Halfway through Fallout, I went to download Fallout and Fallout 2 on GOG – as well as getting Fallout 3 (which I’ve never played before) on Amazon Prime Gaming. That’s how much nostalgia Fallout generated for me. I was apprehensive at first, of course. Video game adaptations for film and TV can be a little hit or miss. Being completely different mediums, what works well for a game may not work well for a live-action narrative. But adaptations need to be faithful to the source material – the fans will know.
Fallout was faithful to its source material.
And I knew.
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Synopsis
Fallout is a post-apocalyptic drama that’s based on the video game franchise. It sees a daughter emerging from the safety of a nuclear fallout shelter to rescue her father – only to find out that the irradiated wasteland is unlike anything she ever expected.
Directors: Jonathan Nolan, Clare Kilner, Frederick E.O. Toye, Daniel Gray Longino, and Wayne Yip
Writers: Chaz Hawkins, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner, Karey Dornetto, Kieran Fitzgerald, Carson Mell, and Gursimran Sandhu
Cast:
- Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean)
- Aaron Moten (Maximus)
- Kyle MacLachlan (Hank MacLean)
- Moisés Arias (Norm MacLean)
- Xelia Mendes-Jones (Dane)
- Walton Goggins (The Ghoul/Cooper Howard)
- Sarita Choudhury (Lee Moldaver)
- Frances Turner (Barb Howard)
- Michael Emerson (Dr. Siggi Wilzig)
- Michael Esper as (Bud Askins)
Truly feels like a Fallout game
The Vaults, the wasteland, the cities, the ghouls, the Vault jumpsuits, the doors – from the minute we’re introduced to the Fallout setting, everything feels authentic. That’s what hooked me for 3 straight episodes (I didn’t wash the dishes that night). It felt like I was watching the journey of a character in the game itself, with all its dark humour and fictional brands. It felt like the only thing I wasn’t involved in was the character creation of the three main protagonists – Lucy (Ella Purnell), Maximus (Aaron Moten), and the Ghoul (Walton Goggins). Otherwise, it recreated that feeling of exploration, that feeling of being a small sliver of hope amidst widespread despair.
By recreating the feel of the Fallout game, Fallout not only hooked me with its production quality – it also convinced me that its creators were real Fallout fans, and that I could trust in them to deliver a show that felt true to the game. What more can you expect from a show adapted from a video game?
And Shady Sands, oh, Shady Sands. I wasn’t that attached to the town when I first visited it, but I remembered it clearly. To see the fate that’s befallen it in Fallout was not only a tremendous gut punch, it made me realise just how well the writers knew its fans – and just how much it knew to wring the emotion from us.
Amazing set design and production values
Part of what makes Fallout feel so much like a Fallout game is the set design. It’s the little things that count – that they use caps as currency, that stimpaks abound in the world, or even just the ubiquitous Vault Boy art that abounds. The attention to detail is phenomenal, and it makes for a much richer viewing experience when you’re constantly noticing the little touches that build that sense of immersion into the world.
A story of the cruel ravaging of innocence
Ella Purnell plays the part of the innocent, naive Vault Dweller that is Lucy Maclean to a T. She’s well-mannered and polite – a product of a society that abides strictly by the rules and thrives on decorum and conduct. But it’s when she emerges into the Wasteland and has her innocence savaged by everything and anything that moves, that you realise just how much this is a coming-of-age tale.
Being Singaporean, I have to say that Lucy’s sojourn to the Wasteland mirrors the first time I went overseas. After all, Singapore’s well-oiled society has similarities to the efficiency of a Vault, and experiencing other countries can be quite a culture shock (although that’s not to say that other countries are like the Wasteland, it’s just that Singapore is like a Vault). So from that perspective, I could identify very much with Lucy.
Every character is an asshole
One of the themes of the show is how much the Wasteland changes you, and how everybody becomes an asshole after living in the merciless wilds aboveground. Lucy’s transformation from wide-eyed, compliant citizen to a competent survivor (still doe-eyed though) showcases this theme clearly – especially when she becomes an asshole, just like everyone else. Thankfully, Lucy still keeps her moral fibre and guiding compass. But it’s both amusing and true-to-life when you see every single character displaying flaws that are a product of their environment.
Some unexplained plot points
The plotting is tight and the writing is snappy. But in order to preserve the pace of the plot, some plot elements were not explained. The lifespan of one of the antagonists felt like a gaping plot point that was never explained in the series (probably being saved for Season 2, me thinks), as well as some of the other named animals and the timeline of events. Nevertheless, they’re few enough that it doesn’t impact the overall logic of the show.
Conclusion
Fallout is one of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever watched, be it for the silver screen or the big screen. I mean, I went to re-download the games I’ve completed as well as the games I’ve never played (Fallout 3 is free on Amazon Prime Gaming till 13 June!). If anything, there’s a slight sense of irony that a story which condemns massive corporations was made by a massive corporation, but it’s all in the vein of Fallout‘s dark humour. I look forward to its second season with great relish. But if there’s anything that’ll stay the same, it’ll be war. War never changes.
Score: 9/10
Fallout is available on Amazon Prime Video now.
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com.
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