Despite having a big dislike for Part II's ending, having a mixed reaction towards the casting of its two lead actors, and the fact that this is a videogame adptation, HBO's The Last Of Us has broken away from the long tradition of mediocre videogame adaptations by being both a faithful and innovating retelling of an iconic tale.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey shed new light on Joel and Ellie's relationship bringing both more emotion and depth to these characters. Ramsay especially feels like she did her homework. The same way that we now see Robert Downey Jr. As the definitive version of Iron Man, Ramsey is videogame Ellie brought to life. She's that good and her role deserves all the recognition.

It took me 4 episodes to get a feel of what Pedro Pascal was bringing to his own take on Joel. Instead of the strong silent hero type stereotypically portrayed in most videogames, Pascal chose to focus on Joel's humanity and deep anxiety which illustrated a whole new side to the character that couldn't have possibly been portrayed as well in a the game. That's not to say that Joel is not as able or as violent in this version, he's simply portayed in a much more realistic fashion.

The supporting cast is also terrific and I appreciate that they didn't just cast actors based solely on their acting abilities but also took the chance to cast minorities. Standout performances incluse Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Montreal Woodard, Storm Reid, Nico Parker and Scott Shepherd. These actors were able to bring the characters in the game to life and, in my opinion, delivered masterful performances, which is quite a feat.

The scale and the sets of the project are insane. It astounds me that HBO was able to allow these guys to do whatever they wanted, and it paid off. The locations, cinematography, costume design and lighting are gorgeous masterpieces. Most Hollywood productions would kill to be able to work on this kind of project.

All in all, The Last Of Us is a win win. If you're new to this story you get to experience it for the very first time. Lucky you. If you are a fan of the games you will be eagerly anticipating how the show will adapt your favourite moments. It's must watch tv.