DodoFinance Breaking News Made For You!
The last of us is a film adaptation of the video game of the same name. At the start of the 21st century, a parasitic fungus emerges that turns people into contagious zombies. The disease spreads rapidly and also affects Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his daughter. He survives, she doesn’t. Twenty years later, the remaining society is assembled differently, it is not good. Joel is assigned to smuggle a package from Boston to the western United States. That package turns out to be a girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) who is about the same age as Joel’s daughter – with one big difference: she’s immune.
The last of us is a film adaptation of the series of games of the same name available on the Playstation 3, 4 and 5 game consoles. The HBO co-producer has established a close collaboration with the creators of the game, but also with the (voice) actors of the games. Because the actors who voiced some of the voices and acted as models for the motion capture also play a role in the series, albeit a different role than they did in the game. The creators of the series looked very closely at the game, and some scenes simply became real copies of the game. So the recognizability is very high, but isn’t the series a shameless copy with a lot of copy-paste work? Well no, not at all. Not alone The last of us the best and most realistic game movie adaptation ever made, but the creators paid a lot of attention to the characters, their stories and their emotions. The will to survive and mutual understanding also receive a lot of attention. And also the focus is not only on the main characters Joel and Ellie but also on more characters from the series. For example, in episodes three and five, there is a lot of caring for others where a full episode is devoted to each. And episode three in particular is a gem. Not only was it very bold to have a dramatic character played by comedian Nick Offerman playing his first dramatic role, but the love story between two men was also very bold. But what power, what orientation and what emotion emerges from this episode. This episode alone deserves a 10 in the whole series. But also, for example, episode 5 about the two brothers is fantastic and emotionally gripping. Not only is the acting of an exceptionally high standard, but the production value is also substantial. The desolate environments, abandoned towns full of empty shops and houses with abandoned cars are beautifully realized. Especially in the wide shots, the creators show the loneliness and decadence of the world they created for the series. all the details are also beautifully done and shows that the creators have really shown their passion and commitment to making the series. Almost all the scenarios of the game have been taken over, sometimes even with the exact shooting configuration and the dialogues. Various actors from the game also make an appearance, but often in other roles. The ending is open ended but is a great stepping stone into season two. The last of us is a great series. Not only as a film adaptation of the game, but also as a drama series in its own right. And these are two very beautiful achievements.
The Last of Us – Season 1 will receive wide physical release with releases on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K UHD. A neat Steelbook is also published by the latter. Please note that 4K UHD spending in the Netherlands not Blu-ray discs contain. The 4K UHD Steelbook version is reviewed here. This version consists of a total of 4 UHD discs.
Image quality
The last of us receives a 4K transfer over UHD in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. And the image quality is truly sublime. There are two, a maximum of three episodes on each UHD and this provides enough space that no compression is applied. The sharpness is maximum, so you can always observe all the details. The colors are true to nature and according to the color palette. So sometimes very bright, but also lots of earth tones and dark colors. Contrast and shadow detail are also on point. Dolby Vision (HDR is also available) offers beautiful color nuance and gradation. A perfect transfer.
NB Screenshots are from the Blu-ray Disc edition available separately.
Sound quality
The last of us gets a nice Dolby Atmos track on UHD with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track as the base. And just like the picture, the audio is also sublime. The track is very well spaced with plenty of nuance in the surround and height channels, especially in quieter scenes. With busier scenes, there is more dynamics and a nice diffusion. The dialogues are neat and well organized. A fantastic audio track.
Supplements
The last of us comes with lots of extras. These are in 4K resolution and subtitled in Dutch. See below for breakdown by disk.
Disc 1:
Inside the episode (9 minutes)
The first disc contains two episodes, and before that are two featurettes with interesting background information. Please note that these featurettes contain spoilers, so it may be worth not watching them before the episode.
Disc two:
Inside the episode (8 mins)
Disc two also contains two episodes, so also two featurettes, with the same spoiler warning.
Disc three:
Inside the episode (16 mins)
Three featurettes for three episodes. Spoilers here too.
Disc four:
Inside the episode (15 minutes)
Two featurettes for the last two episodes, spoilers included.
Ground Controllers: Adapting The Last of Us (12 mins)
An interesting featurette on the adaptation of the video game to the big screen.
From levels to live action (12 mins)
Here you can see how some action sequences have been changed in the game.
The Last of Us: stranger than fiction (23 mins)
Here the parallels between the events of the game and the “real” world are discussed.
get to know me (15 minutes)
Various short character profiles.
Is this a Last of Us line? (8 mins)
Lead actors Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Merle Dandridge, and Gabriel Luna discuss various dialogue.
The final debrief with Troy Baker (23 mins)
A total of five Q&A podcast segments in which video game voice actor Joel Troy Baker answers questions.
The last of us is a film adaptation of the video game of the same name. At the start of the 21st century, a parasitic fungus emerges that turns people into contagious zombies. The disease spreads rapidly and also affects Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his daughter. He survives, she doesn’t. Twenty years later, the remaining society is assembled differently, it is not good. Joel is assigned to smuggle a package from Boston to the western United States. That package turns out to be a girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) who is about the same age as Joel’s daughter – with one big difference: she’s immune. Not only Tthe last of us the best and most realistic game movie adaptation ever made, but the creators paid a lot of attention to the characters, their stories and their emotions. The will to survive and mutual understanding also receive a lot of attention. This elevates the series above the standard game adaptation and gives the series extra power and quality. A very big recommendation. What is also strongly recommended is the publication of The last of us at 4K UHD. This edition has truly sublime picture and sound quality, as well as a nice set of extras. It’s all wrapped up in a gorgeous steelbook. A must, especially for fans of games and series.
