When I heard that HBO was adapting one of my favorite video games, “The Last of Us”, into a series, I damn near jumped for joy. “The Last of Us” (or TLOU for short) is one of my favorite video games ever, and I think it is by far one of the best uses of the medium to tell a story. However, the long and storied history of terrible video game to film adaptations made me hesitant. But after I watched the first episode, I knew this show would be something special. Every episode since has only reaffirmed that. As a fan, it has been an absolute gift to watch this show and listen to the accompanying podcast. But what makes TLOU so much better than other adaptations? I think it’s actually pretty simple; the show understands the core of the story, and utilizes the medium of film to show it.
Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann served as writers and executive producers for the series. Mazin is the award winning writer and producer behind HBO’s miniseries “Chernobyl”. He is also a massive fan of the game. Druckmann was the main writer and creative director behind both TLOU games. The care the creators of the show have for the game is palpable in every episode, as is their understanding of what this new medium grants them. The show is filled with nods to the game that fans will notice: fight animations are mimicked, lines of dialogue are replicated exactly, iconic set pieces are recreated. But the show isn’t trying to recreate the game. It is trying to adapt it. In order for an adaptation to be successful, the creators must utilize the differing aspects of the new medium to tell the same story in a different way. For example, in the game you play as Joel. You see only what Joel sees. This is not true of the show. With film, it is possible to easily switch between different characters’ perspectives while maintaining a narrative that is easy to follow. Thus, the show can expand on characters without needing Joel in the room with them. The medium of film also allows for much more emotional action, and this results in truly stellar performances from the actors.
I’ve been a victim many times of one of my favorite books being adapted into a tv show or a movie only for it to be horrible. TLOU, luckily, was not one of these circumstances, and I’m very grateful for that. But it also makes me think of all the wasted potential in adaptations past. I think that if creators of the original story were allowed more input, and that if TLOU’s understanding of what an adaptation should do was emulated, adaptations across Hollywood would be better for it.