We are in a golden age for video game adaptations. What used to be a danger, as it led to movies like Street Fighter, Alone in the Dark or the 90s adaptation of Super Mario Bros, has become a delight for fans. The Last of Us, Arcane or the animated movie of Super Mario have set a path that studios are taking full advantage of, and now a new series has just appeared that has nothing to envy to the previous ones.
Fallout, the serialized adaptation of Amazon Prime Video, has become a fascinating example of how to adapt an iconic video game franchise into a television format without losing the essence that made it so beloved by fans. Instead of trying to faithfully replicate the gaming experience on screen, the creators have chosen to expand its original universe, offering a new story that seamlessly integrates with the established lore throughout the years.
After watching the first episodes and taking into account the worldwide generated criticism — it has a 93% global acceptance on Rotten Tomatoes —, we can say loud and clear that Amazon Prime Video has succeeded: Fallout is an incredible series and, in addition to being a great adaptation of a video game, it could become one of the best science fiction series of recent years.
Jonathan Nolan has perfectly understood the world of Fallout
One of the biggest challenges when adapting Fallout was the vast lore of the video game, which spans decades of history in the post-apocalyptic world it presents. However, Prime Video has found a clever solution in the series: telling an original story that departs from the ones in the video games to tell plots that, beyond having interesting narratives, tell the story of the world being presented.
From the first minutes of the first episode, the series transports us to a world devastated by nuclear war, where familiar visual and thematic elements of the franchise intertwine with a fresh and exciting narrative. The screenwriters, Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner, succeed in capturing the essence of the games by rearranging familiar elements, such as Vault-Tec bunkers and the mysterious Brotherhood of Steel, in a story that follows a brave survivor in her search for her father.
And the thing is, even though there is a defined central plot, Fallout has multiple points of view that help increase the grandiosity of its world. In this way, we delve into semi-criminal intrigues around Vault-Tec, which adds layers of depth to the apocalyptic world of Fallout, thus improving the character development.
Interestingly, despite being set in a post-apocalyptic universe, Fallout has nothing to do with The Last of Us or any series of that kind. In fact, one of the most outstanding aspects of the series is its ability to keep alive the satire of American society in the 1950s in this world, something that is very present in the original games. Through the protagonist, Lucy, we see how the initial naivety is gradually overshadowed by the harsh reality of the Wasteland, thus reflecting the social criticism that characterizes the franchise.
The cast is another strong point of the series, with standout performances by Ella Purnell as Lucy, Aaron Moten as Maximus, and Walton Goggins as the mysterious bounty hunter Ghoul. Each character brings a unique dynamic to the story, and the chemistry between the actors on screen helps to keep you glued to the screen.
But actors would do nothing without a director, and here we have one of the best: Jonathan Nolan. Christopher Nolan’s brother already did an amazing job in the first season of Westworld, and in Fallout he manages to bring a distinctive aesthetic that perfectly captures its retrofuturistic atmosphere. The outdoor settings of the Wasteland feel authentic and evocative, while the details of life in the underground shelters add depth to this world.
Undoubtedly, Fallout has become an equally enjoyable delight for fans and new acquaintances of this world. A bet that has paid off for Amazon Prime Video, and that will undoubtedly become one of the series of the year.
