Search results
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. Watch Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video. A legendarily...
- (140)
- George Lucas
- PG
- Mark Hamill
- Hide and Seek
- The Last of Us HBO Series Character Guide
- Verdict
- The Last of Us: Episode 4 Review
- More Reviews by Simon Cardy
- IGN\r Recommends
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
By Simon Cardy
Posted: Feb 6, 2023 3:00 am
This review contains full spoilers for episode four of The Last of Us, now available to view on HBO Max. To stay spoiler-free, check out our The Last of Us Season 1 Review.
Episode 4 of HBO’s The Last of Us grants Joel and Ellie valuable bonding time that they’ve rarely been able to find time for so far in the series. The emotional stakes are raised by this openness, which presents itself over the course of this shorter 45 minute chapter, thanks to a starkly violent, inciting event. It’s a comparatively slower-paced episode when compared to the emotionally charged chapters it follows, but one that showcases Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as impressively malleable performers.
The pair’s road trip also serves as a perfect opportunity to once again praise just how good this show looks - views of a long-forgotten society are thrown our way with regular abandon; a parade of abandoned bridges, boats, and roller coasters flank the ghostly empty roads that guide Joel, Ellie, and us to our next destination.
The mellow opening act quickly escalates as they enter Kansas City, though, where the duo are met with a sudden violent ambush. This thrilling sequence conjures memories of Children of Men’s car attack scene, its frantic nature seemingly paying homage to Emmanuel Lubezki’s standout camerawork from the 2006 sci-fi movie. It’s another example of the classiness on display in every aspect of the show’s production, all the way down to its nail-biting fight choreography. This isn’t glamorous Hollywood action but instead rough around the edges, reflecting the scrappy, home-taught skills you'd expect from people being forced into this way of life. It’s also a fantastic representation of The Last of Us’ signature style of gameplay, as wooden planks break in two upon impact and firearms sway through desperate aiming.
This is an episode all about breaking the walls between Joel and Ellie down.
“
It’s in this action sequence that Ellie gets her own taste of the violence that comes with survival. Her first gunshot, fired to save Joel from an attack, is met with a whimpering cry for help. Her ‘victim’ is a relatively young person himself, which further drives home the questions of who is good and who is bad when civilisation crumbles and moral compasses lose their true north. Though she’s spent episodes fawning for a gun - seemingly fixated with the thought of using one at times - Ellie’s chance to use one is met with reluctance, so much so that Joel is left to finish the job. Despite all of the bravado she's displayed up until this point, it’s clear that she's not yet hardened to all of the horrors of the world she was born into.
For all of their quiet conversations, it’s this moment of loud violence that cements Joel and Ellie’s now unbreakable bond. He owes her the debt of his life, no small weight for him to carry around. This is an episode all about breaking the walls between the pair down; Ellie's rush of emotion following her saving of Joel signals the first time either has expressed their true feelings to one another. There’s little time to dwell on it at this juncture, however, as the pace keeps up and the duo find themselves in the middle of a siege with half of the cast of Mad Max pouring into the streets. The camera does a great job here of reflecting Joel and Ellie’s movements as it goes from hand-held and scampering during the action, to close-up and peeking as the pair go into hiding.
Episode 4 is another great episode of The Last of Us, albeit one that spends more time setting up what is to come for its two lead characters – both in the long and short term – than it does provide many definitive moments of its own. Nonetheless, Melanie Lynskey’s introduction as Kathleen adds a chilling, sinister edge to the cast, while the fanta...
Review scoring
great
Episode 4 is another great episode of The Last of Us that grants Joel and Ellie valuable bonding time that they’ve rarely been able to find time for so far in the series.
Simon Cardy
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Single-Player Campaign Review
IGN's Simon Cardy reviews the fourth episode of HBO's The Last of Us, a series adaptation of the popular video game. He praises the performances, the action, and the visuals, but criticizes the pacing and the violence.
- Simon Cardy
Mar 22, 2023 · Grogu and Bo-Katan join the Mandalorian covert in a quest to retake Mandalore. The episode features action, humor, and references to Star Wars lore, but also feels like connecting tissue for the season's plot.
Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox. It was the first film released in the Star Wars film series and the fourth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga".
- $11 million
- John Williams
- May 25, 1977
- Gary Kurtz
Feb 5, 2023 · ‘The Last of Us’ Season 1, Episode 4 Recap: Truck Stop. This week, Joel and Ellie’s bond deepened during an unplanned stay in Kansas City. They should have tried Des Moines instead. Share full...
Game of Thrones | Season | Episode 4. The Last of the Starks. TV-MA | 1 HR 17 MIN. WATCH NOW. Written by: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss. Directed by: David Nutter. The survivors of the battle at Winterfell mourn those they've lost; the bodies of Jorah, Theon, Beric, Edd, Lyanna Mormont, and countless others rest upon pyres.
Jan 1, 2011 · Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Attribution information. Director (s) George Lucas [1] Producer (s) Gary Kurtz [2] Rick McCallum ( Special Edition) George Lucas (Executive producer) [1] Writer (s) George Lucas [2] Starring. Mark Hamill [2] Harrison Ford [2] Carrie Fisher [2] Peter Mayhew [2] Anthony Daniels [2] Kenny Baker [2] Peter Cushing [2]
