Video game adaptations have recently been improving over the past few years with shows like HBO’s The Last Of Us and Netflix’s Arcane animated series, as well as movies like the Sonic The Hedgehog soon-to-be trilogy. We’re gradually overcoming the video game adaptation curse that has long plagued the genre. However, the curse isn’t entirely gone as there have also been massive misses like the Halo and Twisted Metal adaptations. So, what about Prime Video’s Fallout series? Where does it stand amongst the pantheon of video game adaptations?

I’m happy to say that Prime Video’s Fallout series is definitely one of the good ones.

Nuka Cola

Power Suit

The first episode of Prime Video’s Fallout series is a great introduction to the three main protagonists; Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean, Aaron Moten’s Maximus and Walter Goggin’s Cooper Howard AKA the Ghoul. Prime Video gave us the first four episodes (out of eight in total for the first season) and the episodes will naturally switch between the three characters without confusing viewers.

The series is quite brutal, violent and gory. In the first hour alone, people get eviscerated, stabbed with random stuff, mashed to bloody bits, as well as exploding heads and body parts. Prime Video is definitely banking on the same deliciously violent reputation as their other previous shows like The Boys and Invincible.

Brotherhood of Steel and Vertibirds in “Fallout”

The Fallout series also nails the retro-futuristic and pulpy feeling not only in its aesthetics and props but especially so in its music choices. Each episode will feature different tracks of classic music, evoking the era of the 50s and 60s, which fits the iconic tone and vibe of the Fallout franchise to a tee. Unlike shows like Twisted Metal, Fallout knows how to strike a balance between taking itself seriously and still having humour without falling into being a parody (like Twisted Metal).

As a result, the Fallout series feels more immersive with a lived-in world, and you explore it from the eyes of the protagonists, especially Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean and Aaron Moten’s Maximus. The Fallout series can be bleak a lot of the time, but it’s never too depressing or edgy, thanks to the aforementioned balanced tones. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, nor does it just become a parody of itself.

Power Armor Suits in “Fallout”

The three protagonists all offer distinct perspectives on the narrative and world of the Fallout series. Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean is practically there to represent the conventional protagonist of a Fallout game, namely a Vault dweller who ventures out into the Wasteland for the first time. It’s interesting to see her naivete when it comes to the outside world, especially when it later collides with the cynical outlook of Walter Goggins’ Cooper Howard, a Ghoul who has been alive since before the nuclear bombs detonated and turned the world into a wasteland.

On the other side, we also have our other protagonist, Aaron Morten’s Maximum, a member of the Brotherhood Of Steel (an iconic faction from Fallout lore). He provides another unique perspective, as his circumstances are different from the other two protagonists. He comes from a world of hardship ever since he was a little kid and he grows up with a sense of justice that he wants to bring to the world.

Ella Purnell (Lucy)

It’s great that the Fallout series features an original story instead of adapting the games. The lore and world-building elements of the franchise are iconic enough that there’s really no need for a direct adaptation. It also means that the Fallout series offers the opportunity of brand new content for longtime fans of the franchise instead of rehashing the stories from the games while also being a good introduction for newcomers without having to be too familiar with the franchise beforehand.

Power Suit and Aaron Moten (Maximus) in “Fallout”

In addition, it’s also clear that Amazon and Prime Video have sunk a lot of resources into making sure that the Fallout series looks great. Everything from the props to the costumes, and a special shoutout to how awesome the Power Armours look in the series. Most TV shows would save the Power Armour for brief money shots, usually near the end of a season.

However, the showrunners don’t skimp out on showing us the Power Armour from the very first episode. In fact, one of the main protagonists wears the Power Armour for most of his scenes. It’s pretty impressive.

Walton Goggins (The Ghoul)

Besides that, the showrunners clearly did their research. This is not another case like Paramount+’s Halo series. While Prike Video’s Fallout series is an original story with new characters, the world and props feel authentic and genuine to the games, from the design of the Pip Boys and Stimpaks to the UI of the computers (yes, just like in the games). The reason for that is probably because the production crew for the series painstakingly brought many of the props to life physically and through practical effects instead of with CGI.

Of course, everything is enhanced by CGI, but it helps the series feel much more immersive when you know that the Pip Boys and the Power Armours are actually solid items that the characters are wearing. Also, there’s one particular scene in the second episode of the series during a shooting showdown, that reminds me of the V.A.T.S. system (which is where the aforementioned exploding heads and body parts come in).

Power Suit

Prime Video gave us four out of the eight episodes in Fallout Season 1. After watching those four episodes, I understand why Prime Video is opting for the whole season to be released all at once instead of their series’ usual weekly model. The Fallout series feels like it’s designed to be binge-able, which is more than I can say for other shows out there. Despite each episode being around an hour long, the pacing is just nice, like you’re actually on an adventure in a Fallout game discovering new places and new people.

Zach Cherry, Leslie Uggams and Rodrigo Luzzi

Leaving The Vault

Brotherhood of Steel

What we’ve seen so far of Prime Video’s Fallout series Season 1 made us hyped for the remaining four episodes, so kudos to the showrunners (Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner) and everyone else involved in this project. This could easily have been another weird divisive series like The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power, but we’re getting something closer to the quality of The Boys. This bodes well for gamers and fans of the Fallout franchise, as it proves that a video game adaptation doesn’t have to be an almost beat-for-beat accurate adaptation like HBO’s The Last Of Us to be great and successful.

It’s strong evidence and proof that if you respect the source material, and with the right amount of passion, it can be great, so this deserves a thumbs up from Vault Boy.

FINAL SCORE: 90/100

We received screeners for the first four episodes of Fallout Season 1 from Prime Video Malaysia. Fallout Season 1 is slated to premiere on Prime Video on 11 April 2024. There will be eight episodes in Fallout Season 1.