Fallout (Amazon Prime Video) 2024 - season 1

Fallout premiered on Amazon Prime Video in April 2024, and it caught my attention immediately as yet another live action video game adaptation for streaming, coming on the heels of THE LAST OF US (HBO), TWISTED METAL (Peacock) and HALO (Paramount+). I do have some history with the Fallout Game Universe, having played Fallout 3 and then snippets of Fallout 4, but that was about it, so I am unable to comment on the faithfulness of the show to the source material's more deeper cut lore. However, I can say that it definitely captured the sometimes dark sometimes quirky sometimes darkly quirky tone of the games that I was familiar with while presenting some really lovable characters and intriguing plot twists. 

 Fallout (season 1 as of this writing) follows multiple story arcs that end up intertwining. The first is that of Lucy, an idealistic chirpy young woman who has lived all her life in Vault 33 with a peaceful group of like minded individuals that is run as a caricature of 1950s "good ol American" town. With support from their sister vaults 32 and 31 (kept separate though they only meet on special occasions), the underground community is a blissful place even if it is a tad too good to be true.  

What was to be a happy day for Lucy turns to disaster when the Vault is compromised; many are killed in the ensuing chaos and Lucy's father, the Vault Overseer, is kidnapped by a group led by the one known as Moldaver. Despite the disapproval of the community, Lucy leaves the vault and finds herself in a desolate wasteland of post-apocalyptic America where it is every person for themselves, and danger lurks around every wreck and ruin.

 I love Lucy. Her chipper personality is very endearing, and her story is one where her idealistic beliefs, naivete and desire to be kind is constantly tested in the most horrible ways. We see her teeter on that edge, slowly tempted to give in to the same cruelty and apathy that other denizens of the wasteland foisted upon her. We see that innocence slowly crumble and her belief in the inherent good in people at risk of breaking. I find myself hooked into this constant emotional tug of war as Lucy explores the wasteland. How she adapts, grows, and still despite all that happens try to hang on to the last vestiges of her old life and morals. 

 The next character we follow is Maximus, an orphan who is inducted into the Brotherhood of Steel after a disaster wiped out his hometown. The Brotherhood is a militia that styles themselves after some sort of faux medieval army. They have elders, scribes, squires, and the powered armor-clad knights. Maximus is bullied for most of his tenure in the Brotherhood but holds on to his cult-like dedication to the cause and the dream of one day becoming a knight, fighting for the good of others and bringing peace to a lawless land. 

A chance twist of fate sees him picked as a squire for one knight Titus, and Maximus experiences firsthand the meaning behind the warning “never meet your heroes”. He slowly finds out that the Brotherhood may not be the upstanding pinnacle of law and order they claim to be, and that knights may not be the courageous selfless champions he thought they were. After their mission goes horribly wrong, Maximus’ path crosses Lucy’s as they realize they are seeking a similar objective. 

 The third character is The Ghoul aka Cooper Howard. He was a failed film star 200 years ago before the atom bombs dropped causing the apocalypse, and now he lives as a mutant and a bounty hunter. His mutation gives him long life but runs the risk of infecting his brain and turning him feral if he does not take regular doses of certain drugs. 

His path crosses both Lucy and Maximus and he represents the opposite to Lucy’s idealism. Cooper is a dastardly individual, downright cynical and fully embracing the harsh ways of the world, but he is not without his soft spots. His backstory of how he came to be the way he is, is told through flashbacks to before the war where he finds himself tangled in a corporate conspiracy with ties to the origin of the Vaults and the post-apocalyptic world.

 On the visual side, the series looks stunning. It looks better than some big screen movies and make use of a lot of physical sets, make up and suits. Most impressive are the Brotherhood Powered Armor and the prosthetic work on the various mutants such as The Ghoul.

 The music is also a major highlight for me. I recognized several familiar classic songs used in the games, as well as some of the main themes previously composed by Inon Zur. It is not, however, slaved to the sound of the games as composer Ramin Djawadi carves out a unique identity for his score which pays homage to the games, but stands on its own and fits so well.

 

 I had a fun time with Season 1. Even if one is unfamiliar with the games, the story and setting is easy to get immersed into. It is a roller coaster of emotions with a surprising amount of depth. Narratively the overarching story is equal parts drama, action, mystery, and horror with a dash of witty quirky levity. I certainly hope Fallout continues with a new season as it is easily one of my favorite streaming series in recent years. I want to see the story of Lucy, Maximus and Cooper the Ghoul continue! 

 Highly Highly Recommended!