Fallout (Season One)

A breath of fresh air in an age of entertainment mediocrity.

Image source: https://movieweb.com/early-fallout-reviews-rotten-tomatoes-score/

Let me just start by saying I am not really a gamer. I know, I know, I feel like I’m breaking some kind of cardinal sin just saying that out loud. It’s not that I don’t like video games. Give me the right game and I’ll play it for hours. When they rereleased the Spyro trilogy (My favorite video game that I’ve played), I played it almost nonstop for a long while.

But other than playing Minecraft or MarioKart with the kids, I just don’t really have the time or energy. Funny enough, I love sitting and watching someone else play. My husband says it freaks him out a little. I guess it is sort of odd behavior but, well, I am sort of an odd person anyway so it’s par for the course I suppose.

Now that I’ve gone off on that wild tangent, this is not why you came here. So, back to the subject matter at hand.

This was a show that had only recently shown up on my radar. Not being a gamer and my husband never having played this one himself, I was pretty much in the dark about it. And considering the unstable nature of game to screen adaptations, I was a bit skeptical. Sometimes it turns out all right. Other times, not so much.

This one, however, was a pleasant surprise. But before I go into more details as to why, let me begin with the story.

In a post nuclear world, Lucy MacLean, a lifelong vault dweller, decides to brave the unpredictability of the outside world in order to track down her kidnapped father. What (And whom) she encounters on the surface, however, leaves her battling things she never expected and questioning her very existence.

Meanwhile, Maximus is struggling to find his place among a surface organization known as The Brotherhood. With dreams of becoming an all powerful knight, he detests the man he’s squire to, leading him to make some controversial decisions, altering his path forever.

And lastly, Cooper Howard, once a famous film star now turned ghoul, is on a singular mission. To survive long enough to find out what happened to his wife and daughter.

And fate will bring them all together as their lines begin to intersect.

Okay, let’s dive in here. Starting with the cast. Now, first and foremost, while the performance of Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean) is top notch, and Aaron Moten does spectacularly as Maximus, the one who really steals the show here is Walter Goggins. And, to be frank, if you’re familiar with any of his work, you won’t be surprised.

After his amazing job in “Justified,” moving on to another stellar performance in “The White Lotus,” he’s quickly become one of my favorite actors to watch.

The way he commits to every role he plays, really conveying everything about each character in how he walks, how he talks, the emotion he shows. The guy is phenomenal and I don’t think there’s a single role I’ve seen him play that I didn’t enjoy watching.

Moving on to the technicals, the cinematography is gorgeous. But, to be frank, a lot of film and television these days does well with being visually stunning. Still, it’s worth acknowledging here. I have good friends who are huge fans of the game and according to them it hits all the right notes on theme and environment.

For the music, I love what they’ve chosen for this production. Right off the bat, you’re hit with this sort of surreal 1930’s style band music. The kind you expect to hear from an old phonograph.

And it really sets the right tone. Giving off a “Bioshock” kind of vibe. I’ve always found that combination really fascinating. A mixture of serene and deadly. It embodies an eeriness that’s uniquely disturbing.

Now for the storyline. The character development here is really thorough and well thought out, something hard to come by with productions these days. So bravo there.

I could probably stand a bit less gore. Not that I mind it in general but there are times it feels like it’s just in there for shock value.

To me, whether it be gore, sex, violence, whatever it may be, needs to have a purpose and a place. If it fills neither, it shouldn’t be there. But that’s just me.

Other than that aspect though, the story is really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I binged it within a couple of weeks and I’m only sad season two isn’t complete yet.

So, final thoughts: While I’m not familiar with the game, from an entertainment perspective, I think it’s definitely worth a watch. For those of you that are game fans, I hear it has a lot of Easter eggs just for you to enjoy.

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