The Last of Us’ big infected bloater was a big disappointment

If there’s one thing I’m known for here at Polygon, it’s that I’m a fan of big guys fighting on screen. One of the first things I wrote here was a review of the “Sherlock Holmes, but the Hulk” procedural Reacher (it’s fun!). It was not something I liked. The Rings of PowerI was so in love with the giant orc I saw on one episode that I wrote an ode to it and gave him his name.

When I was told that episode 5 would feature a massive infected, it was my first reaction. Last of UsIt was thrilling. My expectations were exceeded in the ability of this show to re-create the fungal horrors of the videogame. I particularly loved the clickers. The amazing use of prosthetics and practical effects augmented by CG has created monsters that are frightening because of their tangible nature.

I wasn’t prepared for what was to come. The big infected — let’s call it Big Fungus, but it looks like a version of the Bloater from the games — shows up in a pitch-black, frenzied battle scene, as hordes of infected pour out of the ground to attack the Kansas City resistance and our terrified heroes. The action scene is disappointing on its own and can’t even match the fourth episode’s gas station shootout. While that one was crisp in its chaos, cleanly and clearly showing the audience the action and where the relevant parties are, this one suffered from a poorly lit night setting where it was hard to see anything, and also from the camera mostly focusing on the people hiding or running away, rather than one of the few humans-versus-infected fights in the show. As a big fighters on screen scholar, the most disappointing thing about this show was how my boy was killed.

When Big Fungus rises out of the ground, it’s supposed to be a moment that inspires awe and terror, due to the sheer size of the lad (he should have been even bigger, but that’s another point). But what undercuts this moment is how clearly he doesn’t fit into the world around him.

Big Fungus, in an environment filled with more convincing prosthetics to make the infected look better, stands out as a sore thumb. It’s not just how it looks — although it does look quite bad — but how it moves. When Big Fungus stomps, you don’t feel the interactions with the world around it, even though there were practical effects and an actor involved, augmented by VFX. Big Fungus is still a virtual presence and doesn’t seem to be occupying any space. Big Fungus instead moves in a weightless ball and stutters awkwardly at the people. It also suffers from all the other superior effects that surround it.

There was a chance to make Big Fungus’s awkward movement work — Last of Us is a video game adaptation, after all, and isn’t afraid to lean into some video game choices. One great example of this is the brilliant child clicker featured in the episode. He also uses a mix of digital and practical effects. Terrible Because of its inhuman movement, it was like an ingenious mess of joints and limbs trying to reach something. But the show doesn’t play up Big Fungus’ awkward and unreal movements for extra scares, instead trying to sell it as a real presence. Big Fungus’s appearance is far from real, regrettably.

I don’t want this to be misread as a screed against digital effects. You can make them great. Digital effects are only one way to achieve certain things, but there are many talented, creative filmmakers who do great work within the digital realm. These are my top favorite action and stunt beats. combinations of practical and digital effects.

It’s instead another example of a broader problem of how HBO’s Last of UsTreating the infected as an opportunity for Easter eggs instead of moments of real excitement and tension is how it’s treated at times. There are definitely moments where the infected are used in good and interesting ways — Joel trying to reload his gun while holding a flashlight as a clicker approaches in episode 2 comes to mind — but Big Fungus felt like an egregious example of playing the hits and evoking Big Television Moments without adding anything of substance.

We recognize Big Fungus’ appearance and the way it fights from the game, and that it’s supposed to be a big deal from the music cues and just due to the sheer scale of him. But the show isn’t interested in doing much else with it. He arrives, appears out-of-place, and is gone. It’s not enough to just point at a recognizable character and say, “I recognize that!” If you’re going to do something, it’s worth doing it right. It breaks my heart to see Big Fungus miss the mark.