As Garland sat down with The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann for PlayStation's latest Creator to Creator podcast (via GamesRadar+), the writer had surprising praise for the franchise. In Garland's eyes, The Last of Us' writing surpasses 28 Days Later, as while he did not intend to minimize the movie's impact, the video game and its subsequent TV adaptation offered a richer, more "sophisticated" telling of its core themes. Check out Garland's explanation below:
Let me say this: The Last of Us is better than 28 Days [Later]. The Last of Us is better than 28 Days, or at least the writing is. I'm not going to talk about directing, that would be a silly thing. So not that. I know what 28 Days is, I know what I did. I know what that process was. The thing about The Last of Us, I was like, "Oh, this is so much more sophisticated and moving." It was moving. I'm not dissing 28 Days, I'm very proud of it. It's a nice part of my life. But seriously, The Last of US is on another level - so yeah, of course I was influenced by it.
What Garland's Response Means For The Last of Us
The Two Productions Have Differing Views On Humanity's Perseverance
The Last of Us and 28 Days Later do share several core elements of their respective narratives. Not only is each tale set in the wake of a viral outbreak that turns humanity into physical monsters, but it questions what humanity is in the wake of the end times. For 28 Days Later, Major Henry West (Christopher Eccleston) and the soldiers under his command represent the collapse of civilization and downgrade of humanity into a violent, ruthless culture, while the Seraphites, raiders, FEDRA, and David's (Scott Shepherd) group represent this in The Last of Us.
28 Days Later handles the complexity of its protagonist differently. Jim has a deadlier, more brutal approach when taking on West's men to rescue his companions in 28 Days Later, but he is otherwise portrayed as the ideal survivor in the scenario, finding new meaning and optimism as the world collapses. Meanwhile, Joel (Pedro Pascal) is pragmatic and broken, beginning as someone doing anything he could to survive and staying that way, even potentially condemning humanity in The Last of Us season finale to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey). As such, The Last of Us is a more morally gray tale.