“The Last of Us” on Prime Video has already won over video game fans

TV SERIES – Adapting a video game into a film or series has always been a difficult exercise. And yet, The Last of Usa postapocalyptic adventure thriller which landed this Sunday, January 15 on HBO Max in the United States, wants to disprove tradition.

With rave reviews and a score of 97% on the reference aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series, broadcast since Monday in France on Prime Video, is on track to sign the first success of the year on streaming platforms, ten years after the release of the video game on Playstation.

Adapted by one of its creators, Neil Druckmann, and Craig Mazin, to whom we owe the mini-series Chernobyl, the story is faithful to the original from the Naughty Dog studio. It follows the duo formed by Joel, a trafficker broken by tragedy, and Ellie, the teenager he must protect, the last hope of a world almost destroyed by a virus, where zombies are rampant.

The nine episodes take place in a post-apocalyptic America, locked down by a military dictatorship. Joel and Ellie are respectively played by Pedro Pascal, shock policeman from the Narcos series, who also starred in Game of Thrones et The Mandalorianet Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones).

The first episode has, it seems, already won the hearts of video game enthusiasts, as evidenced by the first opinions that have flourished on social networks since the broadcast.

“I am completely amazed by the incredible first episode of #TheLastOfUsHBO .. the fact that they turned a 10 year old masterpiece into a cinematic experience with in depth narration is insane .. i feel like i’m playing the game like 10 years ago years … “

“Me playing The Last of Us VS me watching the series”

“Me playing The Last of Us, 2013 vs. Me watching The Last of Us, 2023.”

“Me in front of the whole episode of The Last of Us when I know very well everything that is going to happen. »

The series seems very faithful to the video game, according to the video montage below.

“This scene lets me say that we are in good hands. It feels like we’re right in the game. I’m a fan. »

“Me, as soon as something from the video game happens in the series. »

If we no longer count the adaptations of emblematic video games, they are deemed not to have the same success in cinema or on the small screen. Of Lara Croft Tomb Raider (2001) with Angelina Jolie, at Sonic The Hedgehog in 2020 (and its second part in 2022), passing through the series of Resident Eviland more recently the animated series Arcane on Netflix, inspired by League of Legends and rewarded at the Emmy Awards (2022), successes are rather rare.

Soon, many other adaptation projects are expected, including a new Super Marioa third Sonic and one Grand Touring in the cinema, or an animated series Tomb Raider on Netflix.

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