Fallout review: Amazon's newest show is a brutal and bizarre ride that rivals The Boys for insanity
Move aside The Boys and Invincible, Amazon has their newest hit show in Fallout.
The video game adaptation starring Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, and Aaron Moten is unabashedly weird – and a perfect translation to the screen from the hit game series.
Fallout creates an original story in the world of the game, with Ella Purnell as a naïve young woman called Lucy who has spent her life living in an underground vault – and is faced with a journey across the wacky and weird post-nuclear wasteland on the surface.
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With Goggins playing an undead Ghoul and Aaron Moten playing a young member of authoritarian organisation The Brotherhood – the three leads split the weight of the show, with all of them having an episode (or more) where they shine.
From the very first episode one thing is clear: the show is weird, funny, and incredibly well made.
The Fallout series was always an ambitious choice to adapt – as it is well known for mixing vibes, jumping at a moment’s notice from heart-hitting drama to whacky comedy to unsettlingly chilling moments of near-horror.
This was always going to be the hardest part of the show to adapt – and they smash it out the park.
The show is absolutely brutal – taking full advantage of the show’s TV-MA rating in a similar way to The Boys.
Head’s are blown up, throats are viciously slit, and some of the action in the show is absolutely insane.
Effects consistently look expensive whether it be radioactive frog monsters, huge metal mech suits, or again – one of the many times when someone has their head blown up by a gunshot.
Fallout has a few expected growing pains, as the first season of any world with such deep lore is going to struggle to fit it all in.
It does better than most, but there are still areas which may not hit as hard for those who didn’t play the game, and others where fascinating plot lines are set aside in favour of telling the viewer essential plot.
What this does mean though is that a season two, which is looking very likely, is perfectly set up – once this show has its feet under it and an engaged fan base the sky is truly the limit.
Whilst the show may not have one massive actor such as The Last of Us, it has a top to bottom stacked cast of veteran character actors.
Beyond the main three, who are all brilliant, Lucy’s brother Norm is played by Moises Arias who steals most of the scenes he is in.
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Whilst most may remember him as the kid with Justin Bieber hair from Hannah Montana, he has quietly carved a niche for himself as an incredible actor.
Whilst Lucy explores the surface on a quest of her own, Norm stays behind and investigates the mysteries of the vaults – one of the most engaging plotlines in the show.
Fallout is a brilliant debut season, perfect for fans of the game or simply someone who wants a good fun watch.
It is simultaneously brutal, hilarious, and will have you gripped and desperately waiting for the next episode.
Don’t walk, run to go watch this show – you won’t be disappointed, and you will probably have a new favourite show on TV. Fallout releases on Amazon Prime April 10 at 6 p.m. PT.
★★★★★
Topics: Amazon Prime, Film and TV, The Boys, Entertainment
Michael Slavin