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Tomorrow the adaptation of Fallout will be released on Amazon Prime Video and we have already ventured into the treacherous wasteland for you.
In addition to Bethesda Softworks’ game director Todd Howard, Westworld producer power couple Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were also involved in the production of the series. While Nolan directed the first three of eight approximately one-hour episodes, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner served as showrunners.
In Fallout we experience the events taking place in the post-apocalyptic United States from three very different perspectives: Vault dweller Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) lives a carefree life underground until Vault 33 is attacked by raiders and her father, overseer Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), is kidnapped and she is forced to fight her way through the barren wasteland. Having joined the Brotherhood of Steel as a child after a tragic event in a location that will be familiar to Fallout fans, Squire Maximus (Aaron Moten) sets off on a quest with his knight, dressed in the iconic T-60 mech suit, to locate a pretty important person. Wherever there’s a bounty to be had, the Ghoul (Walton Goggins) is usually close by. The morally ambiguous noseless wrinkled face and was a Hollywood actor in his previous life. Thanks to the high radiation exposure, he hasn’t felt the need to take down his cowboy hat, even after 200 years.
The series takes us to varied locations, such as the clinically clean vaults and teaches us about the sometimes crude traditions that have arisen here, and also to the big dirty make-shift cities that unite a diverse population of humans, ghouls and everything in between and outside. The rich vault population is not particularly welcomed with open arms there. We also explore what’s left of cities like Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which is portrayed in a similarly impressive way as in last year’s HBO adaptation of The Last of Us. Especially in the midst of the wasteland, we meet many colorful characters in which the dry humor of the series shines – from stoned organ dealers to a charlatan who tries to sell all kinds of home-brewed potions (Nigel West Dickens from Red Dead Redemption sends his regards). We’ll remember the iconic performance of Matt Berry as the friendly killer robot Snip-Snap.
Even though we follow Lucy’s brother Norm MacLean (Moises Arias) later in the story, the three protagonists drive the plot. There is also the supposed antagonist Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), initially reminiscent of Marlene from The Last of Us. Vault-Tec’s schemes also play an important role in the first season. While we witness a huge atomic bomb explosion in Los Angeles in the first five minutes of the show, numerous flashbacks show us how the apocalypse came about. Especially the middle part with its focus on the relatively insignificant vault life felt a little lengthy, but towards the end the story really picks up the pace and culminates in an exciting finale full of twists and turns. The character development in particular kept us glued to the screen until the end.
Not only the beautiful set design, the great make-up and the good CGI effects as well as the great acting performances, but also Ramin Djawadi’s score and the licensed music from the likes of Johnny Cash contribute to the dense atmosphere of Fallout to a similar extent as the games accomplish. When we listen to the score and see the merciless ghoul wandering through the wastes in his cowboy outfit with Lucy in her white clothes in tow, we can’t not think of Westworld. The second season will probably take us to New Vegas. We remain hopeful that this show will get a dignified ending unlike Westworld and won’t be cancelled prematurely.
Conclusion
Fans of the video game series are going to watch Fallout anyway. Though even if you haven’t had any experience with the Bethesda series, you should give this adaptation a chance. Though it could have been told in a shorter running time, the story will keep you engaged until the end. We’re looking forward to see which locations and easter eggs will be included in the second season.
Amazon provided us with Fallout.