The Last of us

The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival game, released in 2013, about a hardened survivor of a global pandemic who takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be key to saving humanitythe aftermath of a global, civilization-destroying pandemic. The video game has sold approximately 37 million copies and a sequel released in 2018 has also sold millions of copies. The Last of Us revolutionized the world of gaming and is still one of the most popular games on the Playstation.

Recently, the Last of Us has been in the spotlight again with the release of the new TV series based on the game. With a new episode every Sunday at 9 pm on HBO, seven episodes have been released. Nearly 20 million people watch the show every week. The show and game have some differences, but the creators of the game are very involved in the making of the series, with key similarilities overruling the minor differences between the adaptations.

The show has already been renewed for a second season with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the stars. According to The New Yorker, the budget for the first season is upwards of $100 million, exceeding the budget for the first five seasons of Game of Thrones.

The show has an interesting take on what could cause a zombie apocalypse, which is one of the things that makes it so compelling to viewers. The show attributes the apocalypse to mutated Cordyceps, a real fungus that infects the brains of its hosts. In the natural world, these hosts are typically ants or spiders, though it does not have the ability to infect humans.

The show and game start similarly, as a flashback to the night the apocalypse began and the tragic backstory of the survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal), as well as the introduction to his new way of life and the character Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Joel is hesitant to help Ellie at first, but with the convincing of Tess (Anna Torv) they decide to smuggle her to get the payout of a truck battery. Many tragedies and stories follow this captivating beginning and the hope of additional characters from the game yet to be released to screens.

The game can be emotional for many players, and I can testify the show has also had the effect of making me cry several times so far. The actors play their roles phenomenally, and the show reflects the bonds between the characters and their desperate hope to survive in horrible times. As one reviewer noted in the The Guardian, “In tiny pockets, it dares to hope. I loved its balance of horror and heart. It burrows under the skin and refuses to leave.”