HBO
HBO's The Last of Us preserves the essence of the video game
The next series inspired by Naughty Dog's game is coming soon to HBO Max. Will the franchise give us the series we've been waiting for?
The Last of Us became one of the most important titles after its release in the twilight of the PlayStation 3 in the now distant year of 2013. Not so much for its gameplay, or its visual design, the work developed by Naughty Dog became a standard of quality and one of the most important franchises for PlayStation because of its captivating story. When these kinds of successes happen, the idea of taking these projects to other media surfaces, but the history of video games and their adaptations have had so many setbacks that even the most recent victories are forgotten and the fan can only expect the worst.
For every Detective Pikachu or Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners, we have series like the recent Resident Evil or (ironically in this case) movies like Uncharted, which seem to take just a few elements, the name and that's it. The process of adapting a work to another format becomes a complicated issue, as there are many elements and features that make a lot of things get lost along the way. However, The Last of Us survives this adaptation, and although there are changes, adjustments, and some liberties, it arrives with one of the most important elements, its essence.
What makes The Last of Us what it is?
After watching all 9 episodes, the most important goal of this HBO series is achieved: to bring the viewer into The Last of Us universe. Are there changes? Yes. Are there revisions to the story? Yes. But it has also brought to the small screen the three elements that ensure that the essence of the video game is preserved: its protagonists, the universe in which they live, and the dangerous path they must travel.
Joel and Ellie, although physically different, are very well portrayed by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The attitude of both characters and the chemistry that develops throughout their journey is present at all times. The post-apocalyptic world is there, furthermore, it expands to give us a greater context of the virus and the world before the pandemic happened. The story of the video game is also present, albeit with some changes and deviations along the way, but always returning to the important plot points. There are some sacrifices that are understandable, the gameplay as a narrative tool takes a break to give priority to exploring this universe and its characters through a cinematographic language that gives the viewer, both those who have already played the title and those who are just discovering it, what the experience of what The Last of Us is all about.
Balanced changes and adjustments
Within this adaptation, and as I mentioned before, there will be changes, small deviations and even some situations that will be completely new in the experience of the story. However, beyond making a change that could be unforgivable, the exploration of the world continues and expands a little more what we know.
On the other hand, some situations seem to have been copied and pasted, and the intensity of the elements of what one experienced in the game has increased. It is definitely not the same pressure that one experiences having the controller in hand, but what is transmitted is something that those who experience it for the first time will feel a similar force to those who have already played the game. And for fans, they will surely feel the desire to want to relive again what we once played.
The Last of Us presents us with something that we have rarely been able to have in terms of adaptations, to relive from a fresh perspective, but respectfully, an intellectual property of this intensity. We can assure that we have before us an adaptation that comes with a care and respect that we have rarely had.