‘Fallout’ Review: Amazon Prime’s Latest Video Game Adaptation to the Small Screen

Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG is the latest video game series to make a big-budget transition to the small screen. Set hundreds of years after a nuclear annihilation wipes out 1950s America, Fallout explores the Wasteland of California and the mysterious fallout bunkers, where everything seems a little bit too good to be true.

The Prime show opens in a subterranean Vault 33 that seems inherently stuck in 1950s America yet has the technology only dreamed about in era-appropriate science fiction. After their years of idyllic peace are disrupted, a bunker dweller called Lucy (Yellowjacket’s Ella Purnell) must leave all she has ever known to head out to the wild west of the world above them to find her father (Kyle MacLachlan).

The Fallout Review

Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones, Sons of Anarchy) plays dual roles, appearing as The Ghoul, a mutant bounty hunter and a popular 1950s actor who gets involved in shady operations in the before-times. Fans of the games will recognize the ghouls as necrotic creatures who roam the Wasteland trying to kill off any remaining humans. 

The third character the adaptation follows is Maximum (Aaron Moten), a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a fascist, pseudo-religious paramilitary order that is given the role of keeping the peace in what is left of California. He’s probably the least developed character of the trio and the one whose backstory feels undervalued by the writers.

The opening scene is a bombastic entry to the world of Fallout, introducing audiences to both the world before the nuclear annihilation and the world of underground vaults two centuries later. The show then spends a significant portion of episodes setting up the world overground and underground, as well as the many characters found there.

The quality dips when the show forgets about its plot and instead concentrates on lore and worldbuilding. Audiences may be forgiven for wanting more from the middle section of Fallout, where it meanders through the Wasteland struggling to find a focus. Despite the plodding middle section, the last four episodes of Fallout are genuinely thrilling and aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of television. 

The show is much more enjoyable when it explores the lore of the vaults and uncovers the truth behind these mysterious fallout shelters. The time spent in the Wasteland feels less unique, using familiar tropes associated with the dystopian genre. The story above ground struggles to evolve past characters looking for MacGuffins in the arid landscape.

Goggins is terrific in this key role. A master of changing his mannerisms, he easily maneuvers between suave but unsettling film stars and undead gunslingers. He is having a terrific time as The Ghoul, living out America’s cowboy fantasy in all its undead glory. Purnell delivers a pitch-perfect performance as the eager and wide-eyed vault dweller who desperately wants to see the good in people. Moten does the best with what is given to him, adding heart to the role of a jarhead out of his depth. He delivers far more soul to the role than the writing does.

Despite the dark setup and intense violence, Fallout doesn’t forget the humor. True to its origins, the Prime series never takes itself too seriously. This world of Silo meets Mad Max is filled with zany characters (expect to see a lot of famous faces in comedy pop up throughout the eight episodes), bizarre side plots, and understanding there are laughs to be had in the absurdity of the situation. The dry humor hit the perfect spot of farcicality without losing any dramatic beats, perfectly delivered by a supporting cast that includes Moisés Arias, Zach Cherry, and Johnny Pemberton.

Fallout nails the much-loved aesthetic of the world of the videogames. After civilization, as we know it, essentially ends in the 1950s, the post-apocalypse world hangs onto this kitsch aesthetic with remnants of old times peering through the Mad Max-esque wasteland. Fans of the game will revel in all the visual nods to the source material, including the iconic blue and yellow jumpsuits. The world on screen feels fully realized and entirely believable. The attention to detail of the sets and costumes, makes the world feel real, no matter how extreme and absurd the gore gets.

The series was made in collaboration between Amazon Studios and Bethesda Game Studios, so it looks and feels extremely faithful to the games. Bethesda creative director Todd Howard (who also serves as an executive producer of the show) has confirmed that the show is canon and, while an original story, fits into the wider Fallout timeline.

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are executive producers. The creators of the show (and showrunners) are Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. This eight-part adaptation smartly balances nods to the original games without alienating newcomers to the world. Avid game players will be delighted to see the Wasteland brought so faithfully to life, while those unaware of the games will not need any prior knowledge of the lore to enjoy the story.

Grade: B