THERE is something wrong with the Nolan brothers. Christopher Nolan filmed Oppenheimer, an incredible film about the creation and first uses of the atom bomb in January 2022. Six months later, his brother Jonathan directed the first three episodes of Fallout, where atom bombs are dropped on every major American city.
Set in an alternate history, Earth is reduced into a radioactive wasteland after atomic bombs are detonated in 2077. Humans who were either resourceful or rich enough managed to buy their way into high-tech underground bunkers called Vaults.
Everyone else were either incinerated by the bombs or survived by sheer luck, only to then fight for survival against each other, the radioactive environment and creatures mutated by the nuclear fallout on the planet’s surface.
Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout is set within the premise, story and lore from the games, with its own story that weaves into the franchise’s grand retro-futuristic epic.
All roads meet in the wasteland
The first episode that was directed by Jonathan captures the chilling moment when one of the bombs detonates in Los Angeles, near actor Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) and his daughter in 2077.
Two centuries later in 2296, the denizens of Vault 33 are violently attacked by people from the surface that infiltrated Vault 32.
Hank MacLean, Vault 33’s leader, is kidnapped by the attackers led by Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury). His daughter, Lucy (Ella Purnell) decides to leave the safety of the vault to save her father on the surface.
Elsewhere, Howard is now a bounty hunter that is tracking down the scientist Siggi Wilzig (Michael Emerson). Nicknamed “The Ghoul”, Howard has mysteriously survived the atomic bombs from 200 years ago, but has also become mutated and disfigured due to the radiation.
Also pursuing the scientist is the techno-religious military organisation, the Brotherhood of Steel. A squire, Maximus (Aaron Moten) is tasked with helping one of the Brotherhood’s “knights” in their mission to acquire Wilzig.
The first season of Fallout focuses on its three main characters, Lucy, Howard and Maximus’ separate journeys, as the three converge to reveal the secrets of not just the Vaults’ true intention, the current state of the world, but also how the planet was destroyed.
Uncompromising adaptation
The show is undeniably flawless. It is impressive how it both serves fan expectations, while also being friendly and welcoming to casual audiences as newcomers do not need to play the games to start watching Fallout.
As the main characters move along their paths, the story is framed as though we are in their shoes, experiencing and learning what they do. By having three characters from different backgrounds, Fallout is able to cover a lot of ground with its storytelling and worldbuilding.
Along with its story, Fallout also balances its action and adult humour with masterclass. Like the games, expect a lot of limbs getting shot into a gory mess. There is even stomach-turning body horror, like a woman giving birth to carnivorous “fish”, which proceeds to eat her.
As the bar is set this high right out the gate, the real challenge now is maintaining this quality into Fallout’s second season.
Fallout is currently streaming on Prime Video.
