The Last of Us is fun viewing, but doesn't have the plot twists and shockers that made The Walking Dead, its predecessor, so engaging. Nor does it have the character development. My husband and I predicted every death. The mushroom monsters appeared conveniently in Deus Ex Machina style every time an enemy needed to be vanquished.

Lots of the most shocking plot moments from the Walking Dead appear in the Last of Us, but watered down and less terrifying.

It has the feel of being on a theme park ride - you move through a landscape and see enemies confined to one episode. Each episode feels like a mini movie, though none would be satisfying as a standalone.

The series begun with a huge amount of exposition: a man on a panel explains why fungus is more worrying than viruses and bacteria, and explains the mechanisms behind the cordyceps fungus that controls ants - that comes straight from David Attenborough's commentary. Though it worked to a point, it was a missed opportunity to dripfeed suspense and dread. We could have spent a few episodes wondering what the hell this thing is when told it's not a virus or a bacteria.

A lot of the dialogue is expositional throughout, and took us away from feeling immersed. E.g. When Ellie gets in a car for the first time, she is surprised - great - did she need to say "it feels like being in a spaceship"? This sounds like something someone in a writer's room would say "imagine, you've never been in a car before, it must feel like being in a spaceship" but doesn't feel organic coming from the character themselves.

There's no fellowship, though there are opportunities for one with Tess and Henry. Allies and enemies come and go. There's no strong sense of why Joel is hellbent on going ahead with his mission.

The story is over reliant on flashbacks to tell the story.

Our favourite episode was the standalone one with Bill and Frank.

Pedro Pascal is a great lead. So too is Bella Ramsey.

Overall we enjoyed the scenery but the story was predictable and Hollywood. As such, it might feel shinier and faster paced to some viewers, but it lacks the finesse, stakes and writing that made The Walking Dead so good.