As a lifelong gamer, I can admit to being extremely skeptical of movie or TV adaptations of games after how many terrible ones we have had over the years. Even with the newly released Fallout, I remembered to keep my expectations low no matter how promising the trailers might look.

But now that it’s out, I can say the Fallout series is well done in its tone, style, and writing, and the visuals are honestly more impressive than a lot of recent Marvel movies.

Marvel Been Visually Disappointing

That last point is something I can’t help but dwell on, since Marvel movies typically cost a few hundred million dollars to make, but visually they have been disappointing lately.

The MCU has access to Hollywood’s biggest actors, some of the most talented directors, and the latest CGI technology. So why does everything look so bland and identical?

Fallout With More Personality

Why does something like the Fallout series have so much more personality on its $153 million budget than the latest Marvel movies do?

I think part of that is just due to the creative restrictions that come from working with the MCU. Multiple actors and directors have spoken on this and how the producers have mandates on what they want in tone for it to match up with the other Marvel products. There is apparently a short leash to go outside that box.

More Experimentation?

So the Fallout series, as the first adaptation of the games, likely gets to experiment a lot more than the Marvel movies that have a long-established formula.

This tonal clash was most evident in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which saw famous horror director Sam Raimi directing. He brought touches of his creepy visual style here and there in the movie, but it lacked that overall feel of his movies. It was like a Marvel sundae with a few Sam Raimi sprinkles on top.

Practical Effects Help

Whether you enjoyed the first season of the Fallout series or not, you have to admit the voice of the creators shined through a lot more clearly than Marvel allows for their projects.

Another aspect hurting Marvel is how heavily reliant they have become on green screens and CGI to build the atmosphere.

Obviously not everything in the Fallout series was practical effects, but on a smaller budget than the typical Marvel movie, they created creatures like the ghouls without relying on CGI.

Taking The Time

The creators just took the time necessary to let their makeup department turn someone into a realistic-looking victim of extreme radiation.

Compare that to the infamously bad third eye that appeared on Doctor Strange’s head at the end of Multiverse of Madness.

Shaping An Identity

I suppose the more distinct look for something like the Fallout series versus the latest Marvel movies really does come down to the freedom of originality.

Fallout is still shaping its own identity and the boundaries of that sandbox have not been established yet.

Whereas the MCU has its checklist for what it feels works, so creating a homogenous product is what it wants.

It’s just a shame that that devotion to uniformity simultaneously stifles so much creative freedom for giving each character’s movie their own unique feel.