How on earth can a film replicate the emotional impact of Sarahs death in the prologue of The Last of Us? Or the sacrifice of Tess? Or the turning of Sam and Henrys suicide? Or Ellies brutal and tear-jerking confrontation with David? Or Joels final hospital rescue? These heartrending and agonising moments are so ingrained into the minds of the people who experienced them first-hand that a film can only render mere imitations. Remember, these cinematics were performed by real actors using motion-capture technology, not simply animated. These performances feature instances of raw emotion that are rarely, if ever, captured in games. The original scenes in The Last of Us are so iconic and the performances are already so outstanding that some of the emotional impact of the material will inevitably be lost in a film adaptation. The film will draw unavoidable comparisons to the game for its interpretation and deference to the original scenes. Perhaps for newcomers to the story, the effect will not be as pronounced, but the redundant nature of the pivotal moments for people who have played the game will be disappointing. We spent many hours getting to know and empathising with Joel and Ellie, how can a relatively short film equal that amount of emotional intimacy? There you have it: twelve reasons why the producers should leave well enough alone and refrain from making The Last of Us into a movie. Let me know what you think.
