I've played Fallout 3, New Vegas and gave up completing Fallout 4, so I'm familiar with the universe, but not a die-hard fan of the franchise.
On the whole, I enjoyed the show. It does a great job of presenting the world I know from the video games, capturing the tone, the art style and even some of the humor that made the games such a great experience. There's an atmosphere to the show that is instantly recognizable to any gamer who spent time in the wasteland. Special effects are quite good, and there's a density to the set design and props that makes the world feel more real and lived in.
Acting ranges from decent to excellent. Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins stand out, and are able to overcome some fairly campy dialogue to deliver performances that are both memorable and fun to watch.
Unfortunately, I feel like the show stumbles with telling a compelling story. There are several instances where the plot develops a little too conveniently. Characters just happen across each other at the exact right time and place for the story to progress, with no explanation given. There are also a couple of writing choices where my suspension of disbelief went right out the window. Most importantly, when I finished episode 8, I still didn't have any idea of what the story was really about. What point were they trying to get across? Why did they make this show in the first place? As with most new media these days, it felt a little like they wanted to make a show around a familiar franchise, and then hired some writers to accomplish that, rather than starting off with a burning desire to tell a Fallout story.
All in all, it's an entertaining watch, but it's not a 10 out of 10 experience as many here seem to suggest. If you moderate your expectations story-wise, you'll have a good time with Fallout.
On the whole, I enjoyed the show. It does a great job of presenting the world I know from the video games, capturing the tone, the art style and even some of the humor that made the games such a great experience. There's an atmosphere to the show that is instantly recognizable to any gamer who spent time in the wasteland. Special effects are quite good, and there's a density to the set design and props that makes the world feel more real and lived in.
Acting ranges from decent to excellent. Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins stand out, and are able to overcome some fairly campy dialogue to deliver performances that are both memorable and fun to watch.
Unfortunately, I feel like the show stumbles with telling a compelling story. There are several instances where the plot develops a little too conveniently. Characters just happen across each other at the exact right time and place for the story to progress, with no explanation given. There are also a couple of writing choices where my suspension of disbelief went right out the window. Most importantly, when I finished episode 8, I still didn't have any idea of what the story was really about. What point were they trying to get across? Why did they make this show in the first place? As with most new media these days, it felt a little like they wanted to make a show around a familiar franchise, and then hired some writers to accomplish that, rather than starting off with a burning desire to tell a Fallout story.
All in all, it's an entertaining watch, but it's not a 10 out of 10 experience as many here seem to suggest. If you moderate your expectations story-wise, you'll have a good time with Fallout.