8 Video Game Fan Films That Deserve Mainstream Recognition
3. Fallout: Revelation
A sprawling 45-minute pilot episode for a sadly cancelled Kickstarter project, Jesse Negron's Fallout: Revelation contains just about everything Fallout fans could hope for in a film. Focusing on both a young vault dweller and his estranged father, viewers are treated to an in-depth look at both life in the relative safety of an open vault and the desperate existence of those in the wasteland.
The film's protagonist is Aldous "A-Train" Mercury, a young vault-dweller with a talent for tinkering and engineering. Upon receiving his father's old, broken Pip-Boy for his birthday, he fixes it only to uncover a dark intrigue that threatens to wreak havoc on his peaceful existence in the form of the villainous Enclave.
The attention to detail is stunning, and a vast amount of nods are made to every facet of Fallout's world, from tins of Cram to Vault-Tec bobbleheads - though, miraculously, none of these are presented in a self-conscious wink-to-camera manner. The world is simply entirely consistent with what fans of the series are familiar with, and the amount of research that the filmmakers undertook is on full display.
With its extended length, Fallout: Revelation has the time to allow its characters and its world to breathe, juxtaposing tense interrogations and chaotic action set-pieces with touching character-driven scenes. The acting is excellent, with Ben Jurand in particular offering a stellar, performance as Aldous' father Joseph. Despite the Kickstarter's cancellation, we have been spoiled already when it comes to a Fallout adaptation.