Starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten and Walton Goggins, the Fallout series on Amazon Prime Video adapts a new story set in the world of the video game series of the same name.
Instead of reimagining an already existing story, Fallout continues the plot nine years after the events of Fallout 4.
The series takes place in the general Los Angeles area in a retro-futuristic world that has dealt with the aftermath of a nuclear war for over 200 years.
There are three main characters Lucy (Purnell), Maximus (Moten) and the Ghoul (Goggins), with entirely different backgrounds representing the different ways of life in this alternate history take on reality. Each of these characters has their own goals and motivations but they’re in search of the same item, which sometimes puts them into conflict with each other.
The show starts off with a pre-war scene that takes place before the atomic war and continues centuries into the aftermath when Lucy has to leave the relative safety of her vault to find her kidnapped father. She has to learn to adapt to life on the surface while trying to retain what humanity she can.
These characters do an excellent job of representing the different ways you can play a Fallout game. Since the video game series is all about roleplaying, you make your own characters. The show depicts different choices a player can make through a good-natured vault dweller, a morally gray member of the Brotherhood of Steel, and a somewhat evil mutant bounty hunter.
As the show progresses through its eight episodes for the first season, these characters develop and change by learning from each other. None of the main characters are the same people they were by the end of the first season, each one has their motivations and ideals almost completely altered.
With the large amount of existing post-apocalypse media already in existence, new fans may be surprised by the uniqueness Fallout brings to the genre. The world is very retro in design but advanced at the same time, creating an interesting 1950s sort of retro-futuristic landscape with black and white televisions as well as robot butlers.
One of the best ways the series adapted the games was the set design.
Just about everything you see is pulled straight from the games and a surprisingly large amount of it is practical effects. There’s a mix of different items and designs from most, if not all, of the games.
On top of that, all of the acting is top-notch, especially coming from the main cast. The story and worldbuilding are also very engaging, building a mystery that deepens as the show progresses. All of this adds up to make it accessible to those who don’t know much about the games and just want a good show to watch.
For fans of the game series, the most important thing is probably going to be maintaining the tone and lore that has been building for over 25 years now.
The show is filled with over-the-top violence, dark comedy and irony that already existing fans are well familiar with. It juggles these themes with serious and sometimes melancholic ones successfully throughout, with no scene feeling too out of place.
Little to nothing changes with what’s been established in the past. The only real changes are additions to existing stories and the way certain items work. However, there are some creative choices made in the latter half of the show some long-time fans might be divided on.
Despite this, the Fallout series is likely one of the best and most faithful video game adaptations ever made and has already been renewed for a second season.
Hopefully, it will continue to deliver on the faithfully strong first season we already have and bring more new fans into this wonderfully unique world.
