‘The Last of Us’ finale review: It’s a masterclass in post-apocalypse series adaptation

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as Joel and Ellie in a scene from the finale of ‘The Last of Us’ | Photo credit: @TheLastofUsHBO/Twitter

Travel is a powerful medium for storytelling. From the most basic of getting a character from point A to B, to metaphorical spiritual growth, they serve to propel the story forward. It’s the same with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). last of usall around awesome optimization Naughty Dog Nominated 2013 Video Game,

approx film-length The first episode details the events that sent the world into the dustbin After a killer fungus, cordyceps, turns the population into mindless hungry hordes and ends 20 years later, Joel is given the responsibility of ferrying 14-year-old Ellie across the devastated United States.

Through the next eight episodes, we learn more about the state of the world and how people behave in extreme situations, along with Ellie and Joel. The passage of time has created a world divided by the Quarantine Zone (QZ), isolated settlements, survivalists, raiders and old loyalists, cannibals operated by the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA).

The FEDRAs are a law unto themselves and use brute force to ensure strict adherence to the rules. The Fireflies, a rebel group led by Marlene (Merle Dandridge), are trying to overthrow FEDRA. Each episode follows a beat for beat game, with the introduction of some new characters and exits from previous stories. last of us draws us deeper into the lives and minds of Joel and Ellie.

After the sacrifice of Joel’s smuggling partner and ex-lover Tess (Anna Torv) in the second episode, we go back to 2007 and Frank ( White lotus Armand, Murray Bartlett) by stumbling into the kind home of paranoid survivalist Bill (Nick Offerman). Their relationship with Time is heartbreakingly tender. Incidentally, in the game, Frank is a corpse with no dialogue and is a brilliant revelation of how Neil Druckmann, writer-director of the game and show, has expanded characters from action-adventure video games.

In Kansas City, Joel and Ellie are caught under the frantic gaze of rebel leader, Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey), who is determined to burn down the city in search of Henry (Lamar Johnson), a traitor who sold his Christ. Like a brother. The segment where Ellie bonds with Henry’s deaf, artistic eight-year-old brother, Sam (Keevon Montreal Woodard), is sweet, funny, and hopelessly sad.

When the weary travelers reach the settlement in Wyoming and meet up with Joel’s MIA brother, Tommy (Gabriel Luna), we hope they can rest and recharge, but the two find themselves in another disaster in Colorado. Joel is near death thanks to stab wounds from an assailant.

As Joel is sinking fast, Ellie recounts her time at school and another heartwarming incident with her best friend Riley (Storm Reid) at an abandoned mall. On a hunting expedition, Ellie finds a deer and a charismatic preacher, David (Scott Shepherd), who was a math teacher before discovering God in the Apocalypse. He reveals that he is willing to do anything to keep his flock safe and fed, as Ellie learns to her nauseous horror.

We’re just as tired and wary as Joel and Ellie in the finale. We learn of Ellie’s birth and the promise her mother, Anna (Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie in the play), made to her best friend, Marlene. This is a possible reason for Ellie’s uniqueness as well as the price Marlene is willing to pay for the greater good.

In the game, a person takes on the role of Joel, and there are certain actions that he must perform in order to advance to the next level. The skill of the writers and the choice of Joel for that finale is a masterclass in adaptation. there is a reason last of us Hailed as the best videogame adaptation ever.

The sets are spectacular, forming humble vistas of once proud, towering buildings as well as the ruined skeletons of nature’s vivid splendor, as well as reclaiming spaces lost to human activity.

Although there is good music (Gustavo Santollalla, who also scored the game), sets and cinematography – and they are exceptional – the cast and writing are even better. The world-weariness, violence, and goofy humor of both Pascal and Ramsey embody, with enough support from the rest of the cast, to make a show that could easily stand on its own as an excellent companion. Play.

The Last of Us currently streams on Disney+ Hotstar