(Spoilers, obviously)
The ‘best video game adaptation ever’ is a title that has been given, and one that feels applicable, to HBO’s adaptation of the 2013 video game. The end result is certainly a good production that did well in capturing the characters and general mood of the post-apocalyptic horror game. It’s also fair to note that the barometer isn’t exactly high: video game adaptations have long been a rather unfruitful venture. The reality is that they’re frankly not very good: mediocre, goofy, cheap, B-movie tier. Indeed, Paul W.S Anderson has made the Resident Evil franchise his home turf, churning out terrible movie after terrible movie. The Halo television show was met with disappointment after years of noise about an adaptation, at some point garnering the interest of Peter Jackson, and the Assassin’s Creed movie was, by all accounts, pretty terrible.
‘The Last of Us’ stands tall against many failures, heralded as ‘video game adaptations done right’.
And the nine-episode adventure certainly had a lot of merits: two engaging leads actors, a meticulously recreated production design bringing the ruined world and the not-zombie Infected to life with dazzling intricacy, and cast of engaging side characters. It’s been several years since I played the game, but even I found something charming in how…
