It's all good. Everybody's got different tastes.
It does pick up a bit, you know the occasional twist here and there, some close calls. If you haven't fallen in love with it yet, i don't think the other 50% will make it happen. If you like it so far, you will then probably enjoy it all the way through. Wait until you get to the winter section of the game. Not spoiling anything, but it does get very intense and hectic at times.
I'm not sure why you think the characters are unlikable. At the very least, ellie is spunky enough to put a grin on your face every now and again and Joel is not your typical, do-gooder hero. He is all sorts of fucked up but tries to stay morally in line.
The gameplay of the game is rather sluggish compared to other 3rd person games, but I'm guessing it was done that way so people wouldn't compare it to the fast-paced gameplay of uncharted. TLoU is a little more "realistic" in the sense that Joel has some miles on him and he's no superhero either.
I think it will pick up for ya a bit and you will certainly enjoy it all the way through if you like it so far. The game isn't for everyone but I think it's a step up for story-driven games like TWD.
"Trick shot? The trick is NOT to get shot." - Lucian
