A Must-See Sci-Fi Blockbuster of 2024 Just Landed on Prime (All 8 Episodes Are Already Out)

Summary

• The Prime Video library has been updated with a new sci-fi series from the creators of Westworld.
• It's a live-action adaptation of the iconic post-apocalyptic video game series.
• Critics and viewers who have already seen the show have absolutely loved it.

Fallout is arguably one of the most popular video game series. The franchise, inspired by such films as A Boy and His Dog, Mad Max, and The Postman, as well as the culture of the Atomic Age, offered a unique post-apocalyptic setting in a nuclear retro-futurist aesthetic. Each game featured not only in-depth world-building and lore, but also a witty blend of satire and political message.

According to Bethesda Game Studios executive producer Todd Howard, the company was repeatedly approached by various studios with a proposal to adapt the video game series into a movie or television format, but the team feared that the vision of the live-action creators would be different from the games.

Let's face it, when Amazon announced plans for a Fallout show in 2020, many of us were just as concerned, though the trailer featuring Walter Goggins as the ghoul in a cowboy hat gave us some relief. Not surprisingly, the idea came from Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, as the two shows have a lot in common — and Nolan himself is an avid Fallout fan.

And now, on April 10, 2024, Prime Video has finally released all 8 episodes of the new series. Gamers are pretty picky when it comes to adaptations of their favorite franchises, but it seems that they, as well as viewers unfamiliar with the source material, have already been pleasantly impressed.

What Is This New Show from Amazon?

Whether you're a hardcore gamer, a fan of Westworld, or just interested in what's new on Amazon, we highly recommend checking out this new series as it promises to deliver a ton of thrills in a dystopian world where local Coke (Nuka Cola, to be exact) lids are used as currency and the main livestock are two-headed, radiation-mutated cows.

The Fallout universe is an alternate reality where technology is based on nuclear power and the culture of the United States is reminiscent of the Cold War era. And it was in this world that the worst-case scenario happened — after a long war between the US and China, a devastating nuclear war broke out in 2077, resulting in the wealthy Americans taking refuge for two centuries in vaults designed by the Vault-Tec Corporation. And as for the less fortunate... their descendants either created settlements and quasi-states, became substance-dependent raiders, or mutated into terrifying (and not so terrifying) monsters.

While the series is extremely faithful to the video games, it offers an original story. Set in the year 296, the story follows Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell), a young resident of Vault 33 in the ruins of California, as she ventures into the dangerous wasteland in search of her father (Kyle MacLachlan). Along the way, she meets some of the locals, including a pre-war era cowboy mutated by radiation (Walter Goggins) and a young member of the high-tech knightly order, the Brotherhood of Steel.

What Are Critics and Viewers Saying about It?

At the time of this writing, the show's Rotten Tomatoes score is an impressive 93% from critics and 81% from audiences. Viewers have praised the show's faithfulness to the source material and its retro-futuristic appeal, complete with 1950s country music. Many also appreciated that the show did not rely heavily on CGI. The actors, in particular, were lauded for making the narrative incredibly compelling.

The result is a bizarre but thrilling series that will not only appeal to newcomers, but also set the standard for video game adaptations for years to come.