Sunday’s buzzy premiere of “The Last of Us” on HBO inspired some thinking about other video game adaptations, which have often been maligned as unsuccessful, though in recent years they’ve gained more respect. "The Last of Us" went in the prestige TV direction, with Craig Mazin from “Chernobyl” collaborating with game creator Neil Druckmann on the gritty, grounded series starring Pedro Pascal as Joel, a man who has to transport a young girl, Ellie, (Bella Ramsey) through a post-apocalyptic America that has been decimated by a fungal zombie pandemic.
While “The Last of Us” looks promising, that hasn’t always been the case for video game-to-movie projects. The first movie based on a video game, 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” starring the late Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, was a disaster both on the set and at the box office. In fact, it’s not even streaming anywhere at the moment, though an animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is hitting theaters later this year (with the voice of Chris Pratt as Mario, mamma mia!).
Critically, most blockbuster video games haven’t been successful, despite the pedigree of the filmmakers behind these projects. Just last year, another property by Naughty Dog, who produced “The Last of Us” game, “Uncharted,” finally received its long-developed movie adaptation, with Tom Holland taking on the role of treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Though the reviews weren’t great, it’s a pretty fun “Indiana Jones” lite, and it’s streaming on Netflix if you’re in need of a globe-trotting romp that isn’t too taxing.
