The Last Of Us Review: The Post-Apocalyptic Masterpiece That Made It Onto The Big Screen

The video game industry has spawned dozens of movies and television shows over the years, but it is fair to say none ever had short odds for the Best Picture award because most were, frankly, terrible. Even the video game adaptations that became Box Office hits, such as the Resident Evil franchise, became cult classics, such as the Resident Evil because they were that bad they were good if you get what we mean. However, a recent addition to this sector set the world abuzz because it was an incredible television series in its own right despite having video game roots. We are, of course, talking about The Last Of Us.

The Best Video Game Television Adaptation?

The Last Of Us television series was launched on HBO on January 15, 2023. Fans of the video game were on tenterhooks and waited with bated breath as they waited to see if the series did Naughty Dog’s 2013 classic any justice. Any fears that the television adaptation of The Last Of Us would flop were soon dismissed as Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lit up the screen with incredible portrayals of Joel and Ellie, the two iconic protagonists from the video game. The first season was so well-received that even non-gamers cannot wait to see what the upcoming second season has in shop.

One of the standout features of The Last of Us television series was how closely it followed the video game’s story. That is a testament to how incredible the game’s storywriting is. The fact that the original game, released for the now-defunct PlayStation 3 in June 2013, is still considered one of the greatest titles ever made tells you all you need to know about The Last Of Us.

The Last Of Us Video Game Plot

The Last Of Us begins with one of video gaming’s most intense opening scenes. Set in 2013, an outbreak of a mutant Cordyceps fungus is ravaging the United States, turning ordinary human hosts into aggressive, bloodthirsty killers. Joel, his daughter Sarah, and his brother Tommy flee from the suburbs of Austin, Texas, as the city’s population transforms into mindless monsters. Their quest to escape the city is thwarted by a soldier who opens fire on them, shooting Sarah, who dies in Joel’s arms.

The game starts with 20 years having passed. Human civilization is on its knees, and Joel now lives with his partner, Tess, in an army-run quarantine zone in Boston, Massachusetts. Joel and Tess hunt down a black-market dealer who has sold a weapons cache to the Fireflies, a rebel militia opposing the quarantine zone. Marlene, the Fireflies’ leader, promises to double the cache if they smuggle a package out of the quarantine zone and to the Fireflies’ hideout at Massachusetts State House. The package is a teenage girl named Ellie, who is infected with the Cordyceps fungus but appears immune to its effects and could be the key to finding a cure.

What follows next is an epic adventure filled with twists and turns at every corner and some of the best storytelling and character development ever seen. From the moment you take control of Joel in the quarantine zone to the second the end credits begin rolling, The Last Of Us takes you on a rollercoaster journey of excitement, exhilaration, pure fear, love, desperation, and every other emotion you can think of. You will laugh. You will cry. Never has a video game struck a chord with players on so many levels.

Joel and Ellie’s Relationship Blossoming Is a Thing of Beauty

Although plenty of action keeps you gripped during a playthrough of The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog avoided making the game an action-shooter, instead opting for a more stealth-based game focused on the excellent story.

As you embark on your journey, it is evident Joel has little time for Ellie and her boisterous teenage attitude, even though she does remind him of his late daughter. However, as the pair overcome challenges, face horrors, and navigate across the post-apocalyptic United States, it becomes abundantly clear that Joel and Ellie’s relationship is blossoming into a father-daughter scenario. This climaxes in the game’s final scenes, where Joel realizes he is about to lose Ellie and does everything in his power to prevent that from happening.

The Remastered Version of The Last Of Us Improves Everything

While the 2013 edition of The Last Of Us is an awe-inspiring video game that has withstood the test of time, the remastered version, available on the PlayStation 5 and known as The Last Of Us: Part 1, improves on every aspect of the original.

Thanks to the 4K resolution upgrade, gorgeous visuals pop from the screen and etch themselves into your mind’s eye. We challenge you not to beam from ear to ear during the famous “giraffe scene” midway through the story. Animations are improved, and Joel moves more like the 40+-year-old that he is rather than a spritely teenager, with all his moves and actions carrying weight behind them.

Naughty Dog also uses the latest generation of console hardware to good effect. Play The Last Of Us: Part 1 while wearing a pair of compatible headphones, and you’ll enjoy 3D sound, which provides a sense of depth and is essential to keep tabs on enemies in low-light conditions. Those enemies have improved artificial intelligence, with Stalkers now living up to their nicknames, scuttling around and attempting to blindside Joel and Ellie.

Then there is the use of the haptic feedback from the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controllers, which add another layer of immersion to a game that has already grabbed you by the scruff of the next and thrown you deep into the harrowing action head first. Drawing a bow string sends a sensation through your hands, while unlocked doors and safes come with satisfying clunks as if you had opened them in person.

The Last Of Us is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, but the remastered edition is by some distance the best version of it. Even if you are not a seasoned gamer, you must play The Last Of Us, if only for the 20-hour story.