This is the event of this beginning of the year. The Serie The last of uspost-apocalyptic adventure thriller adapted from the famous video game by Neil Druckmann, is broadcast from this Monday on Prime Video.
With very favorable reviews and a score of 97% on the review aggregator “Rotten Tomatoes”, the series is on track to sign the first success of the year on streaming platforms, ten years after the launch of the video game on PlayStation.
Adapted by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), the story is faithful to the original game and follows the duo formed by Joel, a drug dealer torn apart by tragedy, and Ellie, the teenager he must protect, the last hope of a world almost destroyed by a virus, where the zombies.
A problem for HBO
For HBO, which broadcasts the series aux Etats-Unis on the HBO Max platform, and winds the announcement with a tariff rate (from 14.99 to 15.99 dollars for the monthly subscription without publicity), the purchase is from size.
In a context in which the viewer no longer knows where to turn with so many new series that come out every week, the platform “is still clearly the benchmark for original series, but its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is in a crossroads”. terms of how much money he is willing to spend on projects,” John Cassillo, an analyst at TV REV, told AFP.
As streaming services proliferate, channels are spending more and more money to produce blockbuster series (the rings of power in first video, Base on Apple TV+). With The last of usHBO tries to secure another worldwide success after game of Thrones/dragon house. The previous attempt of him, with Western worldit was a relative failure.
The adaptation of an innovative video game
Considered one of the masterpieces of contemporary video games, The last of us is a bestseller that has sold over 37 million copies, combined for the two games, released in 2013 and 2020 respectively.
As indicated The world, The last of us impressed by taking the clichés of zombie games like resident demon focus on the emotions of the characters. Many actors also praised the rigor of its staging and the acting of the actors. Many were moved to tears by her performance.
The last of us it was also praised for the complexity of its script and its ambivalent characters. The game cares about highlighting characters from diversity or from the LGBTQIA community (the heroine is a lesbian).
In an interview in New York TimesNeil Druckmann explains that for the series adaptation “the most important thing was to keep the soul” of the game, not necessarily entire sequences.
“What makes the series is the characters and their philosophical questions like ‘the end justifies the means’ or ‘how big is the tribe you have to take care of’.”
The creator of “Chernobyl”
The series was imagined by Craig Mazin, the creator of Chernobylthe miniseries about the 1986 nuclear disaster. A program that caused a sensation in 2019 and had fascinated the world. Chernobyl I was even ahead breaking bad Y game of Thrones in the ranking of the most popular series on the IMDb site.
Craig Mazin’s new creation logically intrigues fans of the series. The screenwriter had been dreaming of adapting the game for years after failed attempts at the cinema. “Having the opportunity to adapt this incredible piece of art has been my dream for years and I am honored to be working with Neil,” Craig Mazin said in a statement.
He entrusted the production of the first episode to the young Russian director Kantemir Balagov, 31, whose first two films, Tesnota, a tight life (2017) and a tall girl (2019), were awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. Neil Druckmann was also involved in writing the series.
a shocking duo
The casting, considered very faithful to the game, was praised by fans and critics. The popular Pedro Pascal, noted for his role as a shock cop in the series drug traffickersbut also for his services in game of Thrones Y the mandalorian, embodies the hero, Joel. Bella Ramsey, also seen in game of Thronesit’s Ellie.
This choice was particularly praised by the press and, in particular, by Rolling Stone. “We only have one wish: to look at them. They are immediately endearing,” the magazine writes. For the review of HourBella Ramsey is “the series’ greatest asset.”
Source: BFM TV
