Fallout is a special kind of video game adaptation. Many, to varying degrees of success, tone down the silliness of their source material and opt for a more realistic interpretation oriented for modern television. Fallout says “to the wasteland” with that, basking in the glorious goofiness that made the games stand out in the first place. Still, it’s also aware that it takes more than that to tell a compelling story in episodic format; it fuses the games’ crazed energy with a story suited for the small screen, breaking barriers in both directions for video game adaptations moving forward whilst also scoring a strong first season itself out of the gate.
“Will you still want the same things when you become a different animal altogether?”
Characters come and go, yet the world below remains the same. Vault dwellers hide from the dangers of radiation, and change, only ever branching out in misconstrued efforts to repopulate a planet they’re too afraid to surface on. Above, things are different; change happens fast, and it’s a constant. The fear is, if you’re up there long enough, you will too. Fallout realizes this in excruciating fashion, sticking sheltered Lucy (Ella Purnell) at the center of the experiment, driving her to the point of no return, irreversible change. Thankfully for the viewer, unaffected by the toxic chemicals and flying syringes, the process is top-notch entertainment.
The first two episodes run relatively slowly, introducing characters and unveiling their paths as they set out on them, usually capped with a well-timed title card and sonic queue. They’re necessary strolls, even if their grip on your attention loosens every now and again. Beyond Lucy’s first developments, Walton Goggins and Aaron Clifton Moten see extensive screen time in their roles as The Ghoul and Maximus, respectively. Where Goggins is cold, Moten is calculated, though they each share similar qualities across the board; the difference is the end to which they use them. Lucy dangles above them both, holding on to a life of morality and regularity with all her might as she quickly drifts out into the wasteland (the scorched, post-apocalyptic Earth) in search of her father.
The three eventually cross paths on a mission bigger than them all, each holding a personal stake that ensures their involvement as the show frolics along in gleeful ignorance of their collective well-being. For those who have played the Fallout games, you’ll appreciate that sense of deliberate carelessness. The unpredictability defines the franchise, and the show incorporating it makes it a better adaptation for it. Truly, this is a brilliant translation from console to camera.
The expertise bleeds beyond the script and soaks into the visuals; frame-by-frame, Fallout thrills with stunning sets full of meticulous details. Even in desperate, dying landscapes, colors find a way to tell their own story and pop. It may be as simple as sticking a skeleton in the sand or dressing extras in the background like they’re cosplaying the Industrial Revolution, but these things add so much to the various settings and steepen the immersion factor in a convincing, fittingly campy, far-future version of our world.
Where Fallout falls behind is in the now. The show falls ill to conventions that a plethora of modern entertainment, especially on the streaming scene, has unfortunately employed. The camera is rather static, especially in comparison to how absurd the content gets, serving a disservice to the latter and, when things slow down, striking the immersion factor with a serious blow.
Further, and perhaps worse, the humor can be a tad flat at times. There are a fair few zingers that land well, and the show runs a few extended sequences of comedy that almost always work, but it relies on the gags so frequently that they become overwhelming after a while. The good stuff runs directly into the bad, and both break into serious scenes far more often than they should. The source material is notoriously humor-heavy, but it’s also a video game, with far less dialogue and weight for the story to carry in comparison to the show. In a game, the experience of controlling a character generally accounts for the disparity, whereas in the show, you can’t just walk away from an unsavory segment; you’ve got to wait it out, and here, that hurts.
But Fallout always manages to reel things back in when they wander too far out. The series is saddled with raw emotion and slick writing that tells a surprisingly human story amidst the bedlam, always sneaking in solid references to the games and their beloved affairs, too. There’s a whole lot to like in this western apocalyptic adventure. Prime Video has come up with a stand-out offering on the streaming front, one that should not only prove to have legs with this opening season but well beyond it. Whoever you are and whatever you like, Fallout has something for you. It’s one of the best shows of the year and a new platform champion for Prime Video.
Fallout will debut exclusively on Prime Video on April 11, 2024.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-mugKDQDlg]
Whoever you are and whatever you like, Fallout has something for you. It’s one of the best shows of the year, and a new platform champion for Prime Video.
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GVN Rating
Movies, long drives, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
