The Last Of Us: 5 Scenes That Must Be In The Movie

The Last of Us - despite being released amongst Bioshock: Infinite and GTA V two years ago - quickly became a favourite of many gamers worldwide, not only due to its incredibly detailed post-apocalyptic universe, but its intricately developed, enthralling story. The tale saw the rugged smuggler, Joel, risk everything to protect Ellie, a 14-year old girl wise beyond her years, who carries the cure to the cordyceps infestation that wiped out most of the earth’s population twenty years prior.

Naturally, fans were split down the middle when it was announced that the game would be adapted into a film. Some were overcome with excitement to see such a compelling story unfold on the big screen, while others were hesitant at a studio’s ability to compile a game with fourteen hours of gameplay into a two-hour film, without leaving out most of the plot.

Personally, I was reluctant at first, but the game’s Creative Director, Neil Druckmann has confirmed that while some elements will need to be altered in order to make the narrative cinema-friendly, the film will also remain very faithful to its predecessor. As such, there are a number of scenes from ‘The Last of Us’ that absolutely need to be implemented into the film adaptation in order for that to happen, and for it to even come close to the unprecedented gaming experience, so let's take a look.

The closing scene of the summer portion of ‘The Last of Us’ is one of the most emotionally-draining in the whole game. Henry, overcome with grief after just having shot his brother Sam, who had turned into a runner overnight due to a bite suffered the previous day, almost instantly decides to take his own life when he imagines a world without his brother.

While Henry and Sam were minor characters in the story, this scene perfectly exemplified the sheer hopelessness that some people experience in this dystopian universe, especially when faced with the dreadful idea of living alone. The previous night, Henry was having the time of his life, discussing old times with Joel about motorcycles, pretty much living like death wasn’t waiting on their doorstep at any given moment. He went from being happy to instantly deciding that suicide was the only option in a matter of hours.

While the scene is a big moment in Ellie’s life, adding another name to the list of people she cared about, and had to witness die in front of her very eyes, it’s more important when paired with Joel, and the fact that he somehow managed to keep going even after the loss of Sarah. You have to imagine that those thoughts went through Joel’s head a lot over the first weeks and months of the outbreak. Maybe Tommy helped him stay strong, but it shows off the difference in character will from the get-go, and it would be a great way to capture that sense of hopelessness and the fear of isolation early on in the film.