As someone who’s watched some of Hollywood’s multiple attempts at adapting video games to the big screen, I can’t say it’s been an overall enjoyable experience. Hollywood took a lot of artistic liberties with its adaptations—until The Last of Us on HBO Go came along.
It was on the PS3 when I first immersed myself in the post-apocalyptic virus-ridden world that Neil Druckmann and his team at Naughty Dog created. The Last of Us on HBO Go still got me to recognize actual scenes and story beats from the game, not just references like most adaptations do. It’s a testament to how well-crafted the game was in the first place and how loyal the show has been to its source material–enough that someone who hasn’t played the game in years can easily recall those moments and recognize the similarities in characterization.
Here are some ways the HBO Original Series was faithful to the game:
Joel and Sarah’s father-daughter bond
The first half-hour of the pilot covers the introductory cutscene from the game and the ensuing events that lead up to the main story, which highlights the father-and-daughter bond of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Sarah (Nico Parker). The actors knock it out of the park with their take on their tight-knit relationship and their attempts to survive the initial outbreak of the virus. They adapted the start of the game almost moment-for-moment since it heavily shapes Joel’s character when the main story begins.
Joel and Ellie
Courtesy of HBO Go
Probably the most important aspect the series needed to capture is the relationship between these characters. Pedro Pascal has always been a phenomenal actor, and his portrayal of a loving father turned stone-hearted survivor is no exception. Bella Ramsey also makes the foul-mouthed but still very innocent Ellie her own with her performance.
Bill and artistic liberties done right
Bill was a minor character in the games, so his fate was left up to the game’s players to interpret once they left his section of the story. For the series, though, Bill (Nick Offerman) is still pretty much the same character, but with added layers that weren't shown in the game because his story is told entirely differently in the series.
As someone who didn’t get invested in Bill as much in the game, the series has made him one of my favorite characters without changing a lot about him, only how his story, and some aspects of it, were told. It shows that artistic liberties can and should be taken–if done with as much care for the source material and character as The Last of Us did here.
The verdict
The Last of Us is a brilliant live-action adaptation of the video game and one that doesn’t disappoint. Stream The Last of Us on HBO Go, and enjoy fiber-fast streaming with speeds of up to +1000 Mbps when you avail of PLDT Home’s Fiber Plus Plans.