On April 10, the sci-fi post-apocalyptic series «Fallout» was released on Prime Video. Its plot is based on the role-playing video game series of the same name, and this promising project was developed by the showrunners of the hit HBO series «Westworld» Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. In the review below, we find out whether they managed to create a project that will delight both fans of the original game source and ordinary viewers.
Pluses:
an exciting adventure in an authentic setting, mostly of the Bethesda era; great attention to the smallest details of the local universe; lively black humor; appropriate music, including music directly from the game; Easter eggs scattered here and there, in general, a wonderful escapist entertainment that can be easily swallowed in a binge
Minuses:
it will probably be difficult for newcomers to plunge into this world; not all character arcs are equally interesting; some important elements of the lore were clearly saved for later
«Fallout»
Genre post-apocalyptic western, science fiction, black comedy, drama
Developers Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
Starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Emerson
Premiere Prime Video
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
On a fine October day in 2077, western star Cooper Howard witnesses a nuclear apocalypse that will go down in history as the Great War. As a result of mutual attacks by China and USA, most of humanity will be destroyed, and the United States will turn into a scorched wasteland, on the ruins of which new factions and groups will eventually emerge. In addition to them, this world will be flooded with all sorts of mutants — from radtargans and bears to ghoules that were once humans. Some of them have already lost their minds and completely turned into walking dead.
There are also those who were lucky enough to find themselves in shelters specially equipped for rescue. Two centuries after the end of the world, a young girl named Lucy McLean (almost McClane which already suggests her almost coolness), who plans to marry a man from the neighboring 32nd Warehouse.
But the happiness of the wedding night is overshadowed by a trap set by a gang of raiders who brazenly invade the hideout. They kidnap Lucy’s father, so the girl sets off on a dangerous journey across the Wasteland in search of him. There she will meet many interesting characters, including a scientist with a faithful dog, a slightly twitchy Brotherhood of Steel squire Maximus, and Cooper Howard, already in the guise of a cool cowboy-ghoul.
It is probably not worth reminding you once again how iconic the Fallout game series has become and how thorny its path has been. Over its 27 years of existence, the game has managed to fall under the control of another publisher, evolve considerably, and acquire several generations of gamer fans for whom the Wasteland has become almost like a home.
After a huge success adaptations The Last of Us, which, by the way, inspired by and the authors of «Fallout», for the second year in a row, we have a reference transfer of the universe of the cult game into a miniseries format. And this is not to mention the highly successful full-length blockbusters like «Uncharted» or «Sonic».
This means at least two things. First, in the three decades since the release of «Super Mario Brothers», filmmakers have finally learned how to adequately translate game lore into the movie realm (Paul Anderson’s early successes were more of an exception among the pile of junk). The second — evolution of the genre video game adaptations gave the audience a great alternative to comic books, which have seen their best days. So the mutual understanding of the two major entertainment industries signals that this genre is ready to take its own warm place among all these Thanos, Optimus Prime and Dominic Toretto. Next up for us «Borderlands».
Given the strong fan base, the creators of the series had a great responsibility, but after watching it, we can say for sure that they almost brilliantly coped with the task.
The plot of «Fallout» offers a fascinating adventure with a typical game macguffin; here it is literally Michael Emerson’s head, which is gradually rotting. Events unfold in a frenzied post-apocalyptic setting, replete with bizarre retro futurism, eye-catching Easter eggs (Vault Boy will haunt us a little less often than usual), and appropriate black humor. And bloody carnage, of course.
However, while the majority of fans of this universe should like the Amazon show, as evidenced by the mega-high ratings, the new audience will definitely have questions. For unprepared viewers who primarily associate the name «Fallout» with the next installment of «Mission impossible» rather than a series of action/RPG games, local adventures can seem like a lot of trash.
From the very first minutes, the authors manage to surprise us with the scene of the beginning of the apocalypse, when the idyll of a child’s birthday party is disrupted by the appearance of ruthless nuclear mushrooms that literally «grow» within the sunny Los Angeles.
The story has three main plot lines — Lucy, Maximus, and Ghoul, which in one way or another intersect with each other Individually, these arcs are not all equally interesting, but together they form a strange, and surprising, plot mess from which it is impossible to take your eyes off for all 8 episodes. From an entertainment-escapist point of view, it’s a hypnotic, almost perfect show, and therein lies its success, because isn’t it for the sake of complete immersion in alternate worlds or eras that we love video games?
While Lucy is completely detached from reality at the beginning of the journey – that’s what happens when you stay in a bunker for a long time — Maximus longs to become a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel and try on the power armor. Of course, you know that this is a rough version of Tony Stark’s costume, which has become one of the main symbols of the franchise (his helmet is on the covers of the main series of games). Ghoul, on the other hand, resembles the Red Skull, speaking of Marvel, rather than a typical mutant, which doesn’t stop him from being the most interesting character on the show, not least because of Walton Goggins’ talents.
In general, this sensational project can still be talked about for a long time and without ceasing, meticulously looking for another reference or maybe some non-canon. But the story doesn’t allow itself to drown in a continuous fanservice and offers a really fun and exciting adventure. That’s why my thumb keeps stretching up.