STACK #249 July 2025

FEATURE MOVIE

GENRE: Action

GHOUL AND THE GANG: FALLOUT While post-apocalyptic stories are nothing new in recent decades, Amazon Prime’s Fallout series stands out, and for good reason.

already played, while also making the show accessible to newcomers. Set in a retro futuristic version of America devastated by

the show as “The Ghoul”, a cowboy hat-wearing bounty hunter who’s survived the Wasteland for over 200 years. Goggins absolutely owns the role – his unique blend of menace, humour and sadness making his character one of the more compelling aspects of the series; grotesque and charismatic all at once. Fallout nails the franchise’s signature tone: brutal violence and grotesque imagery contrasted with 1950s-style optimism and

Walton Goggins

nuclear war in 2077, the story follows Lucy, a wide-eyed Vault Dweller who leaves the safety of her underground home and steps into the irradiated chaos above. She’s like a reverse Dorothy, swapping a tidy, artificial paradise for a violent,

kitsch. It moves effortlessly between dark comedy and high-stakes drama. One moment you’re chuckling at a glitchy Mr. Handy robot, the next you’re horrified by humanity’s worst instincts. That tonal balance makes Fallout one of the boldest and most entertaining game-to-screen adaptations yet. Gill Pringle

B ased on Bethesda’s hit video game franchise, the show brings the weird, wonderful, and darkly humorous elements of the Fallout universe to life in a way that feels true to its roots. Rather than directly adapting a specific game, it builds a fresh story within the established world. This gives longtime fans plenty of Easter eggs without simply rehashing what they’ve

unpredictable Oz. Ella Purnell ( Yellowjackets, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children ) brings charm and grit to the role, capturing Lucy’s transition from naive to hardened survivor. Her performance is

one of the show’s key strengths. The ensemble cast includes Kyle

MacLachlan, Sarita Choudhury, and Michael Emerson, but it’s Walton Goggins who steals

• Fallout: Season One is out July 9

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

Borderlands, Halo, The Last of Us, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

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