Upon first watch, it’s easy to relegate Fallout to the heap of video game adaptations that are all show and no substance. There’s the Twisted Metal adaptation that came out with zero fanfare earlier this year, and the Halo series that continues to divide fans and critics alike. Thankfully, Fallout escapes that curse: it’s genuinely good, not because it strains itself to remain faithful to the source material, nor because it strays too far, but because it builds on the existing world with plenty of imagination and original characters. These characters are complex, too, with conflicting morals that are challenged in interesting ways. Lucy is a principled do-gooder, but whether that’s because of her nature or privileged circumstance is continually questioned in the Wasteland. Maximus is a brave warrior you want so badly to root for, but his end-justifies-the-means approach complicates that urge. But probably the best thing about Fallout is its incisive commentary on the evils of capitalism. “The future is management” and “We are all products” are genuinely scary themes that could lead to the end of our world too.
"There’s a lot to recommend with Fallout."
— Nicholas Quah
"It's a show that recalls “Westworld,” “Lost,” “Deadwood,” and old-fashioned family sitcoms … all at the same time. It turns out that the end of the world will be a pop culture mash-up."
— Brian Tallerico
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.
More than 200 years after a nuclear explosion decimates America, a new world order ruled by violence and chaos has taken over the country. It’s in this landscape where Vault-dweller Lucy (Ella Purnell), Knight Maximus (Aaron Moten), and The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) cross paths and take on an adventure that could change the world once more.
The production design team deserves full praise for building a heaping, disgusting, kooky, mess of a world, which is high praise for a place called The Wasteland! Also, the Ghouls are genuinely scary.
If you’re one of the five people who saw the Twisted Metal adaptation, this is like that but better—with hints of Westworld, Lost, The Walking Dead, and most modern sitcoms.
