I was really surprised on how this show turned out to be, I consider myself a casual gamer and I had given a try to the Fallout games before but I got to be honest - I didn't become a fan... After some hours, no matter how good the story was the overall gameplay didn't do it for me. Nonetheless I am really glad that the fans also enjoyed the adaption because I have a feeling that this is a rare occasion where the TV format actually works better for the story than the original.
I have been saying this often, one of the most hard things to do in the entertainment industry is to successfully adapt a video game, into a movie or a TV show. We've seen great developments in this realm recently and Fallout is just one of those recent successes. Everything seems to work perfectly, the portray of the characters, all around, the amazing environment and overall atmosphere created with a mix of astonishing practical effects, real locations and of course some CGI, the narrative and story telling that feeds us the pieces of the puzzle slowly as the series progresses, leaving room for some future surprises in the seasons to come.
I was really glad when I saw Jonathan Nolan was involved, one of my favorite writers, highly experienced in the Sci-Fi genre, everything was aligned to make this a great project.
The way the moral grey areas are explored in this brutal and harsh environment are really well played out and of course I can't go without mentioning how incredibly well the political side was introduced within the context of the story. For me it actually does serve as a cautionary tale, it leaves room for some reflection, I was shocked that this fictional, made up apocalyptical and sadistic world brought some elements that are real today and others that while not a reality somehow they felt like a daunting possibility... We really need to prioritize dialogue these days otherwise self-extinction is no longer a distant possibility but more of an inevitability.
It's an amazing show, great dialogues, great cinematography, well written, even the graphical violence seems to serve its purpose - although some of the gore scenes felt a bit unnecessary - mixed up with some dark humor that actually does work quite well, it's a must. I am really looking forward to see how everything wraps up.