'The Last Of Us' review: It will grow on you like a fungus

'This escort job is way cushier than my last one. I don't have to wear that helmet all the time, and you don't have frog legs sticking out of your mouth.' – Photos: Handout

Bonding over individual grief, the drive to survive and some of the most groan-inducing puns ever concocted, the principal characters of The Last Of Us – HBO's latest epic series and its first based on a video game – will win your heart as quickly as a certain spacefaring bounty hunter and his tiny Force-adept charge.

The journey to the screen for Naughty Dog's smash 2013 game has not been easy, with aborted film adaptations, pandemic-related delays, casting controversies and more.