With the start of its broadcast … a look at the series “The Last of Us”

Adapting a video game into a movie or TV series is a difficult task, and it may not always succeed. However, the action-adventure series “The Last of Us”, which premieres on HBO Sunday and is set in a world afflicted by a major disaster, He seeks to change this image.

With good reviews from critics and a 97% positive rating on ratings website Rotten Tomatoes, the series, which airs from Monday in the UK (via Sky and Now TV) and France (Prime Video), looks Well positioned for first success of the year on streaming platforms, ten years after the video game was released on PlayStation.

Game-inspired events

Brought to the screen by co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”), the series’ story stays true to the atmosphere of the game from Naughty Dog Studios, and follows the duo of Joel, a smuggler left on the brink of tragedy, and teenage Ellie, who must He must protect her, the last hope for a world on the brink of extinction due to a virus and zombie infested world.

The nine episodes take place in an America devastated after a major disaster and suffering under a military dictatorship. The role of Joel is played by Pedro Pascal, the policeman in the Narcos series who also participated in “Game of Thrones” and “The Mandalorian”, while Bella Ramsey (“Game of Thrones”) embodies the role of Ellie.

Limited successes

While many video games have been adapted to the big screen, they often have limited success in film or television. According to a list compiled by Box Office Mojo, only five films of this kind have grossed more than $400 million worldwide, the most important of which is Warcraft (2016, $439 million), which ranks 288th in the ranking of the most important films of all time.

From “Lara Croft Tom Rider” (2001), to “Sonic the Headhugger” in 2020 (and its sequel in 2022), through “Resident Evil” and finally the “Arken” animated series on Netflix based on the game “League of Legends”. Which won awards at the Emmy Awards (2022)… Successes in this regard are somewhat rare.

John Casillo also confirms that “what makes a video game entertaining does not necessarily apply to an entertaining movie or series, and vice versa,” but he points out that the story of the new “HBO” series “is inspired by a popular genre even outside the framework of video games,” and that The characters are “compelling” in this work. In an interview with The New York Times, Neil Druckmann explains that “the most important thing is to keep the spirit” of the game, not necessarily stick to full sequels.

Other adaptation projects for screen video games are still in the works, including a new series based on the game “Super Mario” and a third part of “Sonic”, in addition to a movie based on the game “Gran Turismo”, or a series based on the game “Tom Raid” on Netflix.

Follow Ajman news via Google News