The initial critic reviews for HBO’sThe Last of Ustelevision show have been filtering in from various outlets, and the consensus appears to be very positive.
The first episode of The Last of Us will air on Sunday, January 15 on HBO in the United States and Sky Atlantic in the UK. Ahead of next weekend’s release, critic reviews have begun to circulate.
The Hollywood Reportercalled the adaptation “the best video game adaptation ever made for the big or small screen.” The competition isn’t especially stiff, but there have been some highly-acclaimed video game movies and television shows such as Arcane (League of Legends), Sonic the Hedgehog, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Castlevania so it’s high praise nonetheless.
THR also notes how at times, the show is a shot-for-shot, line-for-line recreation of the game. Given how noted The Last of Us Part 1 is for its narrative direction and character development, this is far from a negative.
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Empireechoes this sentiment, saying The Last of Us is “comfortably the best adaptation of all time, and it’s a fantastic television drama in its own right.” In particular, Empire highlights how the show has actually given more depth to characters that were already extensively explored in the game.
Collider, who gave the show a perfect score, said “Druckmann and Mazin have taken this unforgettable story and made it richer and more impactful, letting us live with these characters and this world in a way that we couldn’t in the game.”
The average score across the 18 reviews currently listed onMetacriticis 82, indicating “universal acclaim.” This is made up of 17 reviews categorised as positive and one categorised as mixed.
Only time will tell what the public’s consensus will be of the show, but the response of critics is promising.
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