The Pop-Culture E-Zine
If HBO could make a TV series out of The Last Of Us, then why not make one from another massive franchise, Mario Kart?
Well, the Saturday Night Live (SNL) comedy show, in conjunction with HBO and Nintendo, did exactly that, with Pedro Pascal playing Mario in a dystopian Mario Kart sketch – it’s funny and brilliant!
Check it out!
HBO’s adapting another iconic game pic.twitter.com/YtsIswwSBb
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 5, 2023
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
After watching the HBO smash hit “The Last of Us,” I think I’ll go back and play the original game again. The popular series tells the story of a smuggler and a teenage girl in a zombie-infested world.
When I first played “The Last of Us” when it was released in 2013, I thought the action-adventure, survival horror game was captivating and enjoyable, but I wasn’t into it that much. I played it like crazy for about a week, and then I moved on to something else. I did start a new job around the time I bought the epic game, so that might’ve contributed to me losing interest.
The HBO series has an incredible production budget, and it unquestionably shows. You are in the series’ post-apocalyptic 2023. The attention to detail is impeccable. It’s been almost ten years since I’ve played the game; breaking the game out again after watching the show sounds fun.
The show has done an amazing job creating the look of the blind infected, the “clicker” zombies, from the video game. I can see several award nominations for the series on the horizon. They are even scarier in the television series. In Episode 2, when Joel fought with one of the “clickers,” the choreography was taken directly from the massively successful game.
“The Last of Us” television show has knocked it out of the park since its debut on HBO. I thought the zombie genre was sort of getting stale, but “The Last of Us” feels like a fresh spin on the genre. The cinematography of the first three episodes has been visually flawless.
According to the industry website gamesindustry.biz, the television series is drawing in new “The Last of Us” game players, too. After the show’s release, sales jumped in the United Kingdom. Sony has already sold 37 million “The Last of Us” themed video games since the release of the original.
With only a small sample of three episodes, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Season 2, in 2024 or ’25. By then, time allowing, I can be caught up on playing some of the franchise. It’s a rich world that the developers of “The Last of Us” series have created for new, different mediums.
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
Recently, a production image of the HBO series “The Last of Us” was released. It’s our first look at the cable show based on the iconic video games “The Last of Us” and “The Last of Us: Part II.”
The first image has great attention to detail. It’s not much, it’s just Joel and Ellie looking out across a field at abandoned plane wreckage. It would have been nice to get a face reveal, but the image of the two main characters from behind is a smart marketing tease.
Pedro Pascal has been cast as Joel, the game, and series’ smuggler and main protagonist. I’ve been a Pascal fan since his brief stint on “Game of Thrones.” His starring role on the Netflix series “Narcos,” opposite the great Boyd Holbrook, was where the 46-year-old actor gained international fame as the cold, DEA agent who is obsessed with capturing Pablo Escobar. The pairing of Pascal and Holbrook is one of the best fictional, law enforcement pairings in recent television history. I’ve watched “Narcos” several times for the writing and characters. When I heard the news that Pascal was cast as Joel in “The Last of Us” series, I was instantly excited to see what HBO will do with the popular property.
The idea of “The Last of Us” as a television series or limited series is better than a movie. A series gives the story more chance for expansion and the ability to develop the characters. The game already has a rich world that can be expanded on with the right show runners who know the universe.
To me, like many others, “The Last of Us” franchise always had a “The Walking Dead” feel to it. Even the production image that was released looks a little like a scene from the AMC “The Walking Dead.”
Post-apocalyptic properties are hot right now. Could “The Last of Us” be the next must-see HBO show? They haven’t had a monster hit like “The Sopranos” or “Game of Thrones” in several years. The production still didn’t show much, but it was just enough of a tease to peak the interests of the megahit game’s fans.
Australian film-makers ‘Fury Fingers Films’ make funny live action films about video games with plenty of bad-ass action and visual FX.
Fury Fingers was started by film school friends Nicholas Cleary, Andrew Shanks, Daniel Vink and David Gregan. Talented stuntman and fight choreographer Anthony Rinna is the most recent addition to the team (aka the 5th Beatle).
Making films has allowed the guys to develop and showcase their skills as visual effects artists, and become confident directing action, working with stunt / fight choreographers and parkour artists. Their next challenge is to learn about rope work and pyrotechnics (wow!). All their hard work has been worthwhile too, with big players such as Konami and Crystal Dynamics (among others) taking notice of Fury Fingers’ awesome films. Look out for their upcoming Tomb Raider fan film featuring Melbourne-based cosplayer Shiveeejam.
Watch a selection of their fantastic films below, and be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel, like their Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter to keep up to date with their latest projects because these guys are going places!
Fury Fingers Channel Trailer
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
Gritty Mario World
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
Sleeping With The Enemy – Metal Gear Solid Fan Film
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
Day Of The Living Dead Batteries
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
The Best Of Us – The Last of Us Fan Film
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
Boxhound – Metal Gear Solid Fan Film
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
Looters – Elder Scrolls Fan Film
Video source: Fury Fingers Films on YouTube
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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.
Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter