I have fond memories of the Fallout games. More often than not, I would wipe a tear away or full-on cry as I got obliterated by a Deathclaw over and over again, and I’d have to rage quit, or I would gleefully squeal if I vapourised a raider with my Junk Jet gun at point-blank range, and I would get a power complex as I mini-nuked a townstead out of existence.

There is something sacred about these sorts of experiences in gaming, so being a gamer, I am always going to be a little bit biased towards T.V. shows inspired by games. I just love the idea of bringing things to life on the big screen that brings us so much joy as a community, but I’m also not deluded by the fact these are often vapid and disrespectful to their lore or just downright excess with ugly CGI.

Fallout, the TV series based on the popular role-playing video games by Bethesda Softworks, and airing on Amazon Prime Video, may not be a direct interpretation of any of the 9 Fallout games’ stories, thankfully, but it fits into the continuity of the world perfectly with its original tales. Airing on the 10th of April, the wastelands have never looked so good.

Characters and Casting

Right out of the gate with episode 1, we are introduced to each main character and given a quick rundown of their backstories. Lucy, played by Ella Purnell, perfectly encapsulates the American darling-ness, but also the naive ignorance of a typical vault dweller whose ancestors were the rich and powerful, living in comfort as the world above burned. Her story arc as she evolves from blissfully unaware to a badass while keeping her vault values is fun to watch.

The Ghoul, or Cooper Howard, played by Walton Goggins, is perfectly cast, with his charisma carrying not only his performance but narrative direction. Despite being what seems like a villain, his obvious casting will make The Ghoul everyone’s favourite, especially with his touching back story, explosive action scenes, and Southern drawl.

What feels like the weakest of the 3 main characters is Maximus, played by Aaron Moten. Aaron does a great job acting with what it provided, but with so many overlapping story arcs, his is the one that lacked any suspense or consequential danger until well into the end of the series, making his character harder to relate to. As a whole though, the characters portray an excellent chemistry and were always interesting when all 3 were together.

While some secondary characters are memorable, such as Matt Berry, who is gold in anything he stars in, portraying Cooper’s friend Codsworth and lending his voice to Snip Snip, most do not stand up to the main cast. Moldaver, played by Sarita Choudhury, falls a bit flat as another chief antagonist, and despite being a driving motivator for Lucy, is scarcely seen despite her gritty acting chops. Norm, Lucy’s brother, played by Moises Arias, falls fate to the same problems, showing promise but being put in situations that should be more impactful than depicted.

Cinematics

Shot for shot, this series generally surprised me. Video game movies and series tend to spiral into the realm of cheesy, but each set in the Fallout series looks amazing. From tight views of inside the 50s-inspired vaults to sweeping shots of outside in the barren wastelands of America, they seem to nail it. The show is full of Fallout artefacts that any gamer would be proud of.

The CGI and effects are not too outlandishly overproduced, and a lot of that comes down to the practical make-up used on most characters, especially Walton Goggins’ character, The Ghoul. Cinematic shots, like the initial shockwave in Episode 1, are shot so well that the no escape from the inevitable left an apple-sized lump in my throat. It was that emotionally impactful. It is gory too. Oh boy, it’s so gory, but it’s so shocking it’s mesmerising. Fabulously choreographed gun fights leave limbs pulverised and blood spraying in all the butchery you would expect from the overpowered weapons of post-apocalyptic California.

The audio tracking is probably one of the most creative and inspiring I have seen in a TV series in a long time. Reminiscent of any Fallout game, the series is full of jazz, country and blues roots tunes from 1940’s Java Jives to the 60’s Johnny Cash. Opening up first in episode 1 with Nat King Cole’s ‘Orange Coloured Sky’ to the last song in Episode 8 with The Ink Spots’ ‘We Three’, the producers know how to perfectly bookend the episodes through music.

Impressions and Critques

Initial impressions of the series are that it is very true to the source material; a very honourable and rare achievement. Creators, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, and Executive Producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, have encapsulated Bethesda’s whole fantasy world while also extending the lore with respect and intrinsic detail, creating such a worthy and addictive narrative. The gritty and cutting comparisons of everybody’s individual ideologies and plight are everywhere, albeit striking or even subtle. From the corny sweetness of the Pitboy and its stark contrast to the terrors of the surface, or the T-60 Power Armour stealing every scene with its badassery and seer overpowered-ness, everything reminds you that life was not fair, just like your run in the game.

As Todd Howard, the CEO of Bethesda has outlined, the writers have been able to do ‘the one thing we could never do,’ and that is to embark on the overwhelming and tremendous task of developing a backstory for the events leading up to the world apocalypse. They have tackled this task expertly, creating a sense of paranoia and fragility in the population, but it’s also a political satire that fits in with the games in a serious depiction of war.

As predicted with a debut series, it does get slow at times, offering little explanation of key factions such as The Brotherhood of Steel or the Enclave. The pacing also becomes a little jumpy, with too many arcs bouncing back between each episode, and some needing dedicated episodes to flesh out some of the more emotional moments.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Fallout the TV series, Season 1, has stayed true to everything Bethesda’s Fallout game franchise brings to the table, while also bringing new and exciting lore that feels like it fits in seamlessly. Full of everything that makes the games great, the series does suffer from some pacing issues trying to fit all the charm and brutalness in.

Regardless, the showrunners have done a damn good job at developing and fleshing out such a beloved game series. I really can’t wait for the already-announced Season 2, and I look forward to seeing where the future of this series goes.

Fallout, is releasing exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday 11 April.

Written by: Stacey