Fallout review: Prime Video’s violent post-apocalyptic video game adaptation is surprisingly human

Imagine a world in which 219 years have passed since a horrific nuclear explosion, and a select group of humans now live within secure, luxurious underground vaults – cultured havens where life is as dreamy as can be. It’s like getting a guide to living a simple life in the tunnels – along with the weirdness of viewing real-world images with a virtual projector.

Outside these vaults, everything is strange, frightening, perilous, radioactive, chaotic, bloody and unpredictable – in short, the world is now an absolute nightmare. You could contract radiation sickness, fall prey to giant cockroaches, be hunted by mutant humans, or be forced to sell your teeth for money.

Fasten your seat belts, this is just the beginning! Welcome to the wonderful world of Prime Video’s Fallout, a post-apocalyptic show based on the popular video game series of the same name. Although its events take place in the same universe, the series is not based on a specific game in the series; Instead, it incorporates key themes and elements from the games and brings in staples of the series like ghouls, golbers, pep-boys and more.

As someone who has never played a single Fallout game before and doesn’t enjoy violence very much, I was expecting to feel bored, frustrated, and dragged through the demo – but my experience was anything but! In fact, the show kept me glued throughout, and whenever my interest deviated even slightly, something unexpected would appear.

Fallout TV series review: Not your typical video game adaptation

Maximus, played by Aaron Moten, plays Lucy’s ally on her unexpected journey to the surface

The Fallout TV series is more than just an R-rated video game. It has a plethora of gory scenes, with people smashing eyes out with forks, pulling out teeth with their bare hands, stitching up wounds, blowing heads out like Christmas candles, and dismembering everything human. But Fallout explores nuanced human emotions in detail as well, as it delves into a complex array of war, political, existential, humanitarian turmoil, and much more. It will make you laugh, gasp, curse, and roll your eyes, all at once.

As the curtains rise, we meet Lucy played by Ella Purnell, a gentlewoman from Vault no. 33 who’s looking for a suitable mate from a different cellar now – because she’s tired of “cousin stuff” that isn’t “good long-term reproductive practice” (her words, not ours!).

One thing leads to another, and Lucy decides to break the rules and venture out into the real world on a mission, oblivious to what is in store for her, to begin the adventure of a lifetime. It’s painfully funny to see her trying to be polite to criminals, even when her life is on the line. She’ll give you a little speech justifying why she shot you, she’ll make a polite comment about how torture is immoral while you’re being drowned by violent creatures, and she’ll politely ask you for directions while pointing a gun at you.

On the surface, she meets Maximus (Aaron Moten), a trained companion of the Brotherhood of Steel – the military faction working to restore order to the wasteland. The knight will serve Titus one day. For those of you who know the games, yes, the knight troopers are decked out in T60 power armor in the show. Maximus appears to be weak in the herd and is often taken advantage of by his fellows. No matter how meek he appears on the surface, he is full of ambition and fueled by envy. In short, he is as human as he can be.

Another character that Lucy finds – and who honestly stole the show for me – is the sassy, ​​cowboy-clad ghoul Walton Goggins who wears sarcasm on his sleeves. This hideous creature has been around since the fall of the nuclear bombs, has no nose, has a distinct accent, and is not shy about tormenting anyone. It carries a mysterious and interesting aura and has some of the wildest dialogues. He will make you hate him so much, yet you will find yourself in awe of him. The way the show’s writers have revealed his character in layers over the course of the eight episodes is impressive. (Sorry, I can’t reveal much without giving away spoilers).

Fallout TV series review: Subplots make it more interesting

The story of the three heroes is equally poignant, intense, and of course interconnected. Besides that, Fallout offers plenty of subplots as well – none of which overstuff the text.

One such subplot worth mentioning is Lucy’s brother Norm (Moises Arias). He is a shy man who lacks enthusiasm. But through the character of Norm, the series skillfully depicts the inherent human instinct for survival. The will to exist can fall deep into the abyss of human existence, and yet find its way out almost immediately when the right opportunity presents itself.

Fallout Review: A screenplay that taps into the complexities of human emotions

Walton Goggins’ character arc is an interesting one in the series

That’s the beauty of a Fallout scenario. He smoothly touches on the subtle complexities of human emotions, which feel completely natural and relatable. Whether it’s the idea of ​​people who have been bullied becoming bullies, pent-up emotions surfacing for milliseconds, or animal humans stopping a violent fight to enjoy cake, the writers have done an admirable job of keeping things as real as possible, even if they’ve been set. Post-apocalyptic stylized.

The same is true of political instability, classism, and the plausible consequences of unregulated capitalism, which are cleverly depicted. Great attention has been paid to other fine details as well, such as the books being read in the cupboards or even the breakfasts being served, in this regard. The show’s production design is also full of detail. For example, although the basements are high-tech, the televisions there look exactly like the ones that appeared seconds before the mass destruction. The wedding dress itself is passed down from generation to generation, with the names of the brides who wore it etched into it as well as the year of their wedding.

It is also interesting to see how the vault dwellers, who have never been outside during their lives, have in-depth knowledge of Shakespearean literature and advanced physics and aspire to one day “recolonize” and “civilize” the real world – exploring one possible scenario of how humanity might hold on so tightly to the last vestiges of the era. Civilized when pushed into a closed capsule.

Fallout’s background score also excels, depicting the dualities of life in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Could you choose to use a romantic song in a scene where two dangling, almost rotten heads collide, or play Herb Alpert’s slow, sensual Ladyfinger when four very frightened people walk at gunpoint with their hands up? The background score also sparks fun with the most unexpected beats at the most unexpected moments. Special shout out to show creator Ramin Djawadi for coming up with a score that brings out the darkly humorous world of Fallout.

Fallout TV Series Review: Final Verdict

All eight Fallout episodes can now be streamed on Prime Video. While each episode is packed with action and surprises, your jaw will likely drop to the floor halfway through the series. It will make you wonder about the nature of wars, the future of humanity, the basic values ​​of existence, and how strange a post-apocalyptic world might seem. And with a finale that leaves us with more questions than answers, the series has already hinted at a second season. Fallout is the perfect blend of adventure, survival, humour, greed and unpredictability, and will likely attract a whole new audience to the wonderful world brought together by the video game series.