It’s outstanding to see video game adaptations go from abominable Ewe Boll disasterpieces to some of the most engrossing media available. Whether it’s the redemption arc that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners kickstarted or the massive renewed interest of The Last of Us‘ season one, non-gamers are drawn to these stories like wildfire and the domino effect into new players of these franchises is largely paying off for the games industry. While Halo hasn’t exactly been a slam dunk for Microsoft’s foray into the silver screen, Fallout hopes to do a better job. With all episodes streaming on the launch date of 4/10, how did this one turn out?

The Fallout series is one that doesn’t just focus on the Vault Dweller, Lucy. With so much lore and world to work with, the show makes a great effort to showcase everything going on within its Weird Wasteland with a focus on Brotherhood of Steel member Maximus and a pre-war actor turned-Ghoul Cooper. As well as a look inside the vault that Lucy left behind via her brother, Norm. These characters all interact with each other before going their separate ways at one point or another, which is a quality way to forge lasting relationships and get viewers invested in how these interactions play out.

Any fan of the Fallout series of games is nigh guaranteed to love the Fallout series. Past the obvious fan service of name-dropping bits and pieces from the games, the overarching tale told is so in line with something that would appear in a game that the pulp is palpable. It makes a huge difference when the director is a fan of the series, but recognizes that they can’t please everyone; Jonathan Nolan didn’t just know his audience, he was part of it as a Fallout lover. Bringing that Westworld penchant for storytelling has paid dividends in crafting a believable, canon interpretation in this series.

With the central theme of hopelessness, unchanging war, and trusting no one, not even yourself, some tropes and predictability fall through the cracks by the time the eighth episode of Fallout closes things out. That makes some of the emotional beats fall flat at the very tip-top of the climax, but setting up for a new season in the most exciting way possible with season one’s last shot completely making up for it. The ambiguity of all of the main characters after everything that transpired also leaves a lot to the imagination for where Lucy, Maximus, The Ghoul, and Norm end up.

Long gone are the days when all video game adaptations are duds; Fallout is an example that source material can be honored whilst a branching storyline can be displayed. Not solely built on nostalgia, this first season is a thrill ride of combat and confrontations that made my playthrough of Fallout 3 beforehand completely worth the while. Here’s hoping we can get season two before the hype train leaves the station after it was announced prior to airing; in the meantime, Fallout 76 is surging in concurrent players and Fallout 4 is getting a next-gen update as the show has more than certainly turned some heads with its success.

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Fallout

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Extremely Faithful Adaptation
• Masterful Performances
• Interwoven, Engaging Plotlines

Cons

• Ghoul Isn't Quite Likeable
• Emotional Finale Missed the Mark