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HBO Original | The Last of Us | Part 1 OT | Endure & Survive

Markio128

Gold Member
So far it is almost 1:1 with the game and I'm honestly not sure that is good or bad thing...at least for folks that have played the game. Those that have not played the game though, but have always wanted to, should appreciate the fact so far they're sticking really close to the source. I also love that fact I did not even notice the CRT TV's for a bit as they fit so perfectly in their setting.
I’ve noticed lots of differences, albeit mostly subtle - a couple of examples: Sarah hadn’t left her house in the game before the neighbour smashed through the glass door and it all went pear shaped and during the attempt to escape the city, the car was smashed into by another car in the game, not a plane crash.

These differences continued throughout, and for the most part, I think they made good calls and kept me on my toes.

One thing that really set the show up well was the brief chat show at the beginning.
 
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SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Just finished the first episode, and now I see why Sony remade the game after the remaster. This show makes me want to play The Last of Us, or at least a similar setting.
Show was really well done, and I’m sure it’s going to get so much better.

In the meantime I’m considering reinstalling Metro Exodus, Fallout, Dying Light, or some other game with a post apocalyptic setting.
 

Represent.

Banned
Just finished the first episode, and now I see why Sony remade the game after the remaster. This show makes me want to play The Last of Us, or at least a similar setting.
Show was really well done, and I’m sure it’s going to get so much better.

In the meantime I’m considering reinstalling Metro Exodus, Fallout, Dying Light, or some other game with a post apocalyptic setting.


the remake suddenly makes all the sense in the world. its fantastic btw.
 
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saintjules

Gold Member
Edit: rewording.

Just finished episode one.

When looking back to when the cast was first announced, you wouldn't think they could harness the way the game told the story. They did well. At times I felt like some of the Actors sounded like the OG voiceovers with the exception of Marlene (of course being in the original game I didn't count her).

I'm pleasantly surprised as to how they delivered in the first episode. It's great that they didn't do a 1:1 adaptation. Though most of it would be hard to capture I'd imagine.

Also, me ready for episode 2:

2sAUEUd.jpg
 
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iorek21

Member
Reposting my thoughts from the review thread:

Wow, that was great. It’s exactly what every adaptation should be: instantly recognizable while also having new stuff to add upon.
Bonus points for no cringe dialogue or adaptations for MODERN AUDIENCES.
Whelp, at least until season 2 and the bigot sandwich, that is.
 

Filldo

Member
Just finished episode one.

When looking back to when the cast was first announced, you wouldn't think they could harness the way the game told the story. They did well. At times I felt like some of the Actors sounded like the OG voiceovers with the exception of Marlene.

I'm pleasantly surprised as to how they delivered in the first episode. It's great that they didn't do a 1:1 adaptation. Though most of it would be hard to capture I'd imagine.

Also, me ready for episode 2:

2sAUEUd.jpg
Marlene is the same actress from the game.

Tommy sounded crazy good. I thought everyone was really good to be honest. And from what I’ve heard the first episode is supposed to be the weakest.
 

ShadowNate

Member
Oh man, I know that the story, at least the way it starts up to just before the big... scene, is not much special but they did it so well. Loved spending time with Sarah, the neighbor stuff, the grandma showing symptoms and twitching in the background, the dog's reaction -- who was an unsung excellent actor in the episode by the way.

And overall, what a big contrast to the fucking disappointment that Resident Evil series was, even at its beginning. And to think that the fungus stuff could fit in that universe too after the recent-ish retcon.

I'm definitely sold on it so far, and should watch Chernobyl ASAP.
 

zkorejo

Member
Okay I watched the first episode. This was masterful. Really loved the first episode. Reminded me of how much I loved the first game.

That scene... Always gets you. I knew it was coming.. still got me. Damn good performances.

Was instantly sold on Pascal's Joel but wasn't sure about Bella's Ellie.. but damn after like 5 mins I couldn't tell a difference.

Wish they released 3 episodes per week. I'm in for the entire season. But as soon as season 2 is announced I'm done. Unless it doesn't follow TLOU part 2 but rather stays with Joel/Ellie.
 

Evolved1

make sure the pudding isn't too soggy but that just ruins everything
So... I should probably like this. If I went over my background / preferences, you'd think I'd like this.

But it fell pretty flat for me. Actually, worse than flat, when they got to the fireflies stuff, it veered into "corny" territory. I turned it off. Maybe I'll try again some time.

Just being honest.
 

Poppyseed

Member
I broke my rule of never watching a series week by week. The first episode was good, but I’m done until the whole season is done, as doing this one a week thing is NOT happening.
 

ANDS

Banned
Just started watching; the development so far is excellent but boy has this been a tense opening half hour and I'm sure it is largely because I know what is coming and you don't want to get to that place.

. . .the intro was also really well done: let's get the exposition about the vahrus out, away from the main story so that we don't have to ever refer back to it again. We never have to say the Z-word if we just explain what Z's do in this world (also shoutout to the "runner" physicality which was well done and looked just like a runner and their erratic shit).
 

Markio128

Gold Member
Just started watching; the development so far is excellent but boy has this been a tense opening half hour and I'm sure it is largely because I know what is coming and you don't want to get to that place.

. . .the intro was also really well done: let's get the exposition about the vahrus out, away from the main story so that we don't have to ever refer back to it again. We never have to say the Z-word if we just explain what Z's do in this world (also shoutout to the "runner" physicality which was well done and looked just like a runner and their erratic shit).
I loved how that runner was just bouncing off everything when chasing Joel and Sarah. That actor definitely took one for the team 😂
 

bbeach123

Member
I dont like this 24/7 GOW style camera , too much shaking even in statics scene . God damn put the fcking camera down sometime ok ?
 

ANDS

Banned
. . .holy shit I did NOT clock Tess as Anna Torv (from FRINGE). They really dirtied her up for this. Also, this is the kind of post-Apoc depiction I can get behind. I always hate the idea that the Walking Dead was just a bunch of tiny communes and that government just utterly shut down. No, we'd obviously clear out some areas for ourselves and likely get infrastructure up to the point where we could "manage." Here, the infected are the least of your worries - you might end up in a burn pit cause you walked to the wrong city. This does not look like a place to "survive" in and I for sure would have put a bullet in my head if I remembered what life was like in the "before times."

I loved how that runner was just bouncing off everything when chasing Joel and Sarah. That actor definitely took one for the team 😂

I hope we get some behind the scenes on this; one of my main concerns was that they weren't going to get the infected right, but that went out the door with that chase sequence. I want to see how they trained the actors to move like their bodies were taken over by psychedelic mushrooms.
 

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
I'm going to enjoy the show, but unless they change things up in season 2 I don't think I'm going to invest in a 2nd season.

It would be like there being a direct full series video game adaptation of Game of Thrones and knowing what's going to happen when you get to seasons 7 and 8 and to a lesser extent seasons 5 and 6 even.

It's hard to invest in parts of the story when you know what's on the horizon.
 

ANDS

Banned
I read all of GoT when the show premiered way back when and still had a great time even up to the Red Wedding, "I'll Be Your Champion" and "Et tu Ollie." For me with this season - and I'm hoping, finishing TLOU2 - it's just the little details they are adding in between the gamified stuff. It's fun watching the "details" get added in between the cutscenes; more you get to see things from beyond the perspective of Joel and Ellie. Like, I'm sure the Bill episode is going to be a really good one for these "added details."
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Which part? I didnt see anything that looked off


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Nah Sarah's Room was spot on with the game. Although the game does takes place in 2013
The Destinys Child poster is from 2001 to hint that it's from the 2000's though, phones looked a are a bit older then the should.
But I was talking generally in the city and suburbs, it look like it was from Fear The Walking Dead.
Other then product placement I wouldn't have guessed it was the 2000's.
Although that does beg the question, what does the 2000's look like.
 
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DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Nah Sarah's Room was spot on with the game. Although the game does takes place in 2013
The Destinys Child poster is from 2001 to hint that it's from the 2000's though, phones looked a are a bit older then the should.
But I was talking generally in the city and suburbs, it look like it was from Fear The Walking Dead.
Other then product placement I wouldn't have guessed it was the 2000's.
They used those indestructible Nokia phones, which is a fun fact Easter Egg, taped to a broomstick instead of a golf club for...
 
  • LOL
Reactions: TGO

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
They used those indestructible Nokia phones, which is a fun fact Easter Egg, taped to a broomstick instead of a golf club for...
Is that what it was?
I honestly thought it was Motorola 😂
 

chinoXL

Member
show is off to a great start and can see why it's getting all the glowing reviews. I'm hype to see the clickers in the next episode. i definitely want to jump back into the game now
 

Represent.

Banned
It could be, but I thought it looked like this beast. Now I want to rewatch and see, lol.
64d.jpg



There's your answer.
But Netflix has some fantastic shows.

Stranger Things
Ozark
Narcos
Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story
All of Us Are Dead
Mindhunters
Dark
House of Cards
The Crown
Kingdom
Cobra Kai
Castlevania
Edgerunners
the list goes on and on...

Like... Netflix is fucking good.
 
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ANDS

Banned
Finished the episode and yeah, that was a REALLY abrupt reveal, after keeping everything so close to the vest the entire episode. I thought they were going to drag that out a bit to be honest.

Overall though, this is a fantastic show and definitely how I want to "replay" the game. It is eerie how the show feels exactly like the game, but still feels like its own thing. By the end of this I also have totally bought both Pedro and Bella as Joel and Ellie, particularly Bella. I have no idea what they are going to do for TLOU2 (she's almost as tall as Joel in that one), but for this arc of the story I think she's going to do a bang up job.

Also the world that they have established here is fucking great. Within a few minutes you go from "What's the weird kid about" to "Oh. Ok. This is how this world works and these are the rules." In one scene, not from the game, they establish exactly what kind of world now exists, and makes everything that these guys go through seem believable.

. . .but yeah that "twist" came like a first time virgin and from out of nowhere. Hopefully the whiplash is just to set up the next big story beat, which I'm guessing happens next episode.
 

Kimahri

Banned
I thought it was really good for the moat part, but it suffers from the same bloat lota of entertainment propertiea do these days.

80 minutes is too long. I don't care that it's streaming and doesn't have to adhere to broadcast schedules, an episode ahould be no more than an hour.

It's a great format that has lasted decades.

This obsession with making things longer and ignoring how important good editors are to make things flow and keep it interesting is a detriment to it.

Pity. I'd probably have loved it if they'd cut the dull parts.
 
The reason this is a shit take is because you played the game, for people that played the game you get that connection with Sarah through gameplay moments meaning you actually get to control her which immediately connects you to the character making you care about her. Also, it breaks the mold of "the character I play never dies" (in video games).

As for the TV show, and for those that never played the game, you can't get that connection. You get to see and care for her as she goes out of her way to cook with the neighbors and get her dad a gift for his birthday, that is what connects the audience to her and makes them care because that's the hardest thing to do in 20 minutes.

Honestly, the additions are what I liked more than the 1 for 1 shots in the opening, the characters need the added depth a TV show can bring.

They did Sarah an injustice, the scenes they added did not do a better job with her character than the game itself even just watching. The actress was good but the writing didn’t utilize her instead opting for the cliched “world already in trouble, important character oblivious” trope and used her as a vessel to see that. Her relationship with the neighbors really doesn’t matter and they focused on that rather than with Joel.


Even watching the game without playing, you are treated to a more heartfelt scene between Sarah and Joel, and her walk around the house has little touches that characterize her better than the show did. The framework was right there and it’s bizarre they chose to go in another direction.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
They did Sarah an injustice, the scenes they added did not do a better job with her character than the game itself even just watching. The actress was good but the writing didn’t utilize her instead opting for the cliched “world already in trouble, important character oblivious” trope and used her as a vessel to see that. Her relationship with the neighbors really doesn’t matter and they focused on that rather than with Joel.


Even watching the game without playing, you are treated to a more heartfelt scene between Sarah and Joel, and her walk around the house has little touches that characterize her better than the show did. The framework was right there and it’s bizarre they chose to go in another direction.
I completely disagree. The game did not impact me like it did most, but the buildup and scene in the show impacted me more. Probably because we all knew it was coming, but gave more structure to her character as well. The actress did a fantastic job expressing that.
 

vpance

Member
But Netflix has some fantastic shows.

Stranger Things
Ozark
Narcos
Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story
All of Us Are Dead
Mindhunters
Dark
House of Cards
The Crown
Kingdom
Cobra Kai
Castlevania
Edgerunners
the list goes on and on...

Like... Netflix is fucking good.

Way more misses than hits is all. I remember a short time when almost everything they put out was decent. Not so much anymore.
 

Hugare

Member
Tess and Tommy's voices perfectly match the game characters

Like, perfect. It's unreal. Feels like the voice actors are dubbing the tv show.
 

Atrus

Gold Member
A lot of the scenes were so on the money with the way it looked and sounded that I had this surreal feeling where my brain was trying to parse the fake game sequence with the live action equivalent.

The film was shot in my province and city, so I enjoyed that too.

It’s a fantastic adaptation so far but that’s just the opener to TLoU. Next comes the suspense, horror, and shitty people.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I saw maybe half of the episode. I started watching at the point
Joel is trading drugs and pills with a guard in a back alley and then quit watching before it ended. I'm not totally sure how much I missed before that
.

Bella Ramsey is nothing like Ellie and Joel's voice isn't a great match for the game VO actor, but he looks the part although sometimes he looks like a young Burt Reynolds with that moustache, since his facial hair and beard arent as thick as the game charcater. The setting and props are kind of cheap looking and not natural. It's messy, but you can tell it's still too clean compared to the game. The TV show is supposed to have a giant budget yet I dont see where it all went unless making all these dusty trashy set pieces streets and buildings are the big drain on funds. But maybe later episodes will have more spiffy use of funds.

I said it in a different LOU TV show thread, but for this kind of game to show adaption, HBO is definitely the best bet since you got a channel that does mature content the right way (gritty, bloody, cussing, no nonsense). If lets say NBC did this show in prime time it would be a watered down trash.

Overall, it seemed decent. No better or worse I've seen for gritty shows. I'm not an HBO watcher since Ive never had the channel but now I do with a stream box, but I find HBO shows (Sopranos and Larry Sanders) you need to watch a few to get into it. Then it grows on you. If any of you never watched Larry Sanders, you'd think after the first half season it's the most boring show ever. I agree it wasnt great at the begnning. It sure wasnt a home run episode one, but a solid single. But it's a fantastic series as it went on.
 
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Bartski

Gold Member
As a huge fan of Part1 and even more so Part2 I gave the show a lot of shit, especially for the casting, that totallly didn't work for me on surface level.

That's what it was - surface level, now having seen EP1 and I'm delighted to take this giant ass L - Bella Ramsey kills it as Ellie.
The whole cast is unbelieveable and I'm already seeing Pedro getting an Emmy when this is done.

There were narrative details revealed pre release I also hated but I didn't see one thing coming - this is a totally different take on the plot, characters and lore - just following the core storylione and themes.
So far it is almost 1:1 with the game and I'm honestly not sure that is good or bad thing...at least for folks that have played the game.
huh? Like that's just totallty false.

There were maybe 3 or 4 direct quotes and some shots close to what's in the game, literally everything else is 100% rewtten. I was surprised how little it has to do with the game if anything. And it totally works - it stands on its own as it's own thing, alongside the games, rather than expanding on them in some canon breaking ways.

Loved it.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Good first episode I think. I can see this getting so good. Love how it's shot etc. Looks great to me.

Just don't want to wait weeks, could have watched all night.
 
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