(Amazon) Fallout series

[FrighT MasteR]

In the works for years, the live action Fallout series is finally coming out April of next year on Amazon Prime and so far it's looking good

[Lon of the Dead]

I've only played a Fallout 3 and New Vegas, but I love both of 'em and this adaptation looks pretty damned good. Looking forward to it.

[Solo]

Been waiting for this for a long time. I always keep a Fallout game going at all times to go along with whatever else i'm playing, and right now it's a 50+ modded Fallout 4 survival run. There's a few good names in this upcoming series so hopefully there's enough street cred. scattered around enough to make this a solid show.

[DMHead777]

I think I watched this trailer five times. They just nailed the tone. I hope the actual show is as good as the trailer.

[FrighT MasteR]

[Lon of the Dead]

Even better than the first trailer. Really looking forward to this!

[Solo]

Love it. My only concern at this point is that i hope they didn't inject too much of a comedic element into the series. Situational dark humor is one thing... gags or slapstick is something else.

[FrighT MasteR]

[Lon of the Dead]

Binged most of the series Thursday, saved the last episode for last night. What a great show. I like that it is clearly set in the world and mythology of the game series and contains numerous references, but tells its own story (albeit with little bits and pieces borrowed from the various game storylines). The cast is exceptional, with all the primaries turning in commendable performances. Even so, Walton Goggins, as usual, steals the show. Whether it's a cowboy ghoul in this show, or a tranny hooker in Sons of Anarchy, or a hillbilly kingpin in Justified, or a slimy black marketeer in Ant-Man and The Wasp, or a comically narcissistic televangelist in The Righteous Gemstones, there's nothing this guy can't do. Also, the production design and cinematography are fantastic. If this show doesn't at least get nominations for Goggins' performance and its visuals, then I don't know what.

Is it perfect? No. For all its visual exceptionalism and effective performances, season 2 (and there is clearly going to be a season 2) definitely has its work cut out for it as far as following all the story threads the final episode leaves frustratingly unresolved. The pacing could use some tightening up here and there. But as far as video game adaptations go, I'd say it's one of the very best. Many video game adaptations are essentially fan service slapped atop a generic plot, but Fallout finds the right balance between fan-servicing and having an original enough storyline that fans of the game will eat it up, and those with no prior knowledge of the game or its world can go into the show and not be completely lost. Now here's to hoping we get a deathclaw in season 2. 8.5/10

[DMHead777]

Just finished last night. I'd give it a solid 9/10

What I loved:
-How beautiful it looked. Everything from the costumes to the minute details of the terminals were perfect. If there was ever going to be a Fallout movie or TV show, this is the best it's going to look. I can't gush about this enough as I was surprised during every episode by how fantastic everything looked

-The acting wasn't something I was expecting. Throughout the entire series everyone gives a shit. The straight characters like Maximus and Lucy to the over the top characters like the snake oil salesman, everyone feels like they belong in this universe. My favorite character had to be Kyle Machlachlan and Lucy's brother Norm. Norm's side story is just as good as the main one and Kyle's acting was perfect. For the limited screen time Kyle had, he was amazing. Also, a huge shout out to Walton Goggins for refusing to play the games because he wanted a fresh take on a ghoul.

-How they expanded on the original story, and combined elements from most Fallout games, was perfect. I understand that you can't just take the original Fallout games and make them into a movie or show. The spin the creators wrote as an original story was excellent. It kept me invested throughout the entire season.

-The final scene of season 1 literally gave me goosebumps. That entire last episode was awesome, but that last scene was fucking perfect.

-The humor legit made me laugh. The

Spoiler...

brain on a roomba in vault 31

and how naive Lucy was half the time was hysterical. Seeing what Lucy is going through as a complete 180 to her vault had me in stitches half the time. Especially when

Spoiler...

she had to cut off the scientist's head.

. Also, don't get me started on Matt Berry. I hope he is used in more episodes in season 2, because I just love that man.

What I didn't love:
-The actor portraying Maximus was great. But the entire Brotherhood of Steel plot was kind of disappointing. First off, the character of Dane makes no sense. It's a transgender character and while they're only in the season for two episodes, it was still kind of eye rolling. The actor themselves did a great job, but it makes no sense in a story standpoint. You have all these air head BoS guys bullying and beating the shit out of Maximus, but not Dane? The high clerics also refer to Dane as they/them. Where are they finding estrogen in this future apocalyptic society? Once again, the actor was fine, but they were only incorporated to check a box. And that's just disappointing to me.

Other than that, the other BoS plot lines didn't make sense:

Spoiler...

They keep forgiving Maximus over and over. First they think they put the knife (or whatever) in Dane's boot, so they..promote him? He lies about his knight dying causing another squire to be pulled and used and the BoS forgives him. He lies about the head and instead of killing him, Dane talks the high cleric into letting him go? AND THEN THEY PROMOTE HIM and take his word for where the new head is at without any repercussions. The show really diminished the force of nature that the BoS is.

Also, while the actor of Maximus did what he was supposed to do and I thought was great, the character himself was a giant pussy.

I'm still very excited for season 2. There is still a ton they can incorporate from the games. So, yeah 9/10. I overall loved it despite some glaring problems with the Brotherhood of Steel.

[FrighT MasteR]

But as far as video game adaptations go, I'd say it's one of the very best. Many video game adaptations are essentially fan service slapped atop a generic plot, but Fallout finds the right balance between fan-servicing and having an original enough storyline that fans of the game will eat it up, and those with no prior knowledge of the game or its world can go into the show and not be completely lost.

Completely agree. Next to The Last of Us, this was probably one of the best game-to-tv/movie adaptations I've seen. They beautifully captured the tone and dark humor from the games and brought it to life with this series. The CG was also surprisingly well done.

I think what surprised me most about the series is the writing--it was really good, especially for a post-apoc tale. All the key characters were multi-layered and either interesting or likable or both, like Walton Goggins as a badass cowboy bounty hunter in The Ghoul or Lucy and her naivety coming out of the vault and experiencing what life is really like, and witnessing her change throughout her journey. And the story, while simple (at first), ended up much more complext than initially thought. Even the flashbacks weren't too intrusive and played an important role in the overall story. It seemed like everything that occured in the show had a reason or meaning to it and wasn't there just for shock value or fanfare.

And speaking of fanfare, it was definitely cool to see certain items, creatures, and locations we've gone through or seen in the games visualized in live action. It seemed pretty clear that the game devs stayed close with the filmmakers in creating this series. Other game-to-live action properties should take notes from this. I can't wait to see where they take us next season. Solid 8/10 from me

[Solo]

Don't have anything to add really that hasn't already been laid out in all the above posts. Pretty much in agreement with the rest of you, but i'll share a few thoughts anyway.

Is it a little non sensical at times and a little hokey? Of course. But that's to be expected, and definitely part of the charm that makes up the Fallout universe, so that was no surprise and was expected. I'm usually pretty strict about the critiquing of post apocalyptia, but with this series i knew exactly what i was getting. My only fear really when it came to comedy was if they were going to go with some sorta slapstick angle with things. They crept up to the line a few times, but happy to see that they held back on the reigns and that that wasn't the case. They managed to maintained a good balance of oddity, wit, violence, and every day human condition.

The acting was fine for me. I had no issues with anyone really when it comes to the material they had. Some of the plot was a little sketchy though (looking at you mainly BoS) but all in all the writing was pretty well done across the board. Goggins of course nailed it - as he so often does in any role he takes on (he'll always be Boyd to me) I wouldn't say he carried the series because i feel like everyone pulled their weight, but there's no denying really that he's in a class unto himself. Still everyone held up their end and they should all be proud. Special shout out to Norm. I think his work in the series was great, and respect worthy, and actually found myself waiting for the scene selections to get back to him and what he was doing.

The only issue i had with the series really was the music. And by music i don't mean song selection or type of course, but rather the frequency and the volume. It was obvious they were trying to cram as much music into each episode as they could. Understandable from the standpoint that the music is a staple of this universe, but i started to find that the more they dropped them in they started to become distracting.. enough so for me that it got a little annoying, and the volume of the song selections was way to high. Next time i'd like to see them cut out a quarter of the music, and drop the song volume level by a third. Not a big thing really, so if that's all i have to gripe about then it was a good day. Easily recommendable, and can't wait to see what they do next.