Prime Video’s Fallout season 1 perfectly captures the feel of the video game in a way that will have players, and non-players, thrilled.
Fallout is a popular video game franchise for a reason. Set in a post apocalyptic world, players are tasked with navigating a changed world. They can go the violent route, or the nice and polite route. Very much an open world game with a central plot weaved in, gamers are given the chance to explore and do things their way. Because of this, the replayability is endless.
When Prime Video announced the series, it was easy to lean more towards cautiously optimistic instead of excited. There is a lot that goes into the Fallout franchise, making it truly difficult to narrow down what kind of genre the show should tackle. In the end, it is clear the creative team behind it, from the writers to the director, are fans of the video games.
As seen in the trailer, the Easter eggs are abundant. But thankfully they do not completely take over the show or confuse those who are not familiar with the games. They are perfectly placed so that they are exciting to those who will understand the verbal reference or visual, but they do not overshadow the plot.
Within the games, there are factions – The Brotherhood of Steel, Vault Dwellers, The Children of the Cathedral – just to name a few. The Prime Video series does a wonderful jobof incorporating several major players, but not too many so that things get muddled.
Maximus (Aaron Moten) is a member of The Brotherhood of Steel, complete with a power armor suit that looks as if it was ripped right out of the video game. Every last detail is perfect, right down to the slower movement and hanging it up on a yellow rig so that he can fix or improve it.
Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) is a vault dweller who unexpectedly ends up with the desire to leave her vault and explore the wastelands in the search of something near and dear to her (the effort to avoid spoilers is reall right now…).
Walton Goggins takes on the role of The Ghoul, who has been around since the start of the apocalypse and the great war. He is the connection between the past and the present in the series, as we often dive into his life prior to the drop of the bombs in an effort to learn more about him and the world around him.
Giving viewers these three different perspectives throughout the series is a brilliant move. It allows us to truly understand that this is a story of the haves and have-nots. It might be set in a world that does not exist, and is filled with massive action sequences, violence, and humor, but it is still something we can all relate to — no matter which side of things we are on.
It might sound daunting knowing there are three main characters, but the series does a great job of balancing them out. They cross paths every now and again as well, making it less confusing to keep up with what they are all up to at the same time. Each of the actors does a phenomenal job in their roles, intriguing viewers and perfectly capturing the feel of the series.
Fallout is filled with drama and comedy, as well as crudeness and violence. The world has changed after over two hundreds years of radiation. People are forced to do things they never would in order to get what they need to survive, and the currency is now bottlecaps instead of cash.
Having spoken with a variety of viewers, both who have played the games and who have not, it is clear that no matter your knowledge of the Fallout world, it is easy to get immerced and excited about this series. While it does a wonderful job of looking like the games come to life, it offers enough for those who are new to it all to fall in love with.
The story told in the Prime Video series is a new one that just so happens to be set in the world of Fallout. Just as the games are open world, this very much feels as though there are many, many more stories that could be told should future seasons occur. Every last detail is a perfect comparison to the video games, however it never alienates those who have not played them.
The acting is impecable, the production design stunning, and the dialogue absolutely hilarious, yet heartbreaking at times. The story being told is filled with twists, turns, and shocking reveals that make it difficult to dive into a review without spoiling anyting. There is a lot to love about Fallout. So much so that we have our fingers crossed for a whole lot more.
That final shot will have all fans of the games on their feet and begging for more.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Ella Purnell & Aaron Moten Talk Fallout: Challenges & Fun On Set
About Fallout
Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them.
From executive producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the creators of Westworld, starring Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins and more.
All episodes of Fallout Season 1 arrive April 11 on Prime Video.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.