The Last of Us: Journey to the World of Television

Regardless of whether you enjoy watching television or playing video games, The Last of Us might have caught your attention. The original video game, which Naughty Dog released in 2013, has a large fanbase, and on January 15th, 2023, that fanbase grew even larger with the premiere of a show on HBO max.

The show and game follow the main character, Joel, in a post apocalyptic world, and what makes this adaption unique from the other adaptions of video games on screens is its following of the original storyline. In adaptations, the plot frequently deviates from the original concept and ends up being too different for fans to enjoy.  An example of this is the movie adaption of the video game Uncharted, which scores a 41% on the film industry critique site, Rotten Tomatoes. A vast majority of the reviews claimed it to be “forgettable” (Rogers Tv, Esquire Magazine). While, The Last of Us scores a 99%, with praise for accomplishing “the seemingly impossible task of adapting video games” (The Independent).

The show’s ability to capture the interest of both longtime and new viewers is another distinctive feature. Only a few negative reviews and social media comments may be found in the sea of positive ones that the show has received. As a die-hard fan of the game, Brianna Hollie, a senior at Miami Springs Senior High School, says, “The show completely exceeded my expectations; it retained all the same elements of the game that I enjoyed and brought it to the next level, which I greatly appreciated.”

The Last of Us is a highly regarded attention-grabbing show featuring performances by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Whether you are watching it for the first time or have been a fan for years, it will either reaffirm your dislike for it or provide deep emotions and take you on a crazy adventure.