Disappointing tomorrows are common in science fiction; A genre that by definition reflects our fears in the face of social or technological change. The sense of particularly acute anxiety increases tenfold as we head straight into post-apocalyptic SF.
The soil in this register has been plowed, with more or less success, for years, both on the small and on the big screen: depletion of resources, climatic fluctuations that destroy the surface of the earth, nuclear war, a pandemic that almost wipes out humanity. A map destined to survive…
The Fallout series, released on Prime Video on April 11, contributed to the building. In addition to the adaptation of the famous video game license, the singularity of its world, its often brutal black humor, its sarcastic tone and its unrestrained violence deserve attention.
Because we have to face the facts: the worlds of certain licenses are so rich and vast, be it in visual, narrative and thematic approach, that they deserve to be considered as a series, under penalty of being irreparably emptied of their substance when passing through the cinema box with loss and noise.
October 23, 2077, Fallout’s Apocalypse Day
“War. War never changes”. The iconic slogan for the license is no less than: throw down. It could be said that this terrifying post-apocalyptic saga is to video games what the post-apocalyptic saga Mad Max is to cinema: a must-have.
The Fallout game series, born in the mid-90s, has never lost respect for its cinematic counterpart, even if its world is primarily deeply rooted in the delicious and brilliant retrofuturism of the 50s, the image of Robi the robot from the Forbidden Planet. An anchor that is not only visual, but also more. Even the game soundtracks smell like the 50’s and 60’s.
A time when science fiction reigned supreme in the American collective imagination, which is what gives all the charm to this extraordinary license, selling several tens of millions of copies.
The starting point of the Fallout saga, even if the series begins 200 years later, is a nuclear apocalypse, nicknamed “The Great War”. It was both short and logically disastrous. It began and ended in just two hours on Saturday, October 23rd, 2077, when every nuclear power in the Fallout universe (primarily the United States, China, and the USSR) began to launch nuclear weapons.
A war for control of resources
The geopolitical instability that led to global nuclear war was first caused by the global energy crisis, when natural supplies of fossil fuels were seriously depleted in 2050.
This energy crisis had several causes. First, the ever-increasing demand for fossil fuels necessary to power the larger and greedier machines of the Fallout universe. Second, due to the inability to develop miniature electronics and more advanced building materials.
A direct result of this crisis was a widespread panic that spread to all industrialized countries. They were trying to protect the world’s few remaining oil reserves. Then a series of local military conflicts began over the now rare and valuable storage sites, and a thirst for natural resources ravaged the planet.
On Apocalypse Day, October 23, 2077, the giant vaults and underground shelters created by engineers at a company called Vault-Tec, which plays an essential (and often obscure) role in the Fallout universe, were sealed while the entire Earth burned. Sealed for decades; Even centuries.
Several generations of families live there and change each other, so that they never leave. Asylums like the one where the heroine of the series Lucy (Ella Purnell) spent most of her life. Until the doors finally open…
What does the Fallout world look like when you step outside? About it, from the game trailer Fallout 4.
A life that reclaims its rights in an unforgiving world
Despite the destruction of the planet by nuclear fire, the areas remained somewhat habitable, where the level of radioactive fallout was low. The people who survived in these regions of the planet were able to live in the ruins of the pre-war civilization, even founding new communities and small towns.
Once upon the ruins of the United States of America, the former territories separated and became autonomous, for example, New California RepublicFounded in 2186, it became the model of a post-apocalyptic organization.
Here its citizens have universal suffrage, discrimination is prohibited. Even mutants are protected by the law. For example, a supposed paradise for ghouls who once survived the cataclysm and were exposed to high levels of radiation that would normally be fatal. This is the case of the character played by actor Walton Goggins in the series.
Those who survived the Great War formed the basis of a new civilization, free and above all completely ruthless, among raiders (robbers), monstrous mutant creatures, fascist militias and other brotherhoods armed to the teeth.
The most emblematic of them is the Brotherhood of Steel. A quasi-religious and military organization with devastating firepower rooted in the United States military and scientific community. He plays a major role in the Fallout universe and series.
Members of the Brotherhood of Steel in their power armor.
“Making the fans happy is a crazy task”
“Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time. Each chapter of this incredibly imaginative story has cost us countless hours to spend with family and friends. That’s why we’re so happy to work with Amazon Studios, Todd Howard and partners. Bethesda Let the rest of the brilliant creators bring this massive, subversive and darkly fun world to life.”.
These were the terms of a press release issued by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy accompanying the official announcement that work on the Fallout series would begin in July 2020. It cannot be said that the birth of the series required a treasure of patience. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the idea of ​​adaptation was already mentioned, but it was not implemented.
“Fallout, in my career, is the closest thing to a Batman adaptation, where there is so much history in the Batman universe that there is no canonical version and you are free to invent your own. Each Fallout game is different. The story – a different city, a different hero – in the same mythology. Jonathan Nolan commented in early March at the microphone of Total Film magazine.
add: “Our series is positioned in relation to the games in the same way that the games are positioned in relation to each other. It’s a bit like us being Fallout 5. I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but it’s just one version, not interactive. About the game, right?”
Todd Howard, executive producer of the series and primarily the creator of Fallout 3 and 4, states that if he were to share potential ideas for Fallout 5 with Jonathan Nolan, However, he asked not to include them in the series. “There were things where I was like, ‘Don’t do it because we’re going to do it in Fallout 5.’
No sin of pride on the part of this brilliant screenwriter and show producer, who also began his immersion in this license. Fallout 3. “For me, it started with Fallout 3, which ate up about a year of my life. I was a young aspiring screenwriter at the time and it pretty much ruined my entire career. It’s so addicting and fun… seriously, the games were just amazing.” Nolan said In the recently organized press event around the TV series.
Worried about the fan reaction? Not easily. “I think we have to go into this adventure by trying to put together the show that we want to make and make sure that as fans of the game, we find the elements that are essential to us… and try to do your best to deliver the best version.”
It’s a bit of a no-brainer to figure out how to make people happy… you have to make them happy first. And I really enjoyed the series. “
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
