TV version of Last of Us reminds me of those videos where people cook mashed potatoes out of a box of pringles. Let me explain.
The game took the popular concept of zombie apocalypse, sprinkled it with colour, and let the player feel that they are in a movie. “Cinematic experience”, so to speak. TV version is… Just a zombie movie. Yes, with good actors, but I can’t even say that the writing is that good. It’s one thing when TV tropes are successfully re-enacted in a video game. It’s another when it’s just a TV trope in a TV show. And on top of that, they kept some video game tropes as well. Like the collapsing ceiling in the museum that blocks the path back.
I remember some complaints about the gay couple episode, but it’s actually good. Reverse gender of one of them, and it would still work. Just two lonely people in a post apocalyptic world caring for each other. The manly beards just make it a bit ironic. But also tragic. The good part of that episode is also the bad part. It’s a standalone story, that doesn’t have much to do with the Last of Us as a whole. But it’s a great story.
One bit that series does better than the game is explaining the origins of the virus, and why everything started falling in a day or two. Or maybe the game did that, and I forgot. The spores were in the flour, that was shipped around the world. The day Joel first doesn’t get pancakes, because they ran out of flour, then also forgets to get the cake, that’s why his family doesn’t get infected.
As a side note, I’m amazed how they found actress that plays Ellie’s mother, Anne, to resemble Bella Ramsey. Usually they don’t bother.
Speaking of tropes again, when you’re in a game, it’s only expected that you’d be able to kill 20 people. Otherwise, that wouldn’t be very challenging. But in a movie, Joel being able to mow down groups of raiders and what not kind of shows. But then, it’s honest to the game, at least.
