HBO recently announced that they would be doing an adaptation of the classic game The Last of Us with Chernobyl’s creator Craig Mazin with the game’s writer Neil Druckmann. So here are 5 Things we need in HBO’s The Last of Us.
This post will have a lot of Spoilers so Spoiler Alert…
5. A Solid Backstory
The original game focused on the POV of Joel and his daughter Chloe with their subsequent escape from their home during the outbreak. We don’t get to see what caused the outbreak and how fast everything went to hell. But why stop there. We need a backstory for Joel himself. Where’s his wife, what was he exactly before the fall of society.
Or maybe we could have an episode that goes beyond the Ellie DLC where she gets bitten by the infected and loses her bestfriend and potential girlfriend.
4. setpieces from the game
Well this one doesn’t have to follow everything but we all want to see the essence of this in season 1. There’s a reason the game was critically acclaimed because in itself the action scenes tell a story and move the characters further, developing the relationship of Ellie and Joel from strangers to partners to “father and daughter”. Without these pieces like the ambush inside the city or that solo mission with Ellie, we don’t get to see the two characters real colors. plus they look really great.
3. Expanded Infected
The clickers were scary, the runners and stalkers were OK but I want to see the bloaters here.
I want to see the pair actually using their wits to evade these infected and make it out alive. Moreso, we all want to see a balance for their appearance and not become another ripoff of The Walking Dead.
But why stop there, we could go and get new types of infected that may not have appeared in the game. Or evolved versions like the Shambler who will be appearing in The Last of Us Part II.
If possible, could the producers make them a threat that doesn’t go all out like the zombies from Days Gone. Rather packs that appear randomly through the story.
2. A Retelling not a revamp
Here’s where it gets tricky. Some would want a revamp others would want a retelling. In this case I would rather see a faithful retelling with lots of meat thrown around. But don’t just pad it with meat and fillers, make the time to use those fillers to make everything more meaningful. Sarah’s death could be foreshadowed and we get precious screentime to care about Sarah and not think of her as an NPC.
Or could we get more of Marlene and develop her as a character that people would care about.
1. It should have heart
Surprisingly what drew me more to TLOU was the heart and the tragedy. We got a dime a dozen zombie stories in games and movies already but TLOU packed a punch. Whether it’s the tragedy of losing a brother or losing a last sanctuary because some dumb motherfucker forgot to close the door, every turn breaks your heart and it strengthened the duo’s resolve to get this done.
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