of Us holds a special place in gamers’ hearts for many reasons, one of them being the fact that it’s arguably one of the most cinematic games ever made. This Last of Us review contains spoilers.
0 kommentar(er)
