In recent weeks, it's felt a little like the buzz surrounding Prime Video's Fallout TV series has become a little less positive. A poorly edited clip did little to help matters, though neither has the fact many fans have understandably lofty expectations for this live-action take on the beloved series of games.
Well, the review embargo has just lifted and it's now clear there was really no cause for concern.
As we write this, Fallout has an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews, putting it in roughly the same ballpark as The Last of Us (which has 96%). That's mighty impressive and, while plenty more verdicts will likely be counted in the days ahead, this is a strong start for a show which recently got the semi-official green light for a second season.
Here's what critics are saying about Fallout:
Joy and Nolan's last big sci-fi show, The Peripheral, was canned after one season, reportedly as a result of industry strikes. Westworld was cancelled four seasons into a planned six-season run. I think it'll be third time lucky. Fallout is both totally rad and an absolute blast. [4/5] - BBC
Fallout expands on the big ideas of the games, making it an adaptation worth watching both for fans and those unfamiliar. It’s an equal parts funny and nightmarish show that, like its protagonist, isn’t content to live inside a projection of the past. [4/5] - Empire
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. - The Hollywood Reporter
A bright and funny apocalypse filled with dark punchlines and bursts of ultra-violence, Fallout is among the best video game adaptations ever made. [9/10] - IGN
Instead of adapting one specific game storyline, the show uses the games' settings, character archetypes, and various genres — yes, including Westerns — to craft something that is at once original, yet wholly Fallout. Yes, there may be some stumbles in this televised excursion through the wasteland, but it's still a fun ride. - Mashable
Fallout may look the part and nail the video game’s cheery optimism/dog-eat-dog inhumanity mein, but by its umpteenth attempt at making this funny—Glen Miller big band cliches overtop of a transmogrified giant fish trying to eat a young squire!—you want this one trick mutated pony to die a quick and painful death already. [D] - The Playlist
Despite its inconsistent tone and overcrowded story, Fallout blows the competition away with a game-accurate, hilarious quest through the Wasteland anchored by plenty of personality and punchy social commentary. [4/5] - Total Film
The show’s clearly committed to being the definitive Fallout adaptation, a love letter to fans, no question, while still opening the vault door to welcome in just about everyone else brave enough to step inside. - TV Line
Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind - and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.
Fallout premieres later today on Prime Video, two days earlier than expected.