Thereβs a new show on your horizon and itβs going to have you hooked. The Last of Us is starting Express from the US on Monday 16 January at 03:00 on M-Net and if you need any more reason to watch it (or just want to know more), weβve got it for you here.
Youβve played the game
The show is already causing a hubbub, as did the video game ten years ago when it was released. Itβs beloved by gamers everywhere, who are understandably intrigued by this series adaptation. Hooked on the game and attached to the characters, they're excited about seeing itΒ brought to life, but they'llΒ have great expectations and high standards for the show.Β
The critics are raving about it
Video game adaptations are notoriously meh, but the good news about The Last of Us is that criticsΒ whoβve received a sneak preview are loving it, calling it one of the best (if not the best) game-to-screen adaptationsΒ ever. Each to their own, of course, but it does give fans a boost of confidence knowing thereβs already a lot of love for the show, especially if some of the critics are gamers too.
You havenβt played the video game
But you neednβt have played the game to watch this. Whether you love science fiction, action, or engaging characters, this show has them all and no prior knowledge of the game or its story and characters is needed.
The music
If the music in the trailer is anything to go by, then this showβs soundtrack promises to be epic. The trailer features a haunting cover of a-Haβs Take On Me. Listen to it here β¦
Β β¦ and now here's the original.
How excellent is that!? The character Ellie plays it on an acoustic guitar in the game and now weβve got another version playing in the trailer to equally awesome effect. As for the showβs original score, thatβs composed by Argentinian Gustavo Santaolalla who also composed the score for the game. Itβs an incredible score and itβll be interesting to see (or should that be hear?) whether he reprises any themes from the game forΒ the series.
Itβs relatable
Set in a post-apocalyptic 2033, the world got that way thanks to a little something called the Cordyceps infection. Cordyceps is a fungus that turns ants into βzombiesβ. We are not even joking, that is a real thing that happens when the fungus infects foraging ants through spores and takes over their behaviour. This is pretty much what happens in the game, but to humans. While weβve not turned into zombies (although we act like it sometimes), we can certainly relate to a raging pandemic. CovidΒ might not have turned our world into a nihilistic desolation but sometimes it feels like weβre headed that way. How do we keep the faith? Through relationships, whether itβs the family life gave you or the family you build β and this is what the show will surely seek to do through the various characters, particularly Joel and Ellie.
The cast
And all these great characters deserve great actors. Weβll get just that with a powerhouse cast full of familiar faces.
What are you looking forward to in The Last of Us? Watch the premiere episode Express from the US on Monday 16 January at 03:00, or in prime time at 21:00, on M-Net channel 101.
Feature image: HBO