The Last of Us (2023)

Absolute shit, i would rather play the TLOU 2 than watch another minute of this shit, it was nothing to do with the lore or the characters from the games. Comparing this bore-fest of a show to The Last Of Us 1 is like comparing Peter Jackson The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy to Amazons Rings Of Guyladriel.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF SEASON ONE @ https://www.msbreviews.com/tv-reviews/the-last-of-us-season-1-review *Based on the full first season handed to press* "The Last of Us is the first live-action videogame adaptation able to finally break the frustrating curse, reaching the so-desired unprecedented level of excellence. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann construct a complex character study driven by fascinating protagonists, Joel and Ellie, exploring the grief, traumas, and tragedies of their lives through unimaginable moral dilemmas, emotionally heavy conversations, and devastating moments. Save for rare exceptions, the episodic narrative formula is remarkably efficient, offering a panoply of intriguing characters and outstanding performances - Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey clearly stand out from the rest. A more intimate, grounded version of a post-apocalyptic world that doesn't lack gory, violent action/horror sequences. Gustavo Santaolalla's score couldn't be a better fit. If I was already excited to venture into the video game, now I can't wait for that day to come." Rating: A-

No spoilers here. I went into this show cautiously optimistic, after seeing the trailers. I, like so many others, have been burned by horrid video game adaptations ***cough*** "_Halo_" ***cough***. I was incredibly surprised by the first episode. LOVED IT! While yes, the pacing was a bit slower than the game's first few moments, I felt like it was appropriate to set the stage for everything to come later. TLOU is one of my favorite games on the planet, and I am really hard to please when it comes to media. I am the definition of nit-picky when it comes to writing, production, and character development, especially with pre-existing and beloved material. I can say honestly, and without reservation that if the creators put as much attention to detail and fan-oriented storytelling into the later episodes of this season, this could easily be one of the best adaptations of a game, out there. I really can't wait to see what they do with it.

Why do series feel the need to be woke? I had invested quite a lot of faith in this series until episode 3, which I call 'Gays of our lives". An entire episode about the lives of two beardy, gay blokes, that has next to nothing to do with the overriding story and feels like virtue signalling. I don't mind gay people. I've known a few over the years but what's the need for this? I wasted 20 or so minutes, till I realised this was going to take up the majority of the episode, at which point, I stopped watching. In short, I don't need to be lectured, reformed or informed about alternative life styles. If I did, I'd attend a meeting, join a forum, whatever. And that's the underlying point really. I come to entertainment to be entertained, not lectured. I'm out.

It takes it's cues from the controversial second game... where the characters were reshaped to fit the new meh narrative of the meh pro-censorship left. And because of that you have yet another film staring Strong Female Lead, only this time STL is a little girl that knows more and can survive better than the man that is tasked with protecting her who actually survived the end of the world. You really don't need to know the rest it goes just like they all do, narrative above plot, message above characters, "diversity and dinosaurs" The bottom line is that you've seen this before.

**Had the potential to be great. But it is just mediocre HBO stuff and sometimes really bad.** I can't say that the show is bad in general. But it is far from living up to its potential. And episode 3 has show us that it can really suck (no pun intended) at times. I am going to loosely address some reasons for why I think this show is disappointing and not as good as it could be: - Bad casting of main characters, unnecessary type-switching. Though I think that most of the actors are good, a lot of them and especially the main characters are not matching their counterparts from the game and the game (at least TLOU, Part I) just nailed it. The actors are good, but the casting choices still are just bad. Especially Ellie is just miscast all the way. - Bad chemistry between the characters. There is no matching chemistry between the actors of Joel & Tess or Joel & Ellie. - Pointless deviations from the original story (see episode 3). Those deviations don't add anything good to the story, they are just annoying distraction at best and derailment at worst. - Sometimes just stupid, boring or pointless. There is more examples than just the bigger part of episode 3 for that. - Mediocre storytelling. When it sticks to the main plot, it's not bad. But it's not really good either. After episode 3 I decided to take a break from watching the show and before I would continue to watch, I will wait till the whole season has aired and the reviews came in. If according to the non-shill and non-cheerleader reviews the show will give us more crap in the direction of episode 3, I'm out for good.

Great adaptation of the legendary game!

I was sceptical at first whether as a fan of the games the series could win me over. It certainly took some time getting used to the new Ellie. However, the series is a faithful reinterpretation of the game. Many things are different, but (as of episode 6) it has just the right balance of keeping the core of the story while changing, adding and adapting details to the new medium.

"The Last of Us" is a post-apocalyptic TV series based on the popular video game of the same name. The story follows the journey of Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a teenage girl who may be the key to finding a cure for a deadly fungal infection that has ravaged the world. The series features outstanding performances from Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, and Anna Torv as Tess. The chemistry between the main characters is excellent, and the casting is spot-on. The show's writing is superb, and it captures the essence of the video game while adding a fresh perspective. The narrative is engaging, and the pacing is just right, with each episode leaving you on the edge of your seat, eager to see what happens next. The show's production value is top-notch, with stunning visuals and cinematography that capture the bleak and haunting atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world. The use of practical effects and makeup is impressive and adds to the overall immersion of the story. Overall, "The Last of Us" is an outstanding TV series that does justice to the source material. It's a must-watch for fans of the video game and anyone who enjoys gripping and emotional storytelling. I would rate it a 9 out of 10. Written and Reviewed by RSOliveira

The last of us is by far the best adaptation of a video game. From the gorgeous cinematography, to the breathtaking production design, or the terrific performances. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are perfect as Joel and Ellie. Their chemistry and emotional death are truly a outstanding. The guest staring roles are absolutely fantastic. Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna, Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Montreal Woodard and Melanie Lynskey. Also having some of the original actors from the game in the series is also great. I can’t say enough about how the production design team transform Canada into a post apocalyptic hell hole. They should get all of the awards just for that. And I almost forgot the clickers their design is absolutely just on point. I could go on and on about this show. However I’m just going to that any new series that comes out after this is going to have a tough time. Because The Last of Us is by far the best series of 2023.

As someone who's never even heard of the video game (a factor which seems to polarise reviews) I can say that I enjoyed this series more than I thought I would although some of the episodes were in danger of becoming formulaic. Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) need to travel across an America devastated by a fungus which turns people into infectious 'zombies' or rogue raiders. The two main characters are brilliantly played and I think this probably secures Bella Ramsey's career. The rendering of the devastated landscapes and cities was amazing and very plausible. The plot was thin but enough to keep one's interest and, I'd guess, thicker than the computer game and most other zombie apocolypse films. I think it is probably an advantage to not know the video game and a disadvantage to having watched 'The Worst Witch' which took me a couple of episodes to shake off.

Not normally huge on zombie shows / movies but this one is quite good. I'm all about Pedro Pascal and the fungus angle is a cool one, especially as someone that is fascinated by mycelial networks.

Well the story from the video game was great, and they stayed true to that which ultimately led to a great tv show. Very enjoyable. HBO has a great track record of pumping out high quality shows and this one is no different. 8/10. Hopefully the second season lives up to expectations, but if the video game is anything to judge by then it likely won't be nearly as good as season 1.

Show is very good. It's interesting and after watching it I decided to play the game and I can say that it's quite close to the game. Cast is also good and bad at the same time. For example Pedro Pascal is doing amazing job playing Joel and is actually very similar to game character. I think they did good job matching this actor to the character. Gerrard Buttler would be another great choice as well. Actress who's playing Ellie's character is nailing it as well, although in game she has blue eyes and actress has brown eyes. But I think it's not that bad. But like I said, there are bad matches too because of propaganda put in this show as well sadly. For example, Joe's daughter in original source (game) is white, however geniuses in show decided that black daughter should be better for him. Also, Tommy's new wife is white in game, but in show they made her black on purpose which is very obvious. Also there's whole episode dedicated to LGBT propaganda (episode 3). Sady this crap is ruining amazing show, but it is what it is... That's why I'm giving this show 7/10. If not the cancer woke agenda, I would give it 10/10. I mean, if we close an eye on propaganda, show itself is very good and interesting and very close to original game. It's hundred times better that Witcher adapatation of game which is horribly ruined completely by the propaganda. In short, this show isn't perfect, but it's still good and there are far worse propaganda plagued shows nowadays.