There are two main elements that are to be found in The Last of Us, one that might be appealing to viewers and one that could work against it in the long run. Given that the video game adaptation will be taking place on the small screen instead of in theaters though might help it out quite a bit since the idea of life after a world-altering pandemic is something that many people might be interested in since post-apocalyptic story lines tend to spark some interest at least and draw in a good number of viewers. Added onto the fact that it’s based on the popular video game, it could very easily draw in a good number of fans of the game as well. The story line, called a magnum opus in one person’s opinion as Ryan Scott of MovieWeb mentions, is one that we’ve seen played out more than once in a lot of movies and still currently see in a good number of projects. A lone individual is tasked with delivering something or someone, or rescuing them from a perilous situation. On top of that the story usually goes that what should be an easy enough task eventually turns into a walking nightmare that tests the protagonist to their very limits if it doesn’t break them entirely. This type of story has been done over and over, but giving credit where it’s due, some ideas have been exceptional and even worth being called great. Fans of the game might even agree that it’s something that will spark a lot of interest when it comes to HBO and could be yet another series that will gain a great deal of attention.
To be fair HBO has been getting a great deal of attention for years now thanks to its programming, though it’s a wonder if anything is going to match the epic buildup and then ultimate egg in the face that was Game of Thrones. It’s not hard to admit that some of the greatest shows that have come to HBO have kind of tipped their hand a bit too early at one point or another and gone sailing straight ahead into the maw of fan criticism that tends to tear things apart if they don’t match up to what they want to see. Therein likes the problem with video game adaptations, they often don’t include everything or don’t adapt things in the way that fans want to see, and while the hope is that The Last of Us isn’t bound for that end, it’s a very real possibility that could happen if things aren’t done in just the right way. Some folks might want to turn a blind eye to that particular truth and hold out enough hope to last for an initial season but it still needs to be in the back of their minds, if only to make certain that they’re not caught flat-footed if anything does end up going off the rails early on. John Daniel Davidson of The Federalist has more to say on this subject.
The hope of course is that this will be another close to faithful adaptation of a piece of pop culture that people have been impressed by and won’t be wishing had been done in another manner. One big up that the game has is that it’s a complete story (sorry George R.R. Martin but it’s true) and can be drawn from point A to B with hopefully enough added in to make it interesting and capable of being seen as a worthy series that will get people excited and keep them hooked. For those that haven’t played the game it might be wise to take a quick run-through of the plot and what it boils down to. In a sense, this story is all about survival, as one might think, but it’s also about trust in a big way since Ellie and Joel are really the only people in the world they have that they can trust, which is ironic since Ellie suffers from survivor’s guilt while Joel suffers from trauma of his own after having lost several people in his life. As far as infection-based stories go it’s actually kind of interesting and could be intriguing enough if the overall story is given a few minor tweaks that won’t change anything but will hopefully make it a little more enticing. Like I said before, this story has been played out so many times in other ways that trying to get psyched up about another one that might be the same kind of thing that will tug at the emotions is a bit difficult for those of us that have seen this type of story touted to the public throughout the years. Jordan Oloman of Games Radar has a few comparisons you might want to look at. From The Stand to Resident Evil to just about any infection-based story that’s out there, this might stand as just one more among many, or it could be something that gets us to look past that trope.
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