Movies - TV
HBO’s The Last Of Us has taken the perspective of the video game to heart and created a unique adaptation.
By ERIC VESPE
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 1 of "The Last of Us."
With video game adaptations, filmmakers must compete with the "mind movie" in players’ heads when they are experiencing a story for the first time — and must ask them to relinquish control, too. This has created the prevailing opinion that video games work because the player is an active participant, and that video game adaptations fail because cinematic and streaming experiences are passive.
HBO’s "The Last of Us" has a unique opportunity to stand out as one of the few breakthrough adaptations, since the original Naughty Dog game not only is driven by story and character but has a cinematic touch. The original game starts from Joel's daughter Sarah's perspective going about a normal day, and the new series doesn't fail to use this emotionally gutting perspective.
Both the series and the video game open with Sarah’s tragic and unexpected death, setting up multiple things simultaneously. Not only does the sad moment show that even main characters can die, but it also helps the viewer gain a deeper understanding of Joel's dark and light sides, his spiral after the world ended, and why he is reluctant to care for other people, let alone another child.