The world of entertainment is getting more and more popular now. It takes many forms: from online casinos (like, for example, the JokaRoom VIP Casino For Australian) with a variety of games (slots, card games, and even a live casino option) and casino bonuses (welcome, reload, no-deposit, and VIP) with No Deposit Bonus Codes to choose from to movies and TV shows.
In this article, we’ll focus on the legendary video game known to probably everyone today and its screen version — the Last of Us. The HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog’s video game has received acclaim from critics. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (TV series creators) have done the impossible — translate the game’s mechanics and story into a powerful, well-crafted, hypnotizing adventure creeping to goosebumps. The HBO show mirrors the playstyle, making fans feel like they’re playing the game, and tells the original story with no tremendous changes. However, there are some differences between the show and the game. So, what are they?
Different Timeline
The fungal pandemic in the video game takes place in 2013 (the release date) and then takes us to the future, in 2033, while the TV show has a different approach. The story in the TV series is set in 2023, which makes us feel terrified. The analogy is obvious: we still face the pandemic. Mazin told Insider that he did that intentionally and added: “I just had this thing where if I’m watching a show and it takes place 20 years in the future from my time now, it just seems less real”. That is a great idea, isn’t it?
Spores vs. Tendrils
When HBO announced that their characters would not be wearing gas masks, fans didn’t like that much. Instead of spores, the HBO infected are connected by long, curling tendrils. They serve as a sort of communication between zombies that helps them react to external stimuli. The connection spread between two dead people through a kiss of death.
That sounds pretty logical, as the creators didn’t want the cast to walk around with masks on their faces. Besides, the tendrils provide a more fluid, organic way for the infection to spread and even create a form of hive-mind amongst the zombies. So, this appears to be the right decision.
Joel’s daughter – Sarah
While the game gets straight to the point — we get into a type of hell — in the evening when the world starts to collapse. We witness the outbreak and understand the relationship between the father and daughter from only a few scenes, and then, suddenly, see her die.
The TV show gives us a better perspective of their dynamic. We see Joel and Sarah having breakfast together, witness Sarah picking her dad’s gift — the fixed watch, and spot her having a confrontation with the infected neighbor in the first episode.
The creators didn’t change much in Sarah’s story, but they expanded it, making the pain of her sudden death almost unbearable.
Bill and Frank Story
The third episode of the Last of Us series is one of the best examples of adaptation though it is significantly different from the original.
In the video game scene, Joel and Ellie (immune to the cordyceps infection since birth) are searching for survivalist Bill, as they need a car. He agrees to help them, and after killing the hordes of infected, they get into the house where Bill finds his ex-lover, Frank, dead. Their relationship didn’t end well, but the suffering on his face is visible, even if he denies it.
This sad scene is easy to forget, making these two characters just a footnote in the story.
In the HBO series, the whole episode is about their love story and life together. We see them growing goods on the farm, caring for each other, including love gifts and surprises, changing over the years together, and being in love. We see them die together in a house made with love and care.
The time of their death is certainly one of the most profound moments in the TV show. Instead of indistinct feelings, we get two full-fledged individuals capable of love and respect. And we see Bill telling Joel in the letter: “I used to hate the world, and I was happy when everyone died. But I was wrong, because there was one person worth saving…That’s why men like you and me are here. We have a job to do, and God help any motherfuckers who stand in our way.”