The Last of Us Film Just Won't Work

"The story in The Last of Us wasn't great. Before you jump to the comment section, hungry to avenge your favourite title for that huge slight, let me clarify. The characters and their interactions were unparalleled, the world and its history certainly capable of being built into something that spans prequels, sequels and spin-offs. I'm talking about the actual plot, which largely consisted of "the thing you're looking for is in another area."

[Neixus]

Hopefully they'll deliver.
But it will be hard, as the players got attached to the characters, not the story itself. And it's pretty hard getting as much attached to a character in a 2 hour movie, than in a game.

[randomass171]

I wish they would do another story in the same universe with a cameo or minor references to Joel and Ellie. The Last of Us video game and its story were perfect and doesn't need to be changed (and since its a movie they'll probably change a few things).

Hopefully they will deliver, but this is Hollywood after all.

[morganfell]

Game movies often fail because a studio buys the rights to the IP having seen its popularity with gamers. They put their greed goggles on tight and then proceed to rip out everything that was responsible for their investment in the first place. When the movie fails, as is inevitable, the studio and simply dullard sites such as gamereviews.com say, "Well game movies do not work" or "Game X shouldn't have been made into a movie"

This is different. Right off the bat the individual most centrally responsible for the game is working on the film. There seems by all involved a deep desire to absolutely adhere to not only the canon but also the themes that made the play experience so very gripping. They are insuring they preserve the essence of the title that made them want a movie version in the first place.

How can we expect the person that scribbled this article from his parent's basement to be fair concerning the prospects of a movie when he obviously saw little value in the game. And actually mr writer, Troy baker recommended Josh Brolin for the role of Joel.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tr...

He did say he would like the chance to be a hunter or a clicker: http://www.ign.com/articles...

He said he has no expectations of being asked to play Joel and in multiple interviews has not discussed offering to do the role. It is obvious he feels he is not right for it despite the MOCAP work: http://www.forbes.com/sites...

I am laughing at his no plot comment. Really? Was this boor asleep? In addition to the plot being one of the driving forces in the game, it did not have the vapid mandatory Call of Duty "you are always the guy that gets knocked out and comes to in a desperate moment" scene. It was the small sequences of very personal interaction between the characters as they dealt with hope, despair, the struggle to resist caring, and loss that pull you in and offer insight to flesh out the characters. Such nuances that were obviously lost to the writer.

The article should have been titled, "Why random, unsupported and disjointed thoughts should not be published as a commentary."

[Reibooi]

Honestly I don't see this working. Firstly the game itself is already so cinematic to the point of not needing a movie.

I mean there isn't really any fat to be trimmed so it could fit a movie run time.

Honestly I think Naughty Dog could just compile the cut scenes from the game and make a few new ones to fill in the games that game play did and just release it as a 3DCG movie.

That would get around having to cast new people as these characters which is something of a sticking point for me as everyone in the game did so well acting wise I don't want to see or hear anyone else in those roles.

[morganfell]

The number of movie goers that are unfamiliar with the story and will experience the events, characters, and actors in the roles for the first time so far outnumbers the gamers that played or are on familiar terms with TLOU there isn't even a comparison.

Although gamers will be in the viewer demographic the vast majority will see the story unfold for the first time. This does not mean the studio will ignore gamers. To the contrary as not keeping them at the forefront of the movie focus is to doom the project. But by far they are aiming this movie to capture Not only gamers but also the far greater number of non-gamers.

[king_george]

I think people arent gonna go into this with an open mind and thats why it will get hate. People forget films and games are not one in the same. Very different mediums

[Sharky231]

Sam Rami has a cult following. Sam being at the helm will earn it some respect.

[serratos27]

Yess!! I feel the same way, people love The Last of Us yet they are so quick to judge and just write this off. I'm not saying it's going to be amazing, I am rooting for this to be pulled off. I understand their perspective though.

[Goro]

They should get Ellen Page to play Ellie.

[iSpeakTruth__]

Elle Fanning would be a better choice. She's actually around Ellie's age

[Dirtnapstor]

They need to add the legendary Luc Bessen to assist in the screen writing and directing. If the movie is done right, it'll be golden. There's nothing wrong with a 4 hour adaptation, or split it into multiple films. Do it right the first time please.

[RDF]

Thank goodness its not directed by the guy that did Alone in the Dark..Ume Bowl I think

[DoctorJones]

I watched a film by Uwe Boll the other day that was actually a really good film, I didn't know it was by him at first, it was a bit of a shock. Rampage it's called, about some crazy dude in an armored suit who goes on a killing spree.

I can't say I've seen many of his films as I tend to avoid them like the plague because of a couple I did watch that he made a few years ago, but I'd recommend that one.

[ncc-017]

I think Neil Druckmann (who wrote the game and is writing the script for the movie) is smart enough to know the difference between writing for a game and writing for a movie. Neil is a talented writer, of that there is no argument. He will make the proper adjustments to make that story work for the big screen, so as far a the script is concerned I have very little concern.

My biggest concern is the studio and whomever they hire to direct. We all know that it doesn't matter how brilliant a script is, studio interference can derail the original vision and drive it to the ground. The director is key because if the director is passionate about the story and the project he can elevate the material and produce something special. If the director is just some director for hire type who writes the movie off as another dumb video game adaptation and only cares about collecting a paycheck, then the whole thing will be in serious jeopardy.

[Bhuahahaha]

i still have hope for this

silent hill didnt turn as bad as the others

[wheresmymonkey]

It'll work fine. It's basically just the road with zombies anyway.

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

Any story driven game can be made into a good movie...Just need the right people to do it...

[ado908]

All of these game movie announcement and not one game came out to be a movie. Except for the shit need for speed.

[ginsunuva]

Yeah, the game is already better than any potential movie.
So there is no point in cramming the story into 2 hours for masses who won't even appreciate it anyway:

"Duude, ya wanna go check out that new zombie movie? I heard its got dudes who blow zombies' heads off with guns duuuude."

[assdan]

I'm always skeptical about videogame movies because none of them have been good, literally none. But I am a little annoyed about the whole plot thing. When you dig down to it, there is not one new plot out there. You can actually breakdown every single story into one of four plot types, and one of two or three plot structures. It's what you do with those plots that makes it good. The reason the story of the last of us was so good, was the interaction of characters. And that's why I think it has an amazing story.

[level 360]

Think if they could explain further/and or add an underlying backstory about the Cordyceps fungus gaining access to human form and tie it in with Ellie's immunity which then sets to what we much see in the game but apply it onto live action/CGI, and add a good number of decent actors with great direction and cinematography, they could just pull it off in the box office.

[Max-Zorin]

Are there any video games that had a good movie?