The Last of Us Episode 1 Review: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey’s Post-Apocalyptic HBO Series is Off to an Outstandingly Nerve-Racking Start! (LatestLY Exclusive)

The Last of Us Episode 1 Review: Having put 300 or more hours in both The Last of Us games combined, I think it's fair to say that I might be a casual fan of the franchise (and that’s me putting it lightly). It’s a story that’s very dear to me, and when I heard that HBO is set to develop a live action series based on the first game with it being headed by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and the game director Neil Druckmann himself, I was over-the-moon, however, still had a bit of a reservations considering videogame adaptations rarely pan out well. Now, one episode in, I couldn’t be happier with what’s been done over here. Hunters Season 2 Review: Logan Lerman’s Hunt for Hitler Ends on a Dull Note With Some Poorly Placed Al Pacino Flashbacks (LatestLY Exclusive). 

Set 20 years into a global pandemic that saw a cordyceps virus infect people in the worst way imaginable (basically zombies), we follow the hardened-survivor Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), who after facing the loss of his daughter now spends his days smuggling drugs in the quarantine zone alongside Tess (Anna Torv). When a series of events leads him to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the final hope of humanity, he must travel with her through a broken-down United States and deliver her to the Fireflies, a group trying to restore peace to society, so that a cure to the virus can be created.

Now, I know this story like it's at the back of my hand. I have replayed The Last of Us enough times to know the dialogue cues, what the characters wear, the lore behind the world and etcetera – and yet the series was able to surprise me at every turn. The best part about the episode is that just how familiar it all feels, while still having enough noticeable differences to where it can stand on its own. It’s perfect starting point for newcomers. If you always wanted to experience this story and were never into gaming, you can jump in with the series and feel like you’re not missing out on anything.

Beginning with a debate of diseases and how viruses related to fungi can practically be the end of us, we are quickly sent to 2003 where we follow Sarah (Nico Parker), Joel’s daughter, and how she goes by her day which leads into the infamous day-zero sequence from the game. There is so much context added over here that practically wouldn’t work in the game, and within its writing you can see that Druckmann is really enjoying revisiting these sequences and fleshing them out even more. It's not a one-to-one adaptation, the blueprint of the original story is still there, but there are twists and turns added here that you will get a new sense of freshness even though you know the story.

Watch the Trailer:

Sarah’s story surprisingly makes for a heartbreaking opening that sets the tone for the rest of the series. Brilliantly portrayed by Nico Parker, I was exceptionally nervous to see how the sequences leading up to Sarah’s death would be handled over here, and the first 30 minutes left me shell-shocked. Airplanes are falling out of the sky, mass hysteria in the streets – the handling of these huge moments left an assuring feeling knowing that this is a team that can be trusted to handle this story. The Last of Us: 7 Best Moments From the Hit PlayStation Game We Hope Will Be Recreated in Pedro Pascal and Belle Ramsey’s HBO Series (Watch Videos).

Pedro Pascal, who is perfectly casted again as the protective surrogate father traveling alongside a child through a torn-up world, shows pain as Joel Miller. This apocalypse is behind him, he is an alcoholic and uses pills to numb the pain, Pascal delivers on the initial brutality masked within the sadness of Joel that made Troy baker’s original performance so special. While of course I already know the more emotional moments are reserved till the end of the story, I was engrossed in his performance. The big surprise though, comes in Bella Ramsey’s Ellie.

Being immune to the virus, Ellie is the light in the darkness that is The Last of Us’ story. Ashley Johnson set the bar very high, and Ramsey definitely has a huge hill to climb, but they do showcase competency here in their first few initial moments. The brashness of youth mixed in with a penchant of dropping f-bombs at every turn, I loved seeing what they brought to the table here, and can’t wait to see how Ellie develops into the character we all know and love.

Anna Torv’s Tess too is a great piece of casting that captures her game persona really well, while still having enough difference to make her stand separate, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy is just as good too. The Last of Us also brings back Merle Dandridge from the game as Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, and you get to spend more time with her too. You see how the Fireflies are losing, and trying to hang onto every desperate need of help she can get, I was just brought back into this world again.

The Last of Us feels so grand as the huge HBO budget can be seen on the screen. From the broken-down vistas of Boston to the iconic leaning buildings from the game, there is so much to take in that the show doesn’t feel cheap any way. With Gustavo Santaolalla’s iconic score being reused as the camera panned on the desolation of the world, I was just swept up in the destruction of it.

The first episode also had some great moments of horror that stood out really well. The Last of Us has four prominent types of infected, and the episode here focused on the Runners, the first stage of infection, it was horrifying to see just how they functioned. The Clickers too received a nice tease at the end, and I can’t wait to see the horrifying events of the next episode knowing just what is about to go down. M3GAN Movie Review: Blumhouse’s Sci-fi Horror Flick Delivers a Fairly Enjoyable Story about Artificial Intelligence Gone Wrong (Latestly Exclusive).

Even for minor nitpicks, I will just say that there is one particular moment where Santaolalla’s iconic eerie score was swapped for a more drum-heavy aesthetic, and even then it didn’t take away much from the scene. It’s that good.

Yay!

Great For Newcomers to the Franchise

The Performances

Feels Grand

Fans of the Game Will Feel Right at Home

Nay!

Santaolalla’s Score Swapped for a Drum-Heavy Aesthetic

Final Thoughts

Watching the 85 minutes pilot for The Last of Us, I had the same feeling over here that I experienced when playing the game for the first time when I was 15-years old. I don’t know if the same quality will be maintained throughout the series, but so far, the show makes a pretty good case for itself and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come. The first episode of The Last of Us is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 16, 2023 03:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).