“The war… War never changes.” – Ron Perlman groans eerily off-screen. In the frame, someone who has tightened his face with a gas mask is statically threatening with a militaristic helmet. The game in the format of the good old RPG “Fallout” amiably welcomes incoming pictures of Armageddon under the affectionate “I don’t want to burn the world” by The Ink Spots. The series, a format also known as the good old video Fallout, meets the viewer with a capacious The End. You can’t be more precise. In this alternative future, the era of the early 1950s in the USA does not end even at the end of the XXI century, as if having preserved satiety, sun skirts and elegant haircuts. Dirty deeds are easier to hide behind an idyllic facade. Western star Cooper Howard and his assistant daughter entertain the kids on the lawn while Nat Cole carries the prophetic “Orange Colored Sky” from the record. The hostess will cut the cake, and everything will change. And huge mushrooms will send spores to the wind. And the sky will turn orange. The End.
The party is on fire!
Two hundred and something years later, humanity is still alive and happy, as if it got into Pleasantville. Vault-Tec Corporation, as befits any humane and caring corporation, has created isolated and secured Shelter bunkers throughout the country. The McLean family lives in Shelter 33: Daddy Hank, daughter Lucy and boy Norman (not to be confused with porcupine Norman from Monty Python). Lucy has a wedding and planned insemination soon, she looks into her future with huge (really huge) admiring eyes. Why would Lucy come to the surface? Where will Hank disappear to? What will Nosman do, excuse me, Norman? You will receive answers, as well as new questions, in the very first series.
The girl with the plan
And what is on the surface? And the Brotherhood of Steel, for example. A post-armageddon parody of a medieval knightly order with elements of purely American drill in the best traditions of the “All-metal shell”. Knights of the order wear power armor, novice rookies carry ammunition and toilet paper. This is, of course, a joke. In the harsh conditions of the irradiated wastelands, all toilet paper was spent on manuscripts and treatises. A true knight uses 20x110mm caliber cartridges. In the novices, Maximus, a nedotykomka Negro, is vegetating here, a guy of narrow-minded views and stupid intentions, the main one of which is the desire to get into an exoskeleton, called power armor, even with a shackle, even with a pellet. He will succeed thanks to a series of stupid circumstances. What follows is a story for the next seven episodes.
The main thing is that the costume stands
A snub-nosed cowboy wanders through sparsely populated, but multi-dimensional wastelands. No, it’s not an old syphilis, it’s a thermonuclear mutation. People like this cowboy are called ghouls here. And his is a Ghoul with a capital letter. His gun stabs an adult yao-gai on the spot. His word burns no worse than sulfuric acid. His approach is cynical and his intentions are mysterious. Don’t get in his way, radioactive cucaracha!
Intentions to film the Fallout game periodically flared up and went out throughout the existence of the series. Its aesthetics and versatility, not to mention such an important thing as gameplay, have repeatedly revolutionized the pixel pleasure industry. Over the decades of its existence, the retro-futuristic Sediment has gained millions of devoted nerds. Yes, fans too.
Mr. Klyuvdiy
When the film finally became flesh and entered the screens, some nerds whined, twitching their hind legs: “not canon, not canon!”. The other part happily yapped, dancing and marking the corners: “canon, canon!”. But we suggest to find out if the product is valuable (what? no, not a bone, a series!) by itself, in isolation from the knowledge of the game universe. And here we can’t say anything, because we know this game universe, therefore, we are unreliable witnesses. However, let’s analyze: showrunner and director Jonathan Nolan is a loyal associate and co-author of brother Christopher. But he himself is not a blunder, on account of the magnificent sci-fi detective “In sight / Person Of Interest” and the fascinating fantastically anti-scientific western “The World of the Wild West”. Showrunner Lisa Joy is Jonathan’s wife.
Oh, yes, and a talented screenwriter, she worked with her husband on The World of the Wild West, and as a screenwriter / director / producer she shot a remarkable noir for housewives, Memories. Walton Goggins, who played the role of Howard/Ghoul, does not need an introduction at all. Our editorial staff predicted his career success from the first season of “Justified”. And Kyle McLachlan, who plays Hank McLean, is actually Agent Cooper from Twin Peaks. Actress Ella Pernell (“Hornets”), portraying his daughter Lucy, really has some similarities with McLachlan, so it’s easy to believe in their family ties. Aaron Moten, who organically mowed down in the “Slanted”, in the first series, of course, the full “smell”, but later begins to present surprises, getting to the “scoop”.
The manner of shooting also does not make you doubt. The juicy colors of pre-nuclear America and the sandy colors of post-apocalyptic garbage dumps, contrasting, complement each other. Martial dances (critics call it “choreography”) range from full Looney Tunes to “Duck Soup” by the Marx brothers. The plot may seem a little confusing, especially since some things, actions and events are explained in the most unobvious way. Do not ask how that aunt lived for three hundred years, in one of the episodes you will be shown empty cryo-chambers for a couple of seconds. The mindfulness attraction has already spun its ferris wheel. And don’t listen to the panting nerds, the epilogue after the full The End-a has never been so absurdly fried, maliciously boiled and cynically peppered. Before viewing, however, we recommend that you turn on the Geiger counter. Have a good mutation, Moon Dogs!
