The title "The Last of Us Fan Film" makes it easy to see that they are not even trying to hide one bit what this little movie is closely connected to, namely the video game "The Last of Us". I am vaguely familiar with said game, but not enough to make comparisons between game and film (if the characters looked their ages, if the locations look like the levels...). So let me just elaborate on this short film here from a cineast perspective. I liked it overall I guess. It is a healthy mix of action and thriller aspects set in an apocalpytic world where the two protagonists have to face human and formerly human opponents. Luckily they do not only heave each other, but also decent fire power. The two actors at the center of the story are fairly experienced, the guy more then the girl, but then again he is also clearly older. The second half was more about action, the first half more about unseen danger and suspense. I probably preferred the first half, but the second also wasn't bad or anything, just a slight step down in quality. Both halves are alright I'd say. The writer and co-director here is Sy Cody White and apparently his little movie here was successful enough for not just one, but several sequels. Good for him. I will probably watch the others at some point too, but while this one here was alright, especially in terms of the atmosphere, it was not so overwhelmingly good that I immediately want to keep watching. Keep in mind that I am saying all this without knowing a lot about the game. But the really high rating here on imdb (even if not by many voters) implies that most other people who watched it liked it as well. So perhaps of you like the game, you should definitely give this one a chance. And if you don't really know the game, then you can still check this one out because you don't really need the connection. Maybe it is also an okay choice to watch while you are waiting for the next season of "The Walking Dead". Just came to my mind when this female creature attacked the male protagonist towards the end and his gun isn't working. Alright, at the end, maybe as a bit of a crowwd pleaser, they are up against a most bizarre opponent. I will not say what he looks like in detail because really you must experience that yourself. Pretty good make-up work for sure though, way better than you usually see in fan films. They were on a mission here and the outcome is a success. I give it a thumbs-up.
3 Reviews
A Loyal tribute.
perkin200019 June 2014
A little late to the party, I've recently been playing the brilliant PS3 game The Last Of Us. As with many popular video games, it has inspired a number of 'fan films' online. If you didn't already know, these are small, low budget, short films inspired by the original digit-pixel time- wasters. If you have a look on YouTube, there's thousands of 'em.
I done a search the other day and this one 'topped the charts', so to speak. Even if you haven't played the game, although it'll definitely help if you have, I think there's something to be enjoyed in this.
Set twenty years after a rather nasty fungal infection has decimated humanity, it focuses on Joel and Ellie making their way through a wasted, fading landscape, hoping to make contact with an underground resistance group called The Fireflies. The Fireflies have a medical team that can potentially harness Ellie's immunity to the infection and create a cure, ensuring humanity's survival. On the way they encounter numerous dangers both human and infected. A bit like The Walking Dead, but without the boring six months spent on a farm bit.
As someone who has spent a great deal of time watching films, playing games and making zero-budget splatter-flicks, I feel I can pass a relatively experienced eye over such endeavours.
Starting with the bad: The building used in the film is covered in graffiti. This makes no sense as the infection spread fast and would've left little time for decorative tagging. Lifting dialogue directly from the game feels a little forced when comparable scripting would have worked just as well. The guy playing Joel looks a little young and the girl playing Ellie looks a little mature. The 'Clicker' they encounter basically looks like a normal fella with a cake glued onto his face.
The good: The building used looks very much like the hotel in the game (the level it's based on), and considering this was made on a pocket-money budget, the graffiti is easily forgivable. Both the main actors capture the game's characters style and mannerisms very well. Idiots on YouTube complain that 'Joel' is too young and 'Ellie' is too old. Well, when it was made Jeff Moffitt was 47 and Kate McLeod was (a young looking) 20, so that's guff. They nailed it in my humble. The action choreography was spot-on. It caught the mood of the game. It looks great considering the almost complete absence of budget.
Have a watch, it's ace.
Originally posted at: http://filmplop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/180614- last-of-us-fan-film-2013.html
I done a search the other day and this one 'topped the charts', so to speak. Even if you haven't played the game, although it'll definitely help if you have, I think there's something to be enjoyed in this.
Set twenty years after a rather nasty fungal infection has decimated humanity, it focuses on Joel and Ellie making their way through a wasted, fading landscape, hoping to make contact with an underground resistance group called The Fireflies. The Fireflies have a medical team that can potentially harness Ellie's immunity to the infection and create a cure, ensuring humanity's survival. On the way they encounter numerous dangers both human and infected. A bit like The Walking Dead, but without the boring six months spent on a farm bit.
As someone who has spent a great deal of time watching films, playing games and making zero-budget splatter-flicks, I feel I can pass a relatively experienced eye over such endeavours.
Starting with the bad: The building used in the film is covered in graffiti. This makes no sense as the infection spread fast and would've left little time for decorative tagging. Lifting dialogue directly from the game feels a little forced when comparable scripting would have worked just as well. The guy playing Joel looks a little young and the girl playing Ellie looks a little mature. The 'Clicker' they encounter basically looks like a normal fella with a cake glued onto his face.
The good: The building used looks very much like the hotel in the game (the level it's based on), and considering this was made on a pocket-money budget, the graffiti is easily forgivable. Both the main actors capture the game's characters style and mannerisms very well. Idiots on YouTube complain that 'Joel' is too young and 'Ellie' is too old. Well, when it was made Jeff Moffitt was 47 and Kate McLeod was (a young looking) 20, so that's guff. They nailed it in my humble. The action choreography was spot-on. It caught the mood of the game. It looks great considering the almost complete absence of budget.
Have a watch, it's ace.
Originally posted at: http://filmplop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/180614- last-of-us-fan-film-2013.html
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