The Last of Us - Season 2 (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 23, 2025
Rating: TV-MA
Show: 1.5/5

Plot
Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.

My Thoughts
The Last of Us Season 2 (2025) squanders the promise of its predecessor with a host of missteps that drag it into mediocrity. Pedro Pascal's Joel still provides a flicker of reliability, his understated regret adding some dramatic heft with his role and the production design remains immersive, with practical sets evoking the damp, overgrown Pacific Northwest, and the infected are still creepy, but the cracks are everywhere.

The main character Ellie is outright unlikable this season, and Bella Ramsey simply doesn't have the acting chops to carry the emotional load—her selfishness puts others in danger and she’s very hard to root for. Storytelling nosedives after Episode 2; the revenge-fueled trip to Seattle by Ellie and Dina shatter any remaining believability, as two late-teen girls trek across a zombie-riddled, lawless Western U.S. with zero intel, no contingency plans, and barely enough firepower to fend off a single Clicker—let alone hordes or roving bandits—somehow arriving intact is laughably implausible, turning tense survival into eye-rolling contrivance.

Worse, nagging logistics plague the whole thing: How do these characters stay so spotlessly clean amid constant fungal spores and filth? And where's the endless supply of fresh food, ammo, and meds coming from in a world that's been collapsed for decades—it's not like Jackson has a functioning Costco restocking shelves. Instead of the cutting-edge zombie horror that defined Season 1's raw, unflinching edge, Season 2 devolves into "The Last of Us 90210," bloated with overwrought teen drama, petty squabbles, and angsty monologues that prioritize soap-opera drama over coherent post-apocalyptic grit.

The 4K UHD Steelbook release presents the seven-episode season in a stunning 2160p transfer at 1.78:1, sourced from a native 4K master with Dolby Vision HDR. The video quality is reference-level, boasting razor-sharp detail in every rain-slicked surface, textured fungal growths, and expressive close-ups—Pascal's weathered face and Merced's intense stares pop with lifelike clarity. Colors are richly saturated yet natural, from the muted grays of winter landscapes to the vivid reds of blood-soaked action, with exceptional depth and contrast that make the infected encounters leap off the screen.

The Dolby Atmos track is a sonic marvel, delivering immersive, heart-pounding dynamics that amplify the show's tension. Dialogue is always intelligible and the height channels add overhead dread with creaking structures and distant infected clicks. Surrounds envelop you in chaotic firefights and stealth sequences, with directional precision that makes every arrow release or shotgun blast feel immediate. The foundation-shaking bass grounds the low-rumblings of Clicker hordes and explosive set pieces, creating a fully three-dimensional soundscape. It's reference-quality audio that doesn't just complement the visuals—it elevates the entire survival horror vibe to unforgettable heights.

Video 5/5
Audio 5/5 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

• Making The Last of Us: Season 2
• Growing the World of The Last of Us
• Welcome to Jackson
• Battle of Jackson, Deconstructed
• Joel's Journey to Season 2
• Ellies Journey to Season 2
• Character Featurettes
• Mushroom Taste Test
• Pedro & Bella Q & A
• Open Book: Isabela Merced and Young Mazino
• Stalker Showdown, Deconstructed
• Camera Roll
• In Action
• Ellie's Path
• Beneath the Surface: The Visual FX of The Last of Us

Conclusion
The Last of Us Season 2 4K UHD Steelbook shines on the technical front with reference-quality video and Dolby Atmos audio, but the show tanks to a dismal score thanks to an unlikable Ellie, post-Episode 2 implausibility, logistical head-scratchers, and a teen-drama pivot that turns zombie apocalypse into a soap opera. Pascal and Merced offer brief lifelines, but it's a far cry from Season 1's brilliance. Skip the purchase unless you're a masochistic completist—the Steelbook's sleek design can't save this letdown.

[SRW1000]

Man, it's disappointing to have such an A/V treat dragged down by an awful story and poor acting.

Thanks for sticking it out for us.

[David Vaughn]

Man, it's disappointing to have such an A/V treat dragged down by an awful story and poor acting.

Thanks for sticking it out for us.

Just to clarify..the poor acting was by the lead. Given the 5 year time forward, she should have been recast. 

[bmoney]

When reviewing a series of when it’s bad must be torture lol

[David Vaughn]

When reviewing a series of when it’s bad must be torture lol

Yes...when you just want to turn it off. After I posted my review I went and looked to see what others were saying. It was amazing...reviews were either glowing or brutal, like mine. Nothing in between at all. They either love it or hated it. 

[SRW1000]

Yes...when you just want to turn it off. After I posted my review I went and looked to see what others were saying. It was amazing...reviews were either glowing or brutal, like mine. Nothing in between at all. They either love it or hated it.

I've found the same thing with some of mine.  It usually comes down to the positive reviews appreciating the non-entertainment aspects of the project vs. how well it tells a story.