The Last Of Us - universal acclaim!

[SnokesLegs]

Loved it, although I do prefer the game, BUT this is about as perfect of an adaptation as you’re going to get. It was pitch perfect in every single way, and I feel the only drawbacks come from trying to compare it to the 20 hour long game, which is something that a 8-9 hour TV show will never be able to do. I’d imagine for new viewers who have no knowledge of the games, this will have been a massively impressive first season of TV (my co-workers certainly seemed to think so).

 

I’m just thrilled that this story is finally being opened up to a wider audience. It’s been quite an experience listening to people theorise about what’s going to happen each week with a story that’s meant so much to me over the last decade.

 

Roll on season 2.

[BoxOfficeZ]

Really great finale.

 

Spoiler

I love how in the end it basically tells the viewer that Marlene was afraid of Ellie saying no, and Joel knew she'd say yes.

 

[FilmFincher]

5 hours ago, BoxOfficeZ said:

 

  Hide contents

I love how in the end it basically tells the viewer that Marlene was afraid of Ellie saying no, and Joel knew she'd say yes.

Spoiler

I was thinking about this since the debate has now risen again, and I think you're right about them both being afraid of what Ellie would say.

What it really got me wondering was would they both let that stop them from making the choice they think is right. If they had given Ellie that agency, I personally think they still would have made their choices. It just would have made it harder for them.

 

[Joel M]

It was a good show but yeah the game is just better. Every one I know who watches this fresh pretty much loved the whole thing, but I still think the gameplay parts with Joel and Ellie add something that the show can't adapt. I think if they had managed to expand a bit their story here and there it would be perfect. How to expand I have no idea, but I'm not the one getting paid to think of that stuff. Anyway the show was really well made and very good. Maybe I'm being a bit like those GOT readers bitching about every little thing even when the show was great anyway.

 

 

3 hours ago, FilmFincher said:

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I was thinking about this since the debate has now risen again, and I think you're right about them both being afraid of what Ellie would say.

What it really got me wondering was would they both let that stop them from making the choice they think is right. If they had given Ellie that agency, I personally think they still would have made their choices. It just would have made it harder for them.

 

 

totally agree

Spoiler

Both Marlene and Joel were already decided and Ellie would only just make it harder whether she said yes or no. None of them had the guts to tell her. 

 

[Hatebox]

2 hours ago, Joel M said:

It was a good show but yeah the game is just better. Every one I know who watches this fresh pretty much loved the whole thing, but I still think the gameplay parts with Joel and Ellie add something that the show can't adapt. I think if they had managed to expand a bit their story here and there it would be perfect. How to expand I have no idea, but I'm not the one getting paid to think of that stuff. Anyway the show was really well made and very good. Maybe I'm being a bit like those GOT readers bitching about every little thing even when the show was great anyway.

 

No, you’re correct. The show was good, but for all the “they finally broke the videogame adaptation curse” comments I think it actually demonstrates the limits of videogame adaptation. Gameplay is also storytelling. 

[Noctis]

Great final episode.

 

Apparently, Mazin has said that The Last Of Us 2 will be more than one season? I don't think it should be if the episodes are all 60+ minutes long.

[MikeQ]

These last two episodes were really impactful. The finale brought us full circle with Joel, Ellie, and Marlene (terrific opening flashback) - and the morally questionable choices that we make in the name of survival, love, and humanity.

 

That there are no easily identifiable "bad guys" and "good guys" - only people trying to survive and do what's right from their vantage point - made the last episode especially impactful.

 

Spoiler

Everyone has to make tough decisions and sits in that ethical grey zone... and as a result, the choices made by Joel and Marlene are rooted in understandable, but unsettling, choices.

 

Joel has grown, finally allowing himself to become close to someone and find purpose in protecting and loving someone else. (Pascal is so good at showing this shift in Joel, in many small ways, in this last episode.) But that newfound purpose leads to a brutal murder spree. The way the show demonstrates how Joel is on auto-pilot - killing indiscriminately and completely... no intention to solely disarm, but simply to kill - even an unarmed surgeon, even a Marlene that let him get away. The way he went back to finish off Marlene... oof. 

 

Marlene is a leader trying to do what she thinks is right for the greater good of humanity - even when that means taking a utilitarian approach to life - sending people on her team to certain death, killing a child without offering them a choice, not fulfilling your promise to your dying friend. The opening flashback was brilliant. It was creepy as hell, and gave us another horrifying moment with an infected. But more than that, if gave us important context for Marlene's relationship to Ellie and how Ellie became immune.

 

Marlene's death at the hands of Joel sits with me because I understand both Joel, with the journey he has gone through from day one of the outbreak, and Marlene, with the sacrifices she has had to make.

 

Don't even get me started with the very final scene... so much I can unpack here, maybe for another time.

 

My only criticism of this season would be that I would have liked a wee bit more encounters with infected. There was room for it - as the show otherwise did everything right in keeping the focus on character and story. 

 

Peace,

Mike

Edited March 14, 2023 by MikeQ

[SnokesLegs]

1 hour ago, Noctis said:

Great final episode.

 

Apparently, Mazin has said that The Last Of Us 2 will be more than one season? I don't think it should be if the episodes are all 60+ minutes long.

TLOU2 is over 30 hours long which is nearly double the length of the original, I honestly think there’s enough material in there for them to adapt it across 2 seasons. It’ll be interesting to see how they tackle it, the game has a very clear mid point that could be a season 2 finale, but I can’t see them splitting the story the same way that the game does. 

[Ozymandias]

overall I found it to be very uneven

 

early days of Walking Dead was better before that show went off the rails

[Daxtreme]

finished it, great show

 

At first I thought that Bella Ramsey was miscast but she turned out to be a real star as the show progressed

[filmlover]

Forgot to comment on this after watching the finale weeks ago. A really strong first season that makes me excited for the second. Terrific performances from everybody.

[lecico]

This was disappointing given the praise. First season of walking dead was much more exciting. It was an odd choice limiting how much infected we got to see

[lorddemaxus]

 

This was rumored for a while. Considering that production is starting next month, I'm assuming she got the role a while ago and probably has already started bulking for months because there's no way she's gaining like 40lbs in a month.

 

Edit: Nvm, they're gonna have to roid her up

Edited January 9 by lorddemaxus

[SnokesLegs]

I like the casting, Dever is great and I can see her pulling it off, but I hope she knows what she’s in for…

 

Hopefully the TV fans are less toxic.

[Ozymandias]

Now that its been awhile I got a hot take/unpopular opinion: 

 

This was among the most overrated crap I've ever seen and I do not understand the head over heels acclaim it got whatsoever.  I haven't thought about this show ONCE since it aired whereas other HBO originals like True Detective and Chernobyl really stick with you.  If this was faithful adaptation of the game then whatever the game sucks too.

[MOVIEGUY]

OUTRAGE TIME

 

Yeah I kinda forgot about the show after it aired. I'm a massive fan of the games and the show is so similar it felt a bit "been there done it but better" to me. Wasn't bad though

[lorddemaxus]

37 minutes ago, Ozymandias said:

If this was faithful adaptation of the game then whatever the game sucks too.

As a fan of the game, I will say the show wasn't very good. It is like the game if they sanded off all of its complexity (and violence). Have zero confidence in them being able to adapt the 2nd game.

[lorddemaxus]

 

Merced as Dina. Ngl, this feels like a weirder casting choice than Dever as Abby.

[Joel M]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:16 PM, Ozymandias said:

Now that its been awhile I got a hot take/unpopular opinion: 

 

This was among the most overrated crap I've ever seen and I do not understand the head over heels acclaim it got whatsoever.  I haven't thought about this show ONCE since it aired whereas other HBO originals like True Detective and Chernobyl really stick with you.  If this was faithful adaptation of the game then whatever the game sucks too.

 

Not that unpopular anymore. I think the overwhelming praise at least online has cooled off a lot since it ended.

I haven't exactly turned against it, but I similarly haven't thought about it or have any urge to revisit it.  I was certainly enjoying it at the time but I am also a huge fan that knows the game inside out and had the thrill seeing how they 'll adapt every little detail. In retrospect I kinda agree that it was a "great gowns, beautiful gowns" show where great production values and good acting did the heavy lifting while the emotions were not earned by the narrative as presented. They adapted the cutscenes very faithfully, filled in some lore for the fans and mostly ffwd through the gameplay where most of the character development, Joel-Ellie bond happens. 

 

I'm still intrigued though by how they 'll tackle the second game because they can't pull the same trick there. First game was a linear episodic road trip. TLOU2 mostly takes place in less than week, have multiple POVs, multiple timelines, flashbacks that withdraw important information until very late in the story, way more action etc. The adaptation has to be radically different just to be comprehensible as a season of TV.

[ChipDerby]

lmao