So you’ve been hearing so many good things about HBO’s The Last of Us, but like me, you’re unfamiliar with the PlayStation video game franchise they’re based on. You haven’t played them, and maybe you don’t even like zombie media in general, but here you are wondering if you can still get into the show and enjoy it. You’re wondering if HBO’s The Last of Us can stand on its own as a TV series, without needing you to have experienced hours upon hours of lore and background from the games. Well, my friend, given that I’d been in a similar boat, I’m here to help you out.
Strap in as I try to review this show from a neutral perspective, offering you my thoughts on whether you might enjoy it as a total stranger to the games.

#TheLastofUs #LastofUs #HBOMax

Chapters:
00:00 Background
01:10 Questions to Discuss
01:32 Discussion
08:52 Verdict
09:31 Final Thoughts

Sources:
Footage is from the two official trailers, in addition to the Episode Previews and Inside the Episodes for episodes 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Joel and Ellie, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across a post-outbreak America.
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set in 2023, twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which forces its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.
Guest stars include Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, and Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce as resistance leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry.
It is the first HBO series based on a video game, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the original game, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the nine episodes of the first season. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the game, and David Fleming.

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