“Fallout”: The experiment succeeded | THE DAILY

Impressive effects, retro aesthetics and imposing scenery that transport the viewer to post-apocalyptic southern California. After a successful video game franchise (the first game was released in 1997) first by the company Interplay and then by Bethesda, the “Fallout» adapted to the small screen for the service Amazon Prime Video and is already one of the most popular series of 2024.

The eight-episode TV project, created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (“Westworld”), takes place in a futuristic America where ever-evolving technology coexists with the atmosphere of the 1950s, as well as the confrontation of the Western world with the Soviet Union and its allies. The first scene with the atomic bombs starting to fall is chronologically placed in 2077. Next, we are taken to 2296 and the bunkers – small societies where the descendant of the nuclear explosion survivors lives, Lucy (Ella Parnell), a young woman whose the seemingly peaceful everyday life will change after a condition that will force her to leave the safety zone for the outside, wild world. In the search for her father, she will encounter cruel people, cannibals, mutated animals and ghouls – entities that have been exposed to high radiation and whose bodies resemble those of a lifeless human.

With great care, care and without narrative gaps, the screenwriters “travel” in time to highlight some of the most important events in history. Humanity is in a state of despair, fragmented into factions where trust between its members is rare. What was once considered progress now meets regression, reviving outdated ideologies. Both the series and the video game take place in an alternate time where nuclear power replaces fossil fuels, until these limited resources cause nuclear war.

The flow of the script, which combines elements of science fiction, western, horror and dark comedy, is exemplary and inspires to explore a new perspective on video game adaptations to TV or cinema. If we look at the productions that were based on console games, in recent years there have been remarkable efforts of ventures that gamers loved through the computer or playstation and nintendo. For example, the Emmy Award-winning “The Last of Us,” shown on the HBO network, thrilled viewers because of its masterful portrayal of the game’s universe in just a few episodes. Other movie adaptations that pleased gamers were “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” In addition, series such as ‘Halo’, ‘Twisted Metal’ and ‘Castlevania’ garnered high ratings on the streaming platforms where they aired.

These figures are encouraging for the Hollywood industry, which – after many decades – seems to have discovered the formula, both financially and creatively, for the proper transfer of video games. The road certainly wasn’t easy, but the stigma surrounding infamous adaptation failures like “Super Mario Bros.”, “Double Dragon” and “BloodRayne” during the 1990s and 2000s has largely faded.

“Fallout” cleverly balances violence with high-quality television. The series reflects a deep understanding of today’s human landscape, with the looming possibility of US involvement in some conflict and the escalation of class inequalities. However, the most important achievement of the creators is the fact that History attracts both fans of the games, which in addition to the four main releases also include many spinoffs, and people who are now familiar with this gloomy world.

Although Hollywood studios were initially interested in adapting “Fallout” in 2008, following the release of the award-winning game “Fallout 3,” none of the proposed ideas resonated with lead designer Todd Howard, who is also one of the producers. of the series. The main challenge lies in its nature as an open-world game, where each story takes place in a different city and features distinct characters.

The gameplay experience of “Fallout” is very different from the linear narrative of “The Last of Us”, where all players face the same characters and challenges, and everything can only end one way. Instead, “Fallout” expands its vast universe by taking us to Los Angeles, a city previously unexplored in the game and introducing new characters that put both longtime fans and newer ones on equal footing.

The TV series stays true to the game as well – along with the actors involved such as Kyle McLachlan, Walton Goggins, Zach Cherry and the soundtrack with hits by Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, Skeeter Davis – may have been another contributing factor to the decision to renew it for a second season before the first season premiered on April 11. As it turns out, this is just the beginning of one of the biggest ventures of the small screen that gives the green light for more productions of the genre.