We're now just days away from "The Last Of Us" season 2's Max premiere, and the critics' reactions are officially in.
Given the first season's stellar reputation — it currently has a 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes — expectations were certainly high for the next chapter in Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) story.
If you had any doubts going into season 2, it looks like the team behind one of the very best video game adaptations has made a good start with The Last Of Us Part II's story.
Even allowing for the fact that some have argued it doesn't quite reach the same heights of the first, and the decision to split Part II's story across multiple seasons has seemingly caused some structural issues, it's still drawn effusive praise.
Reactions are quick to point out the show's been skilfully produced in every department, just that it doesn't feel quite as focused or that it doesn't have the space to accommodate every element of this sprawling story.
Here's a sample of what the critics are saying about "The Last Of Us" season 2.
What have critics said about 'The Last Of Us' season 2 so far?
Empire's John Nugent has offered perhaps one of the most positive takes on "The Last Of Us" season 2.
In his 5-star review, he wrote: "Moving and devastating in equal doses, "The Last Of Us" remains post-apocalyptic television at its peak. At almost every turn, it delivers. Pray to the video-game-adaptation gods that Season 3 sticks the landing."
Nerdist's Michael Walsh gave the series a 4.5/5 rating and offered similar praise, writing: "Season two of "The Last Of Us" not only delivers one of the single best episodes of television ever made, but all seven episodes are tremendous.
In Walsh's eyes, the major problem is that is the feeling that this story is "incomplete". He adds: "All I can say is that when the final episode’s credits rolled, it felt less like the end of a season of television and more like a season of television getting cut in half."
That "incomplete" feeling was echoed by Angie Han at THR, who branded it "a gripping, if not totally satisfying, middle chapter."
Han nevertheless says there's "still much to love about the new episodes" and said "I can’t say I was ever less than entertained", but concluded: "But I did find myself missing the rich lyricism of that previous chapter, the sprawling humanity of it, the devastating finality of it. Maybe all of that, too, is being saved for season three."
Reviewing for our sister publication, Total Film, critic Lauren Milici said season 2 "is good, but, unlike its predecessor, it fails to be great.
In her 3.5/5 star review at our sister site, Milici wrote: "The Last of Us season 2 captures the unimaginable grief of its source material with brilliant performances and visceral scenes of brutal violence, but ends abruptly and fails to live up to the true magic of its first season."
IGN's Simon Cardy offered a similar verdict in his 7/10 review of season 2. "It's a bleak, abbreviated chapter whose key moments fall flat with too much regularity", Cardy writes.
"It's by no means bad – in fact, at times it’s very good – it just kept me at arm's length, never letting me quite connect to its characters in the way that’s so crucial to The Last of Us Part 2. It's often a spectacle, crafted with skill throughout, but fails to live up to the thrilling heights of its source material or capture the heart of its first season."
You can watch "The Last Of Us" season 2 premiere this Sunday, April 13 on HBO and Max and Sky/NOW in the UK on Monday, April 14.
Looking to cram in one more show between now and then? Check out our guide to the best shows on Max for plenty more streaming recommendations.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
