On April 11, Amazon finally released the film adaptation of Fallout, a story about a post-apocalyptic world based on the game series of the same name, in which people try to survive and repopulate the Earth after a nuclear explosion. In the material we will look at how the first series came out and how the adaptation as a whole meets fans of the gaming universe.
Still from the series “Fallout”
About the plot
There are three main characters in the series. This is a pretty resident of Vault 33 named Lucy (Ella Purnell), acolyte and recruit of the Brotherhood of Steel Maximus (Aaron Moten), as well as a former cowboy, now a bounty hunter and ghoul named… Ghoul (Walton Goggins).
Lucy
Maximum
Gul
Events begin in 2077 – Walton Goggins’ character and his daughter act as entertainers at a children’s birthday party until the celebration is interrupted by a series of nuclear explosions. The introductory part, like the first episode as a whole, is strongly reminiscent of Fallout 4, but here the emotions from what we see are more intense. However, it’s not surprising – it’s easier to believe in a live picture.
Particular attention should be paid to how the creators casually show parallels with the modern world.
Still from the series “Fallout”
People who do not notice what is happening outside the windows of their house are content with goods and life in front of the TV – in my opinion, ironic.
After this, the viewer is transported to the year 2296, nine years after the events of Fallout 4. The previously mentioned Lucy lives, studies and enjoys life, but is indignant due to the lack of a partner: local men are either not her type, or they are relatives. She then decides to apply to marry a resident of Vault 32, but violent events in the process force her to leave the shelter.
About the characters
I don’t see the point in spoiling what exactly led to Lucy’s departure – it’s better to see it for yourself. On my own behalf, I’ll just add that the heroine really turned out to be such a kind, honest, but naive girl, as indicated in all the announcements, who loves to watch movies with her father in her free time, do gardening, visit the shooting range, wrestling, and so on.
It’s too early to say anything about Maximus and Gul. The first is looking for revenge, since someone destroyed his house in the past, and he himself survived thanks to an already proven archaeological method – the refrigerator. T-60s also participated in his rescue, because of which he decided to join the Brotherhood of Steel.
Still from the series “Fallout”
For now, the character is a patriot and a loyal son of the Brotherhood of Steel, to whom he swears loyalty even at the cost of his life. In general, a familiar character for a soldier in an American film/series. During the first episode, Maximus manages to become a squire (assistant to a knight of the Brotherhood), but this is shown quickly and crumpled, and therefore does not evoke any special emotions.
The ghoul actually appears five minutes before the end of the episode to receive introductory motivation for finding the unknown woman. At the same time, unlike Maximus, during this time he already reflects the sick character of a bounty hunter and the corresponding black humor.
The creators paid great attention to both black humor and dismemberment with rivers of blood. Even the fork in the eye was given good timing, somewhat reminiscent of the second part of Kill Bill.
The series has a thick atmosphere that is easy to plunge into and believe. We’re not even talking about a pip-boy, a refrigerator with Nuka Cola and other things characteristic of the universe (although there are many of them here). We are talking about patterns and conventions characteristic of the franchise, which were explained logically.
Is it strange for you to see the sunny sky underground? So this is a huge projector that spins film with different weather conditions. Does the character seem immortal? Not surprising – he had previously injected a stimulant that increases health by 30%. Of course, there are some cliches and stupid moments, but immersion in the local world is much more natural than in The Last of Us. Firstly, already familiar characters do not flash before your eyes, which you inadvertently compare with their game counterparts. Secondly, the plot is completely original, so the series looks without expectations in the spirit of “How will they adapt this moment?”, but with new impressions and emotions. In addition, Fallout has better backdrops, and the environment is furnished with a large number of small details, which is not surprising given the budget of $153 million (versus $90-100 million for TLoU).
How Fallout relates to games
Todd Howard notedthat the series is not a separate universe, but a full-fledged development of the previous one with its own view of the Santa Monica Wasteland. At the same time, there are other shelters, locations and characters, and the series of games serves more as a backdrop for what is happening than as a source of plot inspiration. So if you want a new Fallout story, the series is perfect for that.
Beginners will be carefully brought up to date and told about the peculiarities of the universe, and fans will find a sea of fan service for themselves, from the aforementioned Pip-Boy and Nuka-Cola to the characteristic dark humor and recognizable jazz on the radio. Critics even joke that this is the best sequel after New Vegas that the series has had.
At the same time, the series may appeal even to those who do not like the games in the franchise. As in The Last of Us, the characters and their problems come to the fore here, rather than a radioactive, forgotten world. Also, you won’t have to spend hours wandering around locations to get one of the plot endings: the series doesn’t waste time, actively promoting action, blood and anarchy where necessary, not forgetting to change the setting and the characters shown at the right time.
However, all this only works if you didn’t like the setting and the deserted open world, otherwise it’s still the same Fallout.
Conclusion
The first episode turned out to be really dynamic, with a tragic introduction and an intriguing ending, which makes you want to immediately turn on the second episode and watch it in one gulp. The action here is high-quality and cruel at the level of “The Boys”, the music in the background reminds of the universe being shown without mentioning it, and the fan service, on the contrary, once again reminds of this. In turn, the dark humor and emphasis on history can interest even avid Fallout haters, so the series can easily lay claim to the title of the best game adaptation.
The first three episodes were directed by Jonathan Nolan (Christopher’s brother), so you can expect no worse quality from the next two episodes, especially knowing that Jonathan almost missed his deadline to write the script for The Dark Knight Returns. All because of sleepless nights in Fallout 3.
Still from the series “Fallout”
