‘Fallout' review round-up: Prime Video's new drama series is ‘a clever and volatile cocktail' filled with ‘surprising twists'

On April 10, 2024, Prime Video released “Fallout,” a new drama series created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. The show is based on the role-playing video game franchise created by Interplay Entertainment and now owned by Bethesda Softworks. In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.

Early reviews for the breakout Emmy contender have earned it a freshness rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads, “An adaptation that feels like a true extension of the games, ‘Fallout’ is a post-apocalyptic blast for newcomers and longtime fans alike.” The ensemble cast includes Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Xelia Mendes-Jones and Walton Goggins. Read our full review round-up below.

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Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times writes, “A clever and volatile cocktail consisting of social commentary, over-the-top action sequences, quirky dialogue and a steady stream of surprising twists, set against the backdrop of the obligatory dystopian future.” Adding, “In addition to the Lucy storyline, we get two other main threads: one involving The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a legendary bounty hunter who walks and talks and thinks like a human but is essentially a zombie and has survived for more than two centuries, and the other focusing on Maximus (Aaron Moten), a soldier-in-training who is a member of the militaristic ‘Brotherhood of Steel.’ (The brilliant supporting cast includes Leslie Uggams, Sarita Choudhury, Mosés Arias, Frances Turner and Michael Emerson.)”

Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community says, “It’s strong, it’s goddamn hilarious, and it highlights exactly how to swing for the fences while still knowing where Homebase is. It may be a new series, but ‘Fallout’ is an instant classic of the streaming age.” Concluding, “No matter where you look, the wide extended cast embodies the weirdness of their world, and they never lose sight of the chaos and mayhem that Wasteland entails. At the same time, militaristic organizations aim to grasp some semblance of power.”

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Matt Purslow of IGN Movies praises the series, stating, “Lucy and Maximus provide an interesting duality: She’s only ever known the safety of the vault, and he’s only ever known the brutality of the wasteland. But ‘Fallout’ has another sharp contrast, that of pre- and post-nuclear destruction, explored fantastically through The Ghoul. Played by Walton Goggins, this 250-year-old irradiated mutant is ‘Fallout’s’ most magnetic presence – a drugged-up lone wanderer with a give-no-shit attitude. Compared to Lucy and Maximus, The Ghoul is the least complex character due to a relatively shallow arc, but he’s no doubt the most enjoyable to watch thanks to Goggins’ all-in performance. But The Ghoul is just part of who Goggins plays here. ‘Fallout’ frequently takes trips back in time to before the apocalypse to explore the life of the man The Ghoul used to be. An all-American movie star living a charmed life in retro-futuristic Hollywood, Cooper Howard initially seems the ‘boring’ side of Goggins’ dual role, there simply to establish humanity for a character later totally stripped of it. But this story gradually builds into a truly compelling mystery, providing Goggins a much-needed sense of purpose.”

Akos Peterbencze of Looper.com notes, “Despite an evidently high budget, a prestigious ensemble cast, and a shamelessly violent approach, Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan‘s creation misses the point of what makes a game work on television.” Continuing, “Even though there is plenty of action to keep the plot moving without letting it sink into complete boredom, they’re unimaginative and average at best, filled with generic gun and fistfights between robots, humans, and other creatures.”