Fallout (TV Series) Impressions | The End of the World Never Looked so Good

Bursting with delight after watching the first two episodes of this highly anticipated video game television adaptation from the advance screening of the series, my early impressions of the Fallout TV series is that it is an absolute must-watch for long-time fans of the video game series. It is outright entertaining, impressive, and true to its core and I can’t wait to watch the world burn by binge-watching all the episodes of course!

The end of the world never looked so good, surreal, and cinematic with what Amazon has done for this moving picture show and I find myself wanting more of it. To the uninitiated and aspirant geeks wanting to get into this franchise’s universe, this property is based on one of the most iconic science fiction games of all time, “FALLOUT” which started way back in 1997 and developed by Black Isle Studo. It started as a turn-based role playing game set in a post-apocalyptic era in the United States of America or what is left of it anyways. They developed Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 of the series. Later on, Bethesda Studio took over with the release of the main games of the Fallout title in 2008 starting with Fallout 3 and onward as the third-person role-playing shooter.

The Fallout setting makes use of many mature subject matters with its dark satirical comedy, gory visuals, and artistical retro-futuristic atompunk themes. It probes into profound themes of morality, survival, resilience, and resourcefulness amidst the ruins and chaos of a nuclear holocaust. One can only imagine how an individual can survive this desolate wasteland brought about by nuclear winter but the good thing is you won’t need to, now that you can watch it all on Prime Video in the comfort of your own home or someone else’s house through the use of a moving-picture box or your mobile device.

Liberty Prime makes its way to Prime Video as it unveils the highly anticipated Fallout series on April 11, 2024. Prepare yourselves as you embark on a journey through the radioactive wasteland in a post-nuclear desolate world where every encounter could just be another radioactive twist, or turn that awaits. Immerse yourself as both TV buffs and fans of the video game delves into the narrative.

We’re all a bit wary of how video game TV adaptations tend to not go as well as we want them to be, except for HBO’s “The Last of Us” which has set a pretty high bar for the television genre, but based on the first two episodes, it really looks truly promising. The costumes are all well made from the typical vault dweller uniform to the western-looking wasteland survivors, and most impressive are the Brotherhood of Steel T-60 Power Armor suits. The CGI effects are superbly done as well. From mutated wildlife that would make Australia’s wildlife look like a play park to the many strange technological wonders that came from the franchise’s sci-fi imaginative creators, it is all a visual treat. The show has no shortage of fierce action and in-your-face gore. Violent brawls and old western shootouts where gruesome injuries and death are often the results are well choreographed and the camera angles are well placed. I love how the show’s subtle use of the video game’s “VATS” where for those in the know, the VATS is sort of the game’s bullet time where everything slows done during combat so you can aim better.

The show sports an original story that draws heavily on the storytelling themes of the recent games. Mystery and treachery are plenty as almost everything in the wasteland is either trying to exploit you or kill you. Surviving in the surface wasteland makes a person make “morally” questionable choices in order to get by. I love how the show explores three distinct perspectives about life in a post-nuclear environment. There are plenty of fun scenes that make use of dark comedy and satire as the many denizens of the wasteland have some kind of kink or lunacy in their character. Cray-cray is just the norm in a post-apocalyptic environment. The series also makes delightful use to full effect the 1950s  thematic music that is well known in the Fallout series of games.

Officially endorsed as part of the Fallout canon, the television show’s story is set in the year 2296 in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The eight-episode series follows the three main characters played by Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, and Walton Goggins as they find themselves making their way through the hazardous wasteland each with their own agenda that occasionally align or conflict with one another. Ella who plays the goody two-shoe vault-dweller of Vault 33 named Lucy who is in over her head as she leaves the comforts and safety of her Vault to embark on a perilous quest in search of her father amidst the vast wasteland. Maximus who is portrayed by Aaron, is an orphan taken in and raised by the Brotherhood of Steel a quasi-religious technocratic military order. An ambitious young man who wants to climb the ranks of the order by accomplishing the assigned quest. The Ghoul which is brought to life by Walton Goggins, a deformed and practically immortal due to mutations brought about by nuclear radiation, is a bounty hunter with a mysterious past who in his former life was an actor.

Executive produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy of Kilter Films, with Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serving as co-showrunners, the series marks a collaborative effort between Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Kilter Films, and Amazon MGM Studios.

Final thoughts

It’s funny, it’s violent, it has an air of mystery to it. With just the first two episodes, it really does live up to the hype and is faithfully true to the franchise. It is brilliantly done with the design and attention to detail this looks to be another great TV adaptation that’ll be enjoyed by old and new fans alike.

All episodes of Fallout are available on Prime Video now.