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Star Rating:
Fallout is a live-action TV series adaptation of the video game franchise, set 200 years after a war ended in nuclear fallout. It follows three main characters: Lucy, a vault dweller who leaves her vault when raiders attack and kidnap her father; Maximus, a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, out on his first mission; and the Ghoul, a human affected by radiation.
To be honest, I haven’t played Fallout, so I can’t say whether this was an accurate adaptation. However, my brother is a fan who has, and he was happy with this series. I’ve watched him play some of the games, and he’s shared some information with me. I’ve also played the board game. You can check out my review of that here.
This adaptation takes place after the games. This allows the creators of the show to keep the lore and history of the games intact but not struggle to properly adapt the story from one of them. They are free to be creative and write their own stories that fit into the world.
And they did an excellent job doing just that. Even with the limited knowledge I have, I can tell that Easter Eggs from the games and the lore of Fallout were all over the place in this series. Those working on this show clearly cared about getting the Fallout universe right.
They also wrote an interesting story with great characters. I wanted to keep watching to find out what would happen next, even when I knew I had to stop for that day. Each episode hooks you in. You want to know what’s going to happen to the characters or find answers to the secrets in the series. Even now, I want a second season already so I can watch more.
I think one of the best parts of this series are the characters. The main characters are well-written and interesting. They each have different personalities that make them unique to each other, and they see situations in the wastelands differently. Though I tended to like Lucy and the Ghoul more than Maximus, he was still a good character.
While I love Lucy, especially for her upbeat and optimistic attitude, I can’t help but feel like the Ghoul really stole the show. He was the highlight of every scene he was in. Walton Goggins gave him so much charisma that even when he is doing something bad, you still like him. Not to mention, he had some of the best lines of dialogue in the show. He’s charming, and as you learn more about his past and what he’s lost, you grow to like him more and more.
No character is perfect. They all have their strengths and weaknesses that make them human, even in a post-apocalyptic world filled with radiation. Their pasts shape their personalities, and their actions and dialogue reflect that perfectly.
Lucy is naive and wants to solve problems in peaceful ways. Her upbringing in the vault influences her attitude. The Brotherhood of Steel raised Maximus in a more militant background. He understands how the world works, but his knowledge is limited to what the Brotherhood allows him to know.
And the Ghoul, who’s been living on the wasteland for 200 years, is affected by the rough and unforgiving life it offers him, yet hints of his old self show that his past isn’t completely gone from him.
The sets, costumes, and props were well done, and all the extra details were a nice touch. I also adored the choice of music. I know the 50s music is already part of the Fallout video games, but the contrast it has against the gore and violence is perfect.
The only negatives I had towards the series were due to personal preferences. I don’t like a lot of blood and gore, and this series had a lot of it. Now, from what I heard, that’s also part of the games, but I still didn’t like it. I get uncomfortable with too much of it, and sometimes that’ll make it hard for me to enjoy watching something. But honestly, since I liked the story and characters so much, I still enjoyed it regardless.
Also, I really didn’t need some of the sexual jokes or the nudity they added. It’s not really my thing, and I don’t tend to find that funny. But I know everyone has different senses of humor or might not care. Still, a few scenes weren’t needed. I won’t go into specifics, but I didn’t need to see so many people naked to know they were crazy.
The Fallout series hooked me in, and I still haven’t been able to get out. It’s a well-written story with interesting, likeable characters and an excellent cast of actors who did a great job at playing their specific roles. I fully enjoyed it, despite there being a few minor details that didn’t appeal to me personally. I highly recommend watching it for those who are fans of Fallout and even those who aren’t, as you can still enjoy the series fully without having played the games.
You can watch the Fallout series on Amazon’s Prime Video.
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