The Last of Us Season 1 (2023)

Score: A (9.5/10)

No matter who it’s for, The Last Of Us is not just another phenomenal video game adaptation. It’s a fantastic story of grief, companionship, and the selfishness of humankind.

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Going into 2023, video game adaptations were rising in popularity and quality. Arcane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners are two perfect examples of this. Edgerunners gave Cyberpunk 2077 a second chance, and Arcane became one of the greatest productions in recent memory. However, excitement quickly rose when HBO announced their adaptation of The Last of Us, a survival narrative adventure released in 2013. However, the noteworthy attribute of the series was the inclusion of one of the game’s creators, Neil Druckmann, sharing showrunner duties with Craig Mazin, the creator of HBO’s Chernobyl. Their combined narrative talents create HBO’s post-apocalyptic zombie drama The Last of Us.

HBO’s The Last of Us had one goal: sufficiently adapt its source material. However, Mazin and Druckmann knew it needed to differentiate itself from the game. To do this, they did a few things. Firstly, the series is less about zombies and more about character drama. Sure, the first few episodes focus on what caused the world-ending infection, but once it’s out of the way, the series works diligently to watch its characters. The audience is a bystander to what each character decides to do, especially in the series’ second half. The overarching story occasionally slows down, but only momentarily because the series thrives on those moments. It’s why the first few episodes are as long as they are and why those episodes are rich in emotional value.

Mazin and Druckmann also elaborate on Joel and Ellie’s backstories. By focusing on Joel’s backstory, the audience discovers how much he’s lost on his journey and why Ellie matters to him. By season’s end, he’s a textbook example of the selfishness of his world and what people like him would do to be happy. There’s a clear arc because they expanded the character past what people already know about him, much like his companion, Ellie. With Ellie, they explored her origins before meeting Joel. The audience learns how she became immune, which Mazin and Druckmann also changed for the series. They also add insight into her life before the Fireflies with her first friend and love interest, Riley, who Ellie had to kill after the two had a skirmish with a zombie. There’s a tragedy under both titular characters, making them more naturally defensive towards others and those they care about.

In the end, The Last of Us succeeded. It’s different from the source material, adding value to the game and the series. It’s another success story for video games, proving it’s possible to create high-quality adaptations with care and attention to detail. Its imperfections, however, are almost necessary because there is always something to improve on or change. For HBO’s The Last of Us, it’s an important lesson to learn before stepping into the limelight of The Last of Us Part II, which is one of the most divisive games in gaming history. Hopefully, Mazin and Druckmann will improve Part II much like they did to enhance Part I for a television audience.