HBO's The Last Of Us Praised As The Best Video Game Adaptation Yet
Adapting something as critically acclaimed as Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was never going to be easy, but with Game Director Neil Druckmann teaming up with Chernobyl's Craig Mazin, we always knew it'd be in safe hands.
Uniting Game of Thrones alumni Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, some were unconvinced by their live-action Ellie and Joel. Thankfully, the first reviews confirm that The Last of Us isn't just a hit, but could be the best video game adaptation of all time.
What Are The Last Of Us Reviews Saying?
Although The Last of Us isn't out until January 15, plenty of sites have got their hands on the nine-episode series already. Across the board, there are rave reviews.
Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson says, "[The Last of Us] is surely among the most respectable video game adaptations in the canon. But the show hasn’t taken weak, juvenile source material and somehow polished it into prestige.
"The video game itself is a finely wrought entity (or, at least, the cut scenes that I’ve watched suggest as much). Little needed to be added to the ambition of the series to make it worthy of an HBO Sunday night."
Empire's John Nugent confirms The Last of Us is "comfortably the best adaptation of a video-game ever made," adding that it's "one that deepens the game's dystopian lore, while staying true to its emotional core. Like the game, it's a masterpiece, too."
BBC's Stephen Kelly writes, "It doesn't feel even remotely controversial to call this the best video game adaptation ever made.
"For fans of the game, it is an adaptation of the utmost skill and reverence, yet one still capable of surprise; for people who have never picked up a controller, it is an encapsulation of the game's heart and soul."
Gizmodo's Germaine Lussier says, "HBO’s new horror drama series The Last of Us is the best video game adaptation of all time. That shouldn't be a surprise.
"Rarely, if ever, has this level of production value or amount of screen time been given to an adaptation of a game that can take between 15-20 hours to complete."
Digital Spy's David Opie concludes, "This early on, you already get a feel for how strong The Last of Us is, and just like a clicker running at full pelt, the show just keeps going, with each scene turning out better than the last.
"By the time episode three comes around, it's already a contender for best show of the year, this soon into 2023. That's how good it is."
How Many Seasons Will The Last Of Us Be?
Poised to be HBO's next big hit like The Sopranos, House of the Dragon, or (most of) Game of Thrones, there's plenty of scope for a multi-season arc. Originally, we thought season one would only cover some of the OG game.
Now, this seems less likely, with season two potentially jumping straight into 2020's The Last of Us Part 2. It hopefully won't be two and done, with Druckmann recently teasing the potential of season three.
In the same breath, Druckmann has also confirmed there's the possibility of The Last of Us Part 3. We know neither he nor Mazin want to drag this thing on forever like The Walking Dead, but with season one already blowing critics away, we're sure this isn't the end.