Fallout TV Series Amazon Prime Review
Summary: A game to series adaptation done right, bringing the horrors of the Wasteland beautifully to our screens.
5
Fantastic Fallout
It’s no surprise to anyone who has been around here long enough that I am a big fan of the Fallout games. When I first heard a series was being made of Fallout I had cautious optimism… after all, one of the strong points of the games is their stories… then I saw a trailer before watching Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire at the cinema and my optimism grew. Fortunately I was granted an opportunity to watch the show early and boy did I binge it!
As a fan of the series I could be the best or the worst person to review the series depending on your perspective… often when people hold an IP close to their heart any new entry in that world can be heavily scrutinized… for better or worse… I loved this series and really hope they make a series two.
I hate spoilers and have been told not to spoil anything anyway… so I will speak vaguely. Will you have fun spotting all the little nods to the game world, e.g. products and locations… yes. Will you potentially start considering building your own Power Armour for cosplay after seeing them “in the real world”… quite possibly yes! Will you find yourself semi-conflicted over cheering on The Goul… possibly.
For those familiar with the game series I will simply say that the story (with a handful of main characters whose paths cross at times) feels like it could easily have been from any of the games. You have the seemingly idyllic world of the Vault, a Vault dweller experiencing the Wastelands for the first time and learning the big differences between those two places. Then learning more about Vault Tec and its influence on the world (or at least America).
Fans (or at least those like me) will be thrilled to hear the familiar tones of The Ink Spots with at least a couple of tracks that will be very familiar to players of the first and I think possibly the fourth games (I’m not sure, but certainly one of the later games). I don’t know if it counts as a spoiler as it’s an absence rather than something that is present… but the only thing I would have liked is for Ron Perlman to be included, preferably delivering his iconic line… but at least present somewhere… there’s hopefully a chance for that to happen in season 2… if we get one :D
Visually it’s quite impressive and the makeup for the Goul is chef’s kiss. The only drop I noted (and it was literally only one time) is a scene in which… we’ll say a heavy object is moved rapidly and it’s movement just looked a bit unnatural… almost like it was part of an animation cycle that was put in temporarily with the intention of going back and filling in the rest of the cycle later but never got completed… it’s very brief, early in the series and the only issue I noticed so it’s really not a big issue… but it might stand out to some.
I should also note that the show is quite gory in parts (think of the perk “Bloody Mess”) and language is what you would expect of the wasteland… so if you have sensitive eyes or ears… you might want to miss it.
Final Thoughts:
If you are a fan of Fallout I think you will be pleased with the series. I suspect having Todd Howard executive produce didn’t hurt the integrity of the show and the story, as mentioned, feels like it could easily have been the basis for a mission in any of the games. Though there are plenty of little bits and pieces to hear and spot from the game series… there are more things that I suspect have been saved for the next season and I really hope there is one because I finished all the episodes and was left wanting more. Definitely worth watching… even if you haven’t played the games… if you are a sci-fi fan you should still enjoy it!
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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