Critic Reviews
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What Fallout lacks in narrative coherence it makes up for in sheer cyberpunk chutzpah. That may leave non-gamers a little baffled, but for those already invested in this atomic dust bowl, it should prove a satisfying, if not sensational, extension of the franchise – just about more bang than whimper.
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As Season 1 concludes, there’s less a sense of anticipation for what comes next than general relief that this somewhat messy introduction, and the contortions to incorporate its eclectic roster of players, is over.
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“Fallout” skews closer to “Westworld” and “The Boys,” parceling out puzzles to be played over eight episodes and dropping morbid jokes about everything from decapitated heads to exploding penises. There’s also an anti-capitalism message that takes shape over the season’s latter half (in yet another example of Amazon having its cake and eating it, too), all of which gives Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner’s hourlong drama topical talking points, but only surface-level substance.
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That most of Prime Video’s Fallout consists of getting sidetracked by bullshit is simultaneously one of its main charms and one of its most frustrating flaws. At its liveliest, the sci-fi adventure captures the fun of simply getting to explore a strange new world, meeting colorful characters and going down mysterious rabbit holes. But the lack of urgency also means its eight hours take an awfully long time to get where it’s going.
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But if it’s one thing to work as a TV show, it’s another to work as a good TV show, and this standard proves tougher for Fallout to attain. It has some fun components, and the great Walton Goggins (Justified, The Righteous Gemstones) delivers as usual in a dual-ish role. But a lot of it feels like it’s trying way too hard to grab your attention, all while so many of its ideas are recycled not from video games, but from other, more interesting post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows.
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The main issue here is that none of these characters are complex or engaging enough to root for. They're two-dimensional, empty avatars that someone would choose at the start of a game — which, ironically, could be a backhanded compliment given this is a videogame adaptation — but while you can get over shallow characteristics and vague backstories when playing (if the gameplay is diverse and challenging enough), the same doesn't fly when you're watching a story unfold on the screen. Based on its first four episodes (which were provided for review), there's nothing in "Fallout" that feels original or impressive.
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