The Last of Us (TV Series) When You're Lost in the Darkness (2023) User Reviews

From a non-gamer.

[GomezAddams666 · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

Let me start by saying I have never played the game this series is based on, so I came into this not knowing the story nor the characters.

I am although familiar with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as they both starred on Game of Thrones, and they have other television projects like The Mandalorian and The Worst Witch, respectively.

I will say this first episode blew my freaking mind, I was hooked to the series the moment it started. I am not the biggest zombie genre fan either, but this series' characters have gotten me hooked, the direction, acting and pacing of the story has managed to provide me with enough information to not only care for the characters, but to also keep watching it.

As I mentioned before, I don't know how faithful of an adaptation to the video game this is, but I can honestly say this first episode was an amazing one.

The Prologue

[TheBabayaga · 9/10 · 15 January 2023]

I've played The Last of Us at least five times and more recently the Part One remaster. The series premiere opens a lot like the acclaimed game with scenes and dialogue very nearly identical to the harrowing and emotional events of the prologue (the farmhouse ablaze, Sarah's POV in Tommy's truck, the streets of Austin gripped by chaos and confusion).

Unlike the game however, the viewer gets to spend a significant amount of time with the Millers before the beginning of the world's end. The family dynamic is clearly shown through the eyes of Sarah with subtle hints of civilisation slowly crumbling as she goes about her day as normal which, as a gamer I thought was oddly fascinating to watch as the dread begins to seep in. The smaller details, from Sarah's shirt to Tommy's truck, to the interiors of the Boston QZ and more, meticulously mirror the game.

But what of the actors? The game's narrative is driven by emotion, violence, mature themes and the robust chemistry shared between Joel and Ellie on their perilous journey. Who HBO would cast was of paramount importance here; whilst Pedro Pascal would not have been my first choice for the role of Joel (personally, I would've preferred Josh Brolin), Pascal ultimately makes the character his own and plays Joel with grit, complexity and convincing devastation.

I was also very dubious of Bella Ramsey's casting as Ellie for mostly shallow reasoning. However, Ramsey thankfully encapsulates almost everything about Ellie's distinct personality and mannerisms. Interestingly, I can't say the same for Anna Torv's Tess, who oddly lacks the overall steely determination of her video game counterpart.

If you're new to this story, you'll likely agree this is everything The Walking Dead wished it was. I don't know if this will please all fans of the original game, especially those who will have gripes about the casting choices or don't want any changes to stray too far from the game. I'd like to say I'm cautiously satisfied with what I've seen so far but of course it remains to be seen with how HBO deals with other pivotal moments from the game.

Almost too good.

[lawrencelawrence86 · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

Saw 1 hour and 25 mins playtime and thought is it going to be worth my time watching, it was so much better than expected, Pedro is doing a fantastic job in the 1st episode and all characters fit into their roles well, having never played the game but being aware of the general story I may have the luxury of being surprised at moments i am seeing for the first time as well as being able to overlook certain moments that are "wrong" or skipped over depending on how strictly they follow the sorce material. My only worry is that it was so good will they be able to keep it up, fingers crossed and a big welcome back to quality TV.

Immaculate work

[lisichichi · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

It's very, very hard to match the atmosphere of the The Last of Us games. On the one hand, you have this hopeless and brutal world which only allows humans to survive, not thrive or really live. But on the other hand, you have Ellies sassiness, Joel being the ultimate dad while being a total badass and also the beauty of this postapocalyptic world which sometimes shows through the cracks of this horrible new reality.

And when I tell you this episode was spot on for conveying exactly that feeling, I'm not exaggerating. Everyone involved did a fantastic job, the atmosphere is immaculate, the cinematography is beautiful and the score underlines every scene beautifully. I played the games and I know what will happen, but my heart was beating so fast while watching this. A first episode that couldn't have been better. Can't wait for the next episode.

A lot of us

[patrickrichardfile · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

I was afraid, like a lot of us. Knowing who were responsible for the project provided some sort of safe net for nothing less than an approved, 7/10 kind of show.

But lets face it, this is Sony's legacy, this is HBO's bar level, this is Neil Drukmann masterpiece in videogame, this is Craig Mazin's chance to prove Chernobyl was not an accident, this is a very well assembled cast, this is Gustavo Santaolalla, 2 time Oscar academy winner, soundtrack. And it shows.

Hopefully, this will get more people into realizing how superb a storytelling can be in fully playable, action videogames. This show should only help the whole industry into getting its long due respect.

The pilot hits every box, and I can't wait till next Sunday.

Incredible start

[masonsaul · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

When You're Lost in the Darkness gets The Last Of Us off to an incredible start, easily crossing the admittedly low bar to become the best live action video game adaptation. Balancing faithfulness and originality with really impressive skill and bringing this specific episode to a hauntingly violent full circle moment.

Pedro Pascal is phenomenal as Joel, bringing all the necessary pain, weariness and stoicism and conveying so much of it effortlessly. Bella Ramsey is equally strong as Ellie with all the joy and adorable naivety with hints towards her tragic past that makes her instantly likeable and fully realised.

Craig Mazin's direction is amazing, it was a risky choice to rely on handheld camera for the majority of the scenes but it pays off and is always comprehensible. It's also endlessly impressive through its sets, costuming and world building how authentic it feels to the world of the game.

Even at roughly 80 mins, it can feel a little too fast at certain points but overall the long episode length works well to expand on the characters and world, making the emotional scenes hit even harder and adding more tension to the outbreak as it happens in a more gradual and unsettling fashion.

Faithful, hard hitting and SUPERB

[handaloo · 9/10 · 17 January 2023]

I'll start by saying I'm a huge fan of the franchise. I've played part 1 through 7 times and part 2 4 times so I was a little worried I'd be disappointed in this as I'm so connected to the portrayals in the game by Troy and Ashley, but this didn't disappoint one bit.

Pedro and Bella do an amazing job of both staying true to the characters and putting their own spin on them. The story is soo faithful to the game, yet brings more depth and detail which was amazing and Mazin brings his usual mastery of perspective and tension.

So far, this might be the best adaption I've ever seen and I can't wait for episode 2.

I'm a bit conflicted

[thefoochie · 8/10 · 16 January 2023]

The first half of this incredibly long series premiere was absolutely incredible. I loved the slow buildup to the apocalypse. They keep teasing that something's wrong, until eventually it just turns to complete chaos. In terms of setting up the apocalypse, I'd say this is the best execution of it I've ever seen. The first 40 minutes or so were close to a 10/10.

However, the second half slowed things down and tried to introduce the world. This part was good of course, but it wasn't anything special. It does the job, but it pales in comparison to the first half. It's understandable because the show needed to take its time in order to set up the relationship between Joel and ellie, which was done well in my opinion.

I don't really feel like writing a super long review, but I do wanna mention that the scene with the plane was one of the most intense things I've ever seen on television. That whole section did a perfect job at making me feel pure terror. Fantastic job. Even though the rest of the show wasn't able to make me feel what I felt in that scene, I'm confident that it will eventually become a masterpiece. 8 out of 10, it truly felt like a movie! Can't wait to see what this show will become.

Look for the Light

[kikio_ · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

Phenomenal, powerful, fascinating, spectacular, breathtaking, brilliant, remarkable, exceptional, gorgeous, tremendous performance and Masterful execution, the best pilot episode I've ever watched. It's still early in 2023, but it's going to take a lot for The Last Of Us to not be my favourite show of the year. I'll never get why people doubted this show when it had HBO behind it, Craig Mazin the creator of the hit mini-series Chernobyl who is a massive fan of the tlou game, and Neil Druckmann the creator of the game itself directing and writing, and a talented cast that includes Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. HBO's The Last of Us Is a Masterpiece and a Triumph for Videogames.

80s - ❌

[Trey_Trebuchet · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

This was kind of fantastic!

The Last of Us is my favorite video game of all time. It means so much to me. The whole franchise does, both games and the dlc as well. I was initially excited when I heard the creator of Chernobyl (a perfect show) would be adapting the game into an HBO series. Thankfully, it's off to a very strong start.

The look and feel of the game is very, very close if not perfect. It looks and feels a lot like the game, but it's still pretty cinematic as well. I enjoyed finding every Easter egg and line of dialogue taken right from the game. It probably goes without saying that the production is amazing.

I think Pedro looks a lot like Joel and will be very, very good. Bella looks and feels enough like Ellie too. Looks don't mean everything... they are two legitimately great actors and are so far quite good here. I never had a doubt about either of these leads and they're so far spot on if you ask me. Gabriel Luna sounds JUST like Tommy. All of the casting is honestly great so far.

I think the very (very) small changes they made were necessary for those who haven't played the game and don't want to feel like they need to piece everything together, if that makes any sense. Nothing changed enough that it didn't get the gist of the set up right!

As far as added material? All great in establishing both the premise and the characters and where they'll be for the remainder of the show. The first act of this episode was brilliantly done. It was legitimately unsettling and anxiety-inducing, and I love that they added that interview broadcast at the beginning as well. People who haven't played the games were probably thrown in for a loop when Sarah died, thinking she'd be the main character after spending the entire first act with her. And yes, I did cry quite a bit... again...

This feels very dreadful and hopeless, like the games do. I'm actually quite excited for this show. I won't say it'll be perfect or live up to the game, but I think there's a lot they can do with the material. I have faith in both Crazin and Druckmann.

Well... it's Ok I Guess

[panagiotis1993 · 7/10 · 1 February 2023]

Before starting my review, I just wanna say that I've never played the game. The reason im watching is because I thought that the main concept of the show is interesting. This is not a tv episode, that's a movie, it's 1 hour and 20 minutes long, damn, love that. Love how the old lady that couldn't move or speak now is able to run like crazy (because she got infected). Love all the chaos, has a really raw and realistic vibe. The zombies are different from the Walking Dead, really fast. Wtf, the soldier starts shooting while they're not even sick. Losing his daughter, that's brutal.

After that we get a huge time jump, 20 years, I like it. Post-apocalyptic Boston looks completely destroyed, love it. So these people are sentenced to death because of ''unauthorized entry into a quarantine zone''. Isn't that a bit too much? Ok we see Ellie for the first time, her character already looks annoying. I hope this is not the classic snarky character recipe. So we have two forces fighting each other FEDRA (the government) and Firefly (the rebels), this could be interesting. Half the episode is good and half is not that good, the pacing towards the end is bad, I got really bored while the first half was more exciting.

My conclusion is that the first episode is mediocre to good. But it's only the first episode so I will have to watch ep. 2 to be more specific. My rating is 7.0/10.

A pretty solid start

[DanTheButler · 16 January 2023]

Having played the video game franchise, I was a little skeptical about if this series could be adapted into its own series and I was not disappointed.

Starting out much like the first episode of The Walking Dead, the story really punches you in the gut. Given the recent pandemic we all lived through, they could not have picked a more relevant time to release.

Pascal is the draw but Torv and Ramsey both bring emotion to their roles, respectively. The infected are notoriously quick and have super strength, much like the video game. The final shot of the episode leaves you drooling for more, as if you just watched a cut scene from the game that lasted 80 minutes and are about to jump into gameplay.

It was for nothing

[push_the_fat_man · 4/10 · 17 January 2023]

It is yet unclear whether The Last of Us intends to be anything more than a big-budget imitation of its source material. Sadly, nothing that we saw in the first episode suggests it. Fans of the original game may relish the show's live-action recreation of many of their favorite scenes, but there's very little else to truly appreciate. In a lot of ways, HBO's TLOU has always been dead on arrival. The tired zombie/post-apocalypse motifs were already wearing out their welcome in 2013, and they definitely can't carry what's supposed to be premium television in 2023. It is the game's greatest strength - the effective reliance on rote television tropes - that turns here into the show's greatest weakness. The actors' performances are serviceable but their character arcs range (or will range, judging by the show's rigid adherence to the original script) from predictable to non-existent, the dialog is merely functional, and Mazin's direction, while confident, can't overcome the garden-variety writing of Neil Druckmann, the game's co-creator. Had this been a prologue or a spin-off to the original narrative without Druckmann's name attached to the project, the writers might have wrestled a less formulaic zombie drama out of its paper-thin premise. As it stands, it is woefully complacent fan service - and a lengthy cinematic you can safely skip.

An excellent pilot, a pleasant surprise...

[jm08249 · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

Video games that make to the big/screen was always going to be reacted to with scepticism. After a big chunk of huge failures (Resident Evil), or somewhat failures (The Witcher), I think we finally found the one to change it. This Last of Us pilot shows the perfect way to set up a world and story, keeping the core of the source material while taking the necessary liberties to make it make sense.

First off, the acting is top notch, Pascal is, as expected, excellent, but for me the highlight is his daughter, Sarah. The actress was really selling it for the screentime she had, her and Pascal's chemistry was excellent, making her death scene just as heartbreaking as it was the first time we experienced it.

I loved the way that the show blended it's tv show liberties with scenes and dialogues taken directly from the game, the whole car section gave me so many flashbacks I was smiling at the screen.

To summarize, the pilot was awesome, tense, at some points actually creepy, heartbreaking, brutal, and exactly what the game was about.

Kudos to everyone involved in this amazing first episode, which I was waiting for with scepticism, but turned out to be absolute brilliance.

It's the real deal!

[MegaMaexn · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

There have been numerous articles and reviews about how good this video game adaptation supposedly is, and they couldn't be more applicable. Having played (and absolutely loved) the game, I, as everyone else, had high expectations, and they have certainly been met. I am more than happy to grant artistic license to the producers allowing the addition of new characters to the story, especially when they make it so much better like Anna Torv does. The tense and apocalyptic atmosphere is immediately palpable and genuinely transcends from the game. The cinematography takes you right in there, especially in the car scene when Joel is trying to get away with his brother and daughter, which actually gives the breathtaking cinematic scene quite a bit of a video game experience. Can't wait for the next episodes!

For fans or those who expect something beyond old clichés

[imatthenry · 9/10 · 8 February 2023]

For a while I stayed away from the recently released shows. But every now and then one of those shows comes along that are impossible to ignore... So it was with The Last of Us.

I heard about it everywhere... Until I was amazed by the very high rating on IMDB... I immediately went to HBO to start the saga and catch up. Before everyone hits me with their spoilers!

There's a lot to say about this pilot episode... Starting with the beautiful narrative that opens it and the script's notorious commitment to character development. The explanation of the origin of the infection in the first few minutes was a masterstroke that opened up space for the unfolding of the plot and the relationships of the characters.

The protagonists Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) - exported from Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian - were maestros in acting. Not to mention all the creative output led by directors Craig Mazin (from Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us).

Even if you don't know the story through the franchise, you'll still realize how absurd the quality of this work is. Art direction, photography, composition and color granding were strengths in portraying a pandemic collapse capable of destroying all of humanity. Combined with the soundtrack that also deserves its credit for the feat.

We see a strong gaming legacy in this series. How dealing with emotions and deep human connection changes an entire narrative. This footprint completely transformed the modus operandi of the old zombie clichés and their hyper predictable dramas.

Undoubtedly, a mandatory stop for fans of the game and also of a good post-apocalyptic series. It's still too early to say, but I believe this is one of the best adaptations ever made on film. The fidelity to the game is fantastic!

Depending on the outcome of this first season, this could be the beginning of a new era in film adaptations from the game industry.

As soon as I heard about the potential of the series, I went to watch it. At this point, if you haven't, you should! It's a beautiful show, worth every second!

This looks VERY promissing!!

[and_mikkelsen · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

Wow what an unforgetable pilot this was! I enjoyed everything from beginning to end! Since i have played the gane i was very excited but also nervous at the same time! After watching this all my expectations were met.. and then some!

The prologue was fantastic! Insanely well done! It felt like a movie and that gut-wrenching moment had me almost in tears!

The rest of the episode stays faithfull to the unique vibe and atmosphere the game gave us! The casting is also PERFECT!! I almost can not believe how well the actors captured the unique traits of the characters! Very believable!

So far this looks to be the best video game adaptation EVER!!

Powerful first half then fades

[timmyhollywood · 8/10 · 25 January 2023]

I watched this not knowing anything about the video game. I watched because it looked good and has such a high rating here on IMDb.

The first half of this first episode was riveting. Just completely captivating and terrifying. My wife and I watched it through our fingers.

Shortly after the story jumps to "twenty years later," though, I found my interest waning.

Like superhero movies, post-apocalypse stories have to have an "origin" opener of sorts. For the superhero, it's the mutating event, then the discovery of his (or her) powers, with a few random scenes before the main plot takes over to carry the movie the rest of the way through.

I always find myself wishing that the story would linger on the origin part. It's so enjoyable when Spider-Man is first dealing with random crimes, or Robocop is chasing down everyday villains.

So, too, I wished The Last of Us didn't have to jump so soon into the twenty-years later plot. I wanted more of the fungus spreading and the collapse of civilization. What do people do in those early days?

I had been so glued to the immediacy and real-time feel of the opening, when the characters were experiencing things just as I was. Not when they inhabited a world twenty years in that I knew nothing about and couldn't relate to.

The show owes its high rating in large part due to the success of the video game. Just read these reviews. Half of them are about its faithfulness to the source material, and that's great. But evaluating it purely as the first episode of a series I knew next to nothing about, it was good, but not great, with all the air coming out halfway through. It went from feeling immersive and epic to feeling like a TV show, right down to the casting choices, the perfectly distressed clothing, the perfectly yellowed walls. Everything too hollywood "apocalyptic" to feel authentically so.

The Walking Dead had a super high rating in the beginning, too. I wonder how this will fare as time goes on, and more viewers come aboard who aren't ready-made fans.

Solid Start

[oirishguy · 9/10 · 16 January 2023]

A solid start and how a TV adaption should be done (take note netflix). Apart from a few little things, this show is pretty on par with the video game.

The outbreak scenes are well done and leave you sitting there saying 'just like the game', right down to the burning house and stranded family on the road.

Appropriate humour, action, tension, horror and tragedy. Cast is perfect for their roles and do justice to the original characters from the game.

All in all a great show, only fault was it dragged a little at the start, but then picked up unbelievably. Hoping they keep this standard up. Can't wait for the next episode and an absolute must watch.

Amazing adaptation of a bellowed masterpiece

[851222 · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Last Of Us" video game is my all time favorite one. That said I was waiting for its adaptation for ages. Finally it came.

First episode was amazing in every way - it was perfect adaptation of TLOU. As the one who literally played trough the game 5 times and spent 1000 hours in its multiplayer part I can safely say that it absolutely captured all according to game, and in a best way possible. Setting, characters, griminess of the world, costumes, dialogs - its all there. Music by same compositor who created music for games is also there.

Overall, safe to say that this episode blew my mind in the best way possible. And I'm sure remaining story is in safe hands and next episodes will deliver goods. What a terrific opening and adaptation of beloved masterpiece.

Pretty Good, For Now...

[dk777 · 8/10 · 17 January 2023]

A pretty good premiere episode of The Last Of Us.

The series overall looks pretty good, the cinematography is excellent. The direction is also good, there is no irritating shaky camera, and everything looks very cinematic.

The cast is not bad, but it could have been better. Pedro Pascal is a good actor and not a bad choice for this role and overall he did a good job. Maybe there were other actors who would have been better suited for this character, but all in all, it's not bad.

The script is good, consistent, and the dialogues are better and more coherent than in most new shows. But we have seen good beginnings with some other series, only to be completely destroyed by the writers in the end. Let's hope that won't be the case here.

If the writers manage to maintain this level of writing and not succumb to today's standards, the series could become one of those great works that are talked about and could become a classic.

For now, the series is interesting and worth watching. For now..

Episode 1

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 3 February 2023]

The first 15 minutes or so of this episode were great. Having a 60's style TV show explain what could possibly happen and then we got the chaos of that infection and the spread making for arcade video game style action. That was well-done.

And then it took a very odd turn. As soon as they flash-forwarded to the quarantine area it brought back the worst memories of The Walking Dead. I really hope that this is not what the show is long term because I feel like that would be a huge mistake. Focus on the action and the seriousness of this apocalyptic world and not the politics and power struggles associated with it.

Amazing... so far!!!

[logantylerhowell · 16 January 2023]

Authentic to the predecessor with slight but effective changes to keep it fresh... loved every second of this pilot... was wary of the actress playing Sarah (at first) but she did a phenomenal job and very happy she was casted, although she might just be in one episode it was a very effective episode and her presence in the show won't be forgotten like most shows out there. The quality of the show is fantastic, super authentic to the game, and that is something I was looking forward to seeing because the game is so freaking beautiful. Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) seem to be the perfect fit for the protagonists, cannot wait to see more. 9/10!!!

I see zombies, giving three thumbs up for that

[vostf · 4/10 · 10 February 2023]

Seriously... The flashback on 2003 was good but way too long (the Dawn of the dead remake did it much better 20 years ago) then we switch to present times that gamers seem to feel happy with.

OK screen-licking zombies, this setting is dull, like hqrdly 5% original stuff compared with all the apocalyptical worlds/zombie movies out there. Actors are dull, characters are extra-dull, action is dull and to cap it all the plot is non existent.

Or maybe you're a sucker for fishing expedition-like narratives?

The Last of Us is so lame I found myself at a loss for word well below IMDb's requirement. I shouldn't be annoyed but I am just realizing how much people revel in watching zombies (or uninffected mavericks rebels without a cause for that matter) in the mirror.

Beautifully the same

[rachelsmithliverpool · 10/10 · 16 January 2023]

I have played and replayed the last of us a lot. I know this game inside out. This was actually a breath of fresh air in a good way all the Sarah bits I thought were a really lovely touch. I thought all the action scenes were replicated well.

I think the pace of the show is good considering that it's got a whole 26+hr game to fit into 9 episodes. I can't wait until we go deeper into it. I just want to see more.

Pedro is great as Joel, everything I wanted. I was unsure about the actress for the role of Ellie but as soon as she started I loved it. I just can't wait to watch the rest I am simply in love with the games and the show has started to get my love, let's see how much further it goes.