There seems to be a light at the end of the seemingly endless tunnel of terrible video game adaptations with HBO’s “The Last Of Us”. 

Based on the award-winning 2013 video game series, “The Last Of Us” takes place in a world where a deadly fungus known as Cordyceps has infected humans and turned them into violent monsters. The story centers around a man named Joel (Pedro Pascal, “The Mandalorian”), a disgruntled smuggler who harbors a tragic past. His next job involves transporting a 14-year-old girl named Ellie who is immune to the fungus and may hold the key to humanity’s salvation. Along the way, Ellie finds family, and Joel finds family once again. 

Pascal perfectly encapsulates Troy Baker’s (Love, Death & Robots) original performance as Joel, while simultaneously bringing a new side to the character that is hypnotizing to watch. Bella Ramsey (“Catherine Called Birdy”) breathes youth into Ellie while also honoring Ashley Johnson’s (“The Legend of Vox Machina”) original performance.

It’s also worth mentioning Anna Torv’s (“Fires”) performance as Tess, Joel’s smuggler confidant, who pushes Joel on his journey. The original voice actress for Tess, Annie Wersching (“The Rookie”), recently passed away late last month from cancer. Torv does a fantastic job as Tess, and truly does Wersching’s performance justice.

Fans of the game will also be pleased to hear that the showrunners have gotten the environment of the world of “The Last Of Us” down to a T. One of the most terrifying aspects of the game was the desolate world in which Joel and Ellie travel, with buildings we could picture thriving today seen decrepit and abandoned. The show also perfectly recaptures the horrific monsters of this world, with makeup and effects that can bring even the most seasoned horror enjoyers to their knees. 

The show’s success can also be attributed to the fact that the creative director and writer for the game, Neil Druckman (“The Last Of Us Part II”), came on as a director and writer for the show. Bringing on someone with a passion for and knowledge of the game guarantees that the show will always honor the original game.

So far, the storyline seems to be following the original game. The biggest deviation in the story came in episode three. The show presents us with a beautiful love story that was developed based on a short line in the game. Although we do miss out on some hilarious interaction between Ellie and Joel’s old friend Bill (Nick Offerman, “Parks and Recreation”), this gut-wrenching episode more than makes up for it.

Image from HBO Max via YouTube