Adapting The Last Of Us: Changing Perspective
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2024
- How the TV adaptation of The Last Of Us changed its perspective on the story--and mine.
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00:00 Intro
02:55 Faith
08:01 Perspective
11:48 Love
18:36 Conflict
24:19 Outro
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#thelastofus #videoessay - Krátké a kreslené filmy
I love how they got us to feel emotionally invested in the doomed side characters, namely Bill, Frank, Sam, Henry, Sarah and Riley. Despite their deaths being inevitable, they still pack an emotional weight, and don't come across as cheap.
They did incredible at that but I don’t appreciate it!
I sobbed for most of them once, I don’t need to be broken with how well they adapted it 😭😂
we didn't know that bill was gonna die?? that was show exclusive.
'Straight people is this you feel when you watch... anything?!?' - I love and relate so much. You really stay witty and funny in every video you make, you are by far one of my favourite CZcamsrs!
This show is basically half anthology and I find that fascinating
i adore the show because to me, its deviation from the forced perspective of Joel made it feel a lot more like an anthology... a real study on how various people cope with their love and lives in the apocalypse. i've seen comments about how toning down the number of action scenes means we dont get to see as much of the Infected, but i actually love that because - maybe i'm biased as i don't tend to like zombie flicks - it became much more focused on the character's *reactions* to the apocalypse rather than the combat they face. the absence of the Infected in some episodes kind of spoke to me in that there are so many more problems society is facing than just the obvious threat
The action being removed is a bad thing, the combat encounters and escape scenes or just the parts were you transport Ellie around water filled areas are the relationship building scenes the show lacks, we got to hear Ellie tell jokes through the game, learn to whistle, etc. but over chapters in-between these things we have to actively prevent her death, escape with her, we also get powerful scenes of emotions, the action and zombies sets this up, the show forces these scenes to happen. The show also removes the reality of Bill and Frank, a manipulative and/ abusive man who’s a recluse kind of forcing the only other person he has cared for into things he didn’t want. It’s not accurate to the game, the love story we get in the show should be it’s own thing without borrowing the names of these characters because it should be studied by any director looking to perfect a gay relationship. The show is just worse. Not bad but forgettable, for the game you want to witness the whole thing, as for with the show I felt like I could go do other things with it running in the background, the actors don’t do the performances the same, they don’t feel as powerful because I haven’t spent as much time with the people or in the head of the guy talking, Troy Baked is also just a more believable Joel
This is possibly the best promotion to this show I've ever seen, because, like you, I also was not a fan of the video game (mostly because I despised Joel as a character, and since you're playing as him, that makes his actions and the game in general very, very unenjoyable for me). I hadn't planned on watching the show because of it, but now I'm sold! Thank you so much for making this.
did you end up watching the show? if so how did you like it 👀
you displayed the bill and frank story perfectly, I've never seen or played TLOU and yet that still got a tear out of me :')
Okay that was great.
Never even crossed my mind that legit all of them are Frank and Bill. Yet now it makes so much sense!
Episodes 1 and 2. They will set the scene, give the audience world building, and plot their course on the purely narrative beat story. Now episode 3, the heart!
With Joel and Ellie, I guess we see their relationship arc throughout the series and see how it builds to the end, probably empathising with it along the way and maybe getting the same feelings at the end. Frank and Bill only get 1 episode, so maybe we don't feel it as deeply, but we still see their whole relationship, start to end, and get the same arc just super sped up! Which I guess hopefully preps everyone for the rest of the series?
Then I guess every episode from that point on has some version of that same narrative heart, just not the whole thing, we see one section of time for it instead. Even with Ellie and her girlfriend, I guess that too isn't all of it, it is just the end.
But yeah. Wow. Never thought of that. That's so clever of them to do that. Great video and insight. 👏
Also... yeah... I totally didn't vibe with the game. Don't know why. I got maybe 5 hours in and nothing had drawn me into it, then I just.... never got back to it. Oops.
Great video! Your commentary was well written and everything is well edited.
super excited for this one!
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING!!
Great analysis
As a massive fan of both versions I honestly think it's one of the greatest adaptations of all time with a perfect understanding of what adaptation means and requires. I'm very curious about the future of video game adaptations, what future projects might learn from or misunderstand about this show. My favourite video game of all time Bioshock currently has an adaptation in the works which kind of seems like a ridiculous and terrible idea considering how tied to the nature of games that story is, however the adaptation is being written by Michael Green who may not have a perfect track record is definitely someone capable of making it work (assuming it can be done at all). In the end only time will tell, but anyway I really loved this video, it's incredibly well point together, many thoughts mirrored my own whilst also expanding my perspective on things I wouldn't have otherwise fully appreciated. Beautifully thoughtful and well put together video.
I also think the game is made for an assumed audience of "average gamers" (cishet men) who empathize with joel more instinctively. He's the ideal of masculinity. And the series doesn't require this identification with him that is probably more difficult for other people
Oh my god I've had to play a grumpy middle aged man SO MANY TIMES now that I feel like I, a lesbian in her 20s, could easily Turing test as one
Weird. I’m female and I liked playing as Joel more than Abby. Last I checked, Joel never finds a pregnant woman and gleefully says “good” as he prepares to cut her throat.
I love your vids
I hope more people watch this video! I love both games, but I completely agree with everything you mentioned. I've seen so many fans of the original TLOU1 complaining that the show wasn't "accurate enough", failing to realize that changing from a game to a tv show will naturally be a different experience, and things need to be changed for it to come off as natural in live-action. Meanwhile, other fans are able to love the show because they recognize that it's both accurate and different when it needs to be, in order to be compelling in a completely new story-telling medium. It doesn't need to 'surpass' the original, bc that's subjective- it just needs to adapt the story in a way that emphasizes the themes of love, grief, trauma, and purpose (which I think the show did even better than the game due to focusing on the side characters more).
So I absolutely love your perspective, someone who's able to fully enjoy the story now that it's in this tv show format. It's so strange that some gamers are confused as to why the show exists- not only is it to let people who will never pick up a console experience the story, but to also let it be presented in a whole new light and give people who didn't like/resonate with the original version a new perspective.
Really appreciate your video, just to share a bit of my experience with the show, I played the game both on Ps3 and Ps4, and I remember feeling "thankful" about the ending, I felt that it was the right thing to do, but am amazed how, even tho I expected it, knew what was going to happen, I had this gut feeling, that maybe, this isn't right and felt conflicted. Seeing things from a witness standpoint and not as if I was Joel, allowed me to see some of those dangers of love and I felt they did a marvelous job, 10 out of 10 and keep up the videos. I'll tag along for the ride!
Another banger of a video, as always! Can't wait to see how they adapt part 2. As you said, it makes your issues with the first game worse, with the bonus that the ending (SPOILER: Ellie doesn't kill Abbie) comes kinda out of nowhere. Hopefully they also make Ellie more easy to empathize on why she stopped talking to Joel.
And THANK YOU for bringing light to the fact that TLOU has a more solid narrative structure unlike other games, and how this is a factor to why its structure works better. It bothers me so much how people seem to "forget" this detail.
you nailed my exact feelings on the head on why i never finished the game & liked the show better, how i couldn't get into joel's game character, & how ik season 2 will elevate part 2
I have the weirdest relationship with the Last of Us. I was too young for the original release and when the remake came out maybe I caught wind of the wrong spoiler because I thought Joel died at the end and at that point, it felt too much of a cliché for me to be interested (gruffy old man dies to protect the kid he came to love, etc, etc).
When the HBO series came out, same thing. Except I saw schnee's video on tragedy and there's a clip there of Joel carrying Ellie out of the elevator and I thought, wait, they changed the ending? It made me want to watch it and I freaking loved it and i was, oh my god, how is people reacting to this ending? it has to be better than Joel just dying, right??
well, you can guess what happened after
but yeah! really loved your thoughts on this as someone who was also indifferent to the game and came to really enjoy the series. The point about Bill and Frank's story being a mirror to their counterparts in the game is really a good one and yeah, tlou really is a game about empathy, the fact it can make you watch a man commit mass murder and still find yourself in a scale of understanding from where he is coming from to defending his choice. I think its poignant that 100% of parents that played this game in the tests said they'd have done the same and I guess it makes sense this is a story that would affect more those who are, like, protectors in a sense (i, for example, am a older sibling and while i felt saddened by Joel's choice, it came from a place of understanding rather than disapproval)
really love your videos!
can you please make a video about rick and morty and how you feel abou the show after season 6?
I watched episode 3 when it aired with 4 other people who had played the game -- and 1 of our coworkers, who had not. This coworker knew nothing about TLOU other than we said it was super good and had zombies. This coworker was also gay. None of us had any idea what we were in for with Episode 3. All of us cried at least once. To be honest, that was a more impactful way that I experienced TLOU than the games or lets plays or the show. Sitting next to this sobbing coworker and seeing the kind of representation in ep 3 meant more than Joel's story ever could to me. I'm a Frank type, too, and irl validation > fake protective violence ANY day.
Interesting essay. I agree with most of your thoughts, though not all. Mostly I don't think Joel was wrong to break out Ellie from the prison. It was clear these people were just gambling on finding a cure and were prepared to kill her to do it. There was no time to ask Ellie what she would have wanted, beacuse they were already prepping her. Also, she is a minor. She should not be forced to make that kind of choice! However, Joel should have been truthful with her once they were out. I understand Joel wanted to protect her from feeling responsible, but it was still the wrong choice.
That's a different gameball. Yeah, he should have and he didn't. But he made the right choice(taking Ellie away from the Fireflies)
That's the crux of the videogame and possibly the show (haven't watched yet).
But even at the end of the game, you can sort of see that Ellie somehow "knows" he's lying to her from her face. But she understands anyway, and follows him.
She knows he's flawed and not the best person that exists, but he's not really a bad guy deep down.
I think that's why the moral ambiguity of the first game was so well done, until the second game existed.
@@Steve-yn3cs Again: The only reason there's a two is because of the expectation of sequels in modern culture in general and ESPECIALLY video gaming. Even though, and I'm, shockingly, not 100% clear Druckmann would get this comparison, in spite of Druckmann's pretensions of making The Godfather of zombie/apocalypse fiction (I see what your Part II is implying, Druckmann), the original Last of Us is probably easier to compare to The Conversation in terms of what "place" it has within Naughty Dog's ludography.
@@Volvagia1927 There's a third game in development now.
yeah i'm not surprised the show is so good (allegedly, i haven't watched it), the games always felt like they were only a video game because that's what naughty dog makes even though the creative drive was for television/movies instead, so it makes sense that putting it in the "correct" medium improves the experience.
Ranking stories in games of 2013? Depending on the day, The Last of Us would be either my second or third place pick (usually second, however) of that year. But it would be somewhere around 15-17 of the decade. What would my "Top 10 Best Stories in Games" look like for the 2010s? This:
1. Devil May Cry 5
2. Nier: Automata
3. Spec Ops: The Line
4. LA Noire
5. Saints Row IV
6. Persona 5
7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
8. Yakuza 0
9. Portal 2
10. Bayonetta 2
I tried to rewatch let’s plays of the game (I’m a bit of a scardy cat so I generally don’t play stressful games…) and I was SO BORED. I forgot how slow it starts. I forgot how boring the fight sequences can be to observe (likely more fun to play) and I gave up. The show was fun because it cut the more boring bits out. It also provided more variety instead of just sad sad zombie sad zombie. It was still sad. Still zombie. But had more… heart? The game feels very “video game”and idk how else to describe it. I guess maybe the survival aspect is very much present resulting in people item hunting etc semi disrupting the story which is the strongest part.
Well, you get an achievement for not finishing the game.
I'm not a father, either.
Everyone was trying to kill me, so I defended myself; plus this is in an alternate reality that never happened
i mean yeah the gameplay in the first ones definitely not the second game i can see people not liking it just for that like dunkey
I agree and disagree. I have never been a man or a father but I totally understand Joel's perspective and even Bill and Frank's.
I also understand that it is completely unethical to have a person with survivors' guilt told she needs to kill herself. Why do you think Joel tells her about his suicide attempt?
Marlene is military and quite willing to sacrifice other people for her objectives.
I know the bias of the game is against Joel. I don't feel that way at all and the show has carefully through Pedro Pascal's subtle emotional acting humanized the character from a video game brutal man to someone you understand.
The majority of people in TLOU have experienced significant loss and trauma, leaving them grappling with feelings of guilt and responsibility. To argue that Ellie's survivor's guilt invalidates her autonomy would imply that the autonomy of nearly every character in the game is inherently compromised. Such an assertion is not only baseless but also undermines the resilience and strength that many characters, including Ellie, have demonstrated in their pursuit of survival and redemption.
I also think Ellie's willingness to sacrifice her life is born out of her concern for others and her deep understanding of the gravity of the situation. Suicide is often characterized by feelings of hopelessness and despair, which Ellie doesn't really showcase. Her decision to potentially give up her life is driven by her commitment to making a _positive_ impact on the world, rather than a desire to escape from her own pain or trauma.
+
the game was a dress rehearsal.
The fact that they didn't want people feeling ambivalent about the ending of the game got a good laugh out of me because that's how I felt about the whole thing. Joel was about as compelling as mud the whole way through. The show was a lot more interesting to me for broadening the emotional scope to other characters, and Pascal made me actually kind of like Joel more.
Personally didnt like the show dont get why i gotta die for that lol
As a far right pro-gun advocate myself, I found Bill's story deeply moving. It is nice to feel represented, for once, on a successful TV-show, seeing a character who shares my own identity.
Joke aside, homosexuality is not an identity. And that's precisely what makes Bill's character great. He is homosexual, but not a "member of the LGBT community". He doesn't have a rainbow flag, he has a Gadsden flag.
I do no feel "represented" (nor do I need to be represented) by characters having the same "identity" as me, as defined by some US ideologues (sexual orientation, skin colour...) I also cried while watching Bill and Frank's story, you don't need to be homosexual for that, you just need to have a heart.
Are movies with Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson made for members of the muscular community, so that they can, for once, identify with the hero, and approve the good representation of people like them?
For me, the Bill and Frank episode _is_ filler. It's very touching filler but I always skip it during rewatches. It genuinely feels like an episode of a spinoff series. I don't know about anyone else but I find it difficult to connect with characters that are only in one episode. Indeed, Sarah's death hit way harder on the second watch because I had gotten to know Joel. This is why I don't think the Ellie and Riley episode is filler, despite having similar characteristics: Ellie is one of the two main characters, I've grown to connect with her and I'm seeing that episode through her perspective.
It's ok to not like The Last of Us. It's one of the 3 massively overrated games of 2013.
That’s a bit harsh :/
@@Hamantha You're right, I should be a lot harsher.
Thinking which are the other two... Is Bioshock Infinite one of them?
@@henriquebastosbernardoni3630 Correct!
@@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm Now I'm curious what the last one would be...