“Repercussions”: The experiment succeeded newspaper

Dazzling effects, retro aesthetics, and majestic landscapes transport the viewer to post-apocalyptic Southern California. Following the success of the video game franchise (the first game was released in 1997) first by Interplay and then by Bethesda, “He falls» Air-conditioned with a small screen for service Amazon Prime Video It is already one of the most popular series of 2024.

The eight-episode television project, written by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (“Westworld”), is set in a future America where ever-advancing technology coexists with the atmosphere of the 1950s, as well as the confrontation of the Western world with the outside world. The Soviet Union and its allies. The first scene in which the atomic bombs are shown starting to fall is set chronologically in the year 2077. Next, we are transported to the year 2296 and the bunkers – small communities in which the descendant of survivors of the nuclear blast, Lucy (Ella Parnell), a young woman living in… her house. Her seemingly peaceful daily life will change after a situation forces her to leave her safety zone and into the wild outside world. As she searches for her father, she will encounter cruel people, cannibals, mutant animals, and ghouls – highly irradiated entities whose bodies resemble those of a lifeless human.

With great care and without narrative gaps, the screenwriters travel through time to highlight some of the most important events in history. Humanity is in a state of despair, divided into factions with little trust. What was once considered progress is now being met with regression, leading to the revival of outdated ideologies. Both the series and the video game take place in an alternate time where nuclear power replaces fossil fuels, until these limited resources cause nuclear war.

The flow of the text, which combines elements of science fiction, western, horror and black comedy, is exemplary and inspires to explore a new perspective on video game adaptations for television or cinema. If we look at the products that were based on console games, in recent years there have been notable efforts for projects loved by players through PC, PlayStation and Nintendo. For example, HBO's Emmy Award-winning The Last of Us impressed viewers with its masterful depiction of the game's world in just a few episodes. Other cinematic adaptations that have delighted players include “Sonic the Hedgehog” and “Five Nights at Freddy's.” In addition, series such as “Halo,” “Twisted Metal,” and “Castlevania” received high ratings on the streaming platforms where they were broadcast.

These numbers are encouraging for the Hollywood industry, which – after many decades – seems to have discovered the formula, both financially and creatively, for sound transfer of video games. It certainly hasn't been an easy road, but the stigma surrounding notorious adaptation failures like “Super Mario Bros.” And “Double Dragon” and “BloodRayne” during the 1990s and 2000s have largely faded away.

“Fallout” cleverly balances violence with high-quality television. The series reflects a deep understanding of today's human landscape, with the United States potentially embroiled in some conflicts and rising class inequality. However, the most important achievement of the creators is the fact that History attracts both fans of the games, which also include many spin-offs, in addition to the four main releases, and people who are now familiar with this gloomy world.

Although Hollywood studios were initially interested in adapting “Fallout” in 2008, following the release of the award-winning game “Fallout 3,” none of the proposed ideas resonated with lead designer Todd Howard, who is also one of the producers of the film series. . The main challenge lies in its nature as an open world game, with each story set in a different city and featuring distinct characters.

The gameplay experience in Fallout is very different from the linear narrative in The Last of Us, where all players face the same characters and challenges, and everything can only end one way. Instead, Fallout expands its vast world by transporting us to Los Angeles, a city that has never been explored in the game and introducing new characters that put both old fans and new fans on equal footing.

The TV series stays true to the game as well – along with co-actors such as Kyle MacLachlan, Walton Goggins, Zach Cherry And its successful soundtrack – featuring Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, and Skeeter Davis – may have been another contributing factor in the decision to renew it for a second season before the first season premieres on April 11. As it turns out, this is just the beginning of one of the biggest projects on the small screen that gives the green light to more productions of this kind.