The Last Of Us Episode 1 Review - 9 Ups & 1 Down
2. Up - The greatest video game adaptation of all time
As the enthralling events of When You're Lost in the Darkness played out, it swiftly became clear what a seminal moment HBO's offering represents for video-game adaptations.
Let us be clear, the bar is decidedly not high in this category. Iconic games in the vein of Assassin's Creed and Uncharted have been butchered over the years, with some disastrously bad cinematic adaptations appearing to sound the death-knell for the genre. Fans of The Last of Us were understandably nervous for the beloved game's live-action debut.
As such, there was an almost audible sigh of relief amongst the fandom as the pilot unfolded, soon to be replaced with an even more exciting sense of unbridled optimism.
Unapologetically riveting viewing groaning with quality from the very first second? This is clearly far more than just a video-game adaptation deemed "not terrible".
This isn't just a die-hard fan of the franchise waxing lyrical either. While figures are bound to change as the universally acclaimed first season unfolds, The Last of Us currently holds a 9.6 IMDb rating, backed up with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. There's simply no arguing with a jaw-dropping critical response like that - this is a stunning show that looks set to be one of the best television offerings of the year.
This writer would posit that when source material as inherently brilliant as The Last of Us is available, it's hard to go wrong.