HBO had all the right tools to nail its live-action adaptation of The Last of Us. Neil Druckmann, the co-founder of Naughty Dog and co-creator of The Last of Us video games, is one of the show’s co-creators. In addition to this, Druckmann found the right partner in Craig Mazin, whom you might know for his two Primetime Emmy Awards for HBO’s Chernobyl. While HBO’s The Last of Us had a lot going for it, it couldn’t change the perception that live-action video game adaptations are never going to be as good as the source material, let alone better. Fast forward to today and the critics have spoken – HBO struck gold with Pedro Pascal-led TV series.
The review embargo on HBO’s The Last of Us lifted earlier this week and slowly, critics are letting their perceptions of the show become known. At one point, HBO’s The Last of Us had a perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which speaks volumes about how good it is
As of the time of writing, HBO’s The Last of Us has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from dozens of critics and 91% from “Top Critics” alone.
Here’s a round-up of HBO’s The Last of Us reviews from some notable critics:
This isn’t just a breakthrough video game adaptation. It’s a great show, period. – San Francisco Chronicle – Chris Vognar
“The Last of Us” isn’t afraid to ask challenging questions with no easy answers; or no answers at all. That it’s so exceptionally and meticulously crafted means that it has effectively shattered the ceiling for video game adaptions. – Bloody Disgusting – Meagan Navarro
This series is its best-case scenario — the original creator, a proven HBO visionary, an A-list cast, and a script that found every heartstring it could possibly pull. – Inverse – Dais Johnston
From the performances to the storytelling to the aesthetic elements, it’s an exquisitely made adaptation. But it also asks viewers to absorb a whole lot of human misery without saying much that we haven’t already heard in similar shows. – TIME Magazine – Judy Berman
Comfortably the best adaptation of a video-game ever made: one that deepens the game’s dystopian lore, while staying true to its emotional core. Like the game, it’s a masterpiece, too. – Empire Magazine – John Nugent
HBO’s The Last of Us is based on The Last of Us, which has since been re-released as The Last of Us Part 1 for both the PlayStation 5 and the PC. It takes place in a fictional North America where a fungal disease has ravaged the world, leaving only a few survivors behind. The events of the game, and the show, take place years after the fungus has done most of its damage to the world. It follows the story of Joel and Ellie as they journey across a perilous North America fraught with the dangers coming from both likely and unlikely sources.
Judging from the early success of HBO’s The Last of Us, it’s only a matter of time before a second season, which will adapt the events of the second game, gets greenlit. Hopefully, by then, we’ll have more details about The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off and The Last of Us Part 3, which Druckmann recently hinted at.
Fans are expecting HBO and Naughty Dog to announce big things at the 10th The Last of Us Day, also known as Outbreak Day, on September 26.
