When the information about the creation of this adaptation appeared for the first time, I was delighted. Personally, I think this is one of the best games of the decade and it has a special place in my heart. The very beginning destroyed me emotionally, and then I enjoyed following the rest of Joel and Ellie’s story with great pleasure.
My joy is also strengthened by the fact that the series will be driven by none other than Craig Mazin, the screenwriter of the extremely atmospheric Chernobyl , and Neil Druckmann – the screenwriter and creative director of the original. With time, however, doubts arose, because as we well know, computer games have never been lucky in this type of endeavor. Even good source material and a great cast do not guarantee success, as we have already seen many times. Will it be different this time?
Masterful fusion
Let’s start with the nicer side. The side that I hope will prevail in this clash. It would seem that the sufficient ingredients of a successful production are the combination of the Chernobyl climate , where each episode built a huge aura of anxiety and incredible tension around itself, with the history and world of TLoU.And this one is brutal and takes no prisoners. It’s full of hard choices and sad stories. There are no happy endings here – rather, they all have a bitter aftertaste. This is the quintessence of this universe. You can involve a lot of interesting motifs here and give us a mature work that is not afraid of bold decisions. I hope that while watching them on a TV screen, I will be sitting on high heels, even knowing the original content. And I can boldly suspect that these two gentlemen will provide it for me.
However, what is most important in all of this is the story, which is mainly focused on people. We are not dealing here with an attempt to save the world. It is a story about a man who loses his daughter on the day of the outbreak and is now just trying to survive in this ravaged world. He is an ordinary smuggler and often makes morally questionable decisions, has selfish motives in his actions and murders without any obstacles. This is not a hero. And for reasons beyond his control, on his way he meets a saucy teenage girl, more or less the age of his daughter, with whom he begins to establish a bond with time. Here, this account plays the first violin and is a priority element of this story – the apocalypse is only the background for these events. It is this human layer that may be the best solution, overall. And if the actors are well selected, with the right scenario, we have a chance to receive great character creations that will be remembered for a long time.
Who do you see in the cast?
Little big stories
This series will also be the perfect opportunity to expand this universe a bit. This can be done with the help of characters that we meet during Joel and Ellie’s journey. Will it be two brothers who are not quite coping on their own, or Bill – a man living in a city full of traps. Does not matter. Each of them has something to say. Everyone has had a terrible experience. Their dramas are equally interesting material for the episode – this could even be made a separate season (who knows?). In the game itself, their stories were only slightly outlined, we got to know them quite briefly, and now there is a chance to add a bit of information and get to know the world from a different point of view. Maybe we will learn more about the course of the apocalypse itself? The creators have many possibilities and let them make good use of them.
These minor threads, in addition to being a great springboard and complementing many plot elements, will add an additional emotional charge . Nor will they make our view of the world more positive. They will sooner plunge us deeper into the gloomy sense of everyday brutality. Such a vision, full of misfortunes, can give food for thought. At the same time, it will allow the bonds of the two main characters to resonate. It will then be a light in the tunnel that will fill us with joy for a moment.
12 years later
Now it’s time to look at the other side of the coin. Unfortunately, less optimistic. Have you seen the Uncharted movie yet ? Oh no, wait a minute. I forgot that this one has been trying to come out for 12 years, recently got his seventh director, and the premiere is postponed regularly. Yes, this production has its origins somewhere in 2008. It’s so long ago that Mark Wahlberg, who was supposed to play Nathan Drake earlier, grew old and became Victor Sullivan – the senior guardian of the unruly seeker. Tom Holland had to take his place. This perfectly shows what complications adaptations and screenings of games have to deal with. And this is just a drop in the ocean of problems. The worst part of it is that it’s Unchartedis also a Naughty Dog brand. Will the HBO series struggle with similar problems this time and face the same fate? Hopefully not, and the curse will be broken.
Eurogamer.it
Poor adaptations
Every time I hear about another attempt to create anything from a game, my heart makes me jump for joy, but at the same time my brain reminds me of how it usually ends . It is sad to say that game-based videos are generally poor. Maybe some – average at best. And to find an adaptation on a level that will also be a good movie is an art. These can be counted on the fingers of one hand. It is true that I had a good, and even great, Assassin’s Creed,but it was not so much due to the quality as to the sentiment and my positive attitude towards this series. It’s the same with the other titles. For people playing, or at most for younger viewers, such films can be quite enjoyable and give a moment of good fun in a beloved universe, among your favorite characters. That is all, however. It is nothing that we would remember for a long time. It’s a pity.
I will not go into the subject of why this is so, because there are several reasons, and you can write about it endlessly. I will only mention that it is largely the director’s lack of understanding of the universe and an attempt to transfer it to the screen in a 1: 1 ratio. And the game and the movie are two completely different media. Often this mixture is accompanied by a slight depiction of the world, which makes it difficult for an ordinary viewer to find their way around it.
Fortunately, this time we have two people standing on opposite sides of the barricade – the game and the movie one. Both are great in their field and understand how it works. Now, in addition, they have to combine their skills. It might seem a success. The only question is whether Neil Druckmann, who proved himself in the production of the game, will also be able to do on the film set? And the other way around – will Craig Mazin be able to properly comprehend and interpret the work of his co-worker? Let’s hope the gentlemen will be a perfect complement for each other and will be able to find a balance between both sides.
Something for gamers
The upcoming series has a chance to achieve some success right from the start, at least in terms of popularity. It’s all because of these cavemen who sit in their holes all day. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about, game players. For them and for me, the very return to this world is something that makes us look forward to the launch day. Fans will be delighted to see the story again in a new release, meet familiar characters again, and maybe even find some additions to the whole thing. Even those players who have not had the opportunity to outplay this exclusive from Sony may more willingly approach this production, wanting to know its plot, or simply because of how loud it is in this environment. It will be easier to find more favorable opinions among such recipients. Many of them will also forgive some shortcomings more easily.
The case is different for a person who has no dealings with electronic entertainment, or has only a passing experience. It will be a bit harder here. In this case, the power of sentiment does not work, you cannot play on memories, there is nothing, tabula rasa . For such a man, this is just a new series, next on the list, nothing fancy. This viewer will have to be won in a different way. You have to interest him in something, keep him for longer. But what? I leave that to the creators, because they won’t listen to me anyway.
Personally, I keep my fingers crossed and despite some of my concerns, I believe in the success of this project. Or at least I wish it were. In the end, someone realized that if the movies are not coming out, maybe the series will be a better option for the gaming industry.
