Prepare for what could possibly be the best video game adaptation of all time!
The world of entertainment has entered a new phase where video game adaptations are starting to show potential. The Sonic the Hedgehog film series have arguably kickstarted this change in perception, but they are comedy films aimed primarily at families. By contrast, adult-oriented dramatic video game adaptations are hard to come by, well-regarded ones especially. The search for at least one might be coming to a merciful end this year, as HBO prepares for the premiere of their latest series, The Last of Us, based on the acclaimed 2016 video game.
In The Last of Us world has succumbed to a mutant fungus called Cordyceps, which infects humans and makes them aggressive with zombie-like behavior. When the initial spread of the virus starts, a man named Joel tries to get him and his family to safety, only for him to lose his daughter in the process. Twenty years later, survivors are living in quarantined zones, Joel is working as a weapons smuggler alongside his partner, Tess, and a militia group called the “Fireflies” is formed. During a smuggling heist, Joel and Tess are cornered by the Fireflies’ leader, Marlene, who offers them double of their intended heist to smuggle a teenage girl< Ellie, to the Fireflies’ headquarters outside of Massachusetts. A disgruntled Joel agrees, and as the unlikely trio make their way out of the quarantined zone
This past Wednesday, the Angelika Theater in New York City hosted a special screening of the pilot. To get viewers pumped for the show’s premiere, HBO’s brilliant marketing team had the theater decked out to look like what a quarantined 2023 environment would look like (as opposed to what it turned out to be, for better or worse). Guests are greeted by quarantine signs and Firefly graffiti plastered along the building façade, and as they go up the stairs, they are greeted by the Angelika’s ticket booth, which looks like it has been abandoned since 2003. That is the case here, however, as when spectators go inside, there are rustic and tattered posters for 2003 releases such as Secondhand Lions and Party Monster. More importantly, around the lobby of the Angelica our workstations haphazardly put together with maps, communication devices, and various light sources.
Already, this is a great set up for the aura of both the game and the show. Within the environment are actors in character as Firefly soldiers training guests guiding fellow participants around the area, as if they were in training to become Fireflies themselves. They are asked by actors if they are being followed, look at maps to determine where they are in proximation to other quarantine zones, and decipher codes to radio stations based on songs of different decades.
The marketing team, as well as the actors, have gone above and beyond in making this event and authentic an interesting one in regards to atmosphere. As for an immersive experience, however, it only works so well. Compared to the Stranger Things Experience at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, it needed a bit more excitement to really leave an impact. In addition, with this being a social event, it is hard so move around and talk through the small area of the Angelica lobby, and the smoke-filled air makes it hard to navigate as well. In the grand scheme of things though, these are small potatoes. Once guests are in and are given their survival rations (popcorn and soda), they are led into the theater and are treated to the pilot screening.
How is the pilot itself? In short, audiences are in for something special with the show. Fans of the game will truly appreciate the almost perfectly accurate portrayal locations of characters from the game, particularly the casting of Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. In addition, outsiders will be treated to a fresh new take on a zombie apocalypse show, following the conclusion The Walking Dead, the show that ironically, like a zombie, wouldn’t die.
The creative team behind the show include the creator of 2019’s Chernobyl, writer and director Craig Mazin. While watching the show, one can certainly see his fingerprints all over this show, with the apocalyptic and infectious setting, as well as the struggles of those trying to survive said pandemic. It may be unnerving for the show to change the present day setting from 2033 to 2023, as the United States is slowly trying to move past the coronavirus pandemic, but thankfully, it does not overshadow the tone of the show itself.
Ask anyone who has ever played The Last of Us what makes it so special, and many of them will mention how cinematic the game. With that being said, it does make one wonder why any visual medium adaptation would be necessary. Well, something that the show does incredibly well that can also be seen in Chernobyl is the use of perspective. The sequence where the outbreak first occurs, is all done inside of a moving truck with our main characters, and it is borderline nightmare inducing. Mazin truly understands the fear that comes with these scenarios, and keeps the scale rather small and intimate, without losing once ounce of tension and terror. In addition, moments like Joel losing his daughter are taken almost verbatim, with some slightly different camera angles to give it new life in a different medium.
HBO, arguably, has the best track record regarding new shows as well as marketing, and The Last of Us further underlines that claim. How the show will fare with later episodes has yet to be determined, but so far, they are off to a great start. It does enough to win over fans of the game and is accessible enough for newcomers to follow and might even persuade them to pick up a controller and try it out themselves. If the rest of the show matched the quality of the pilot, this might possibly be the best adaption a video game the world of entertainment has thus far. Yes, even better than Sonic!
The Last of Us premieres on HBO this Sunday, January 15th.
