Why A Fallout 4 Movie Needs To Happen
Many Sole Survivors have been wandering the wastes of the Commonwealth ever since the release of Fallout 4 in November 2015. They've hacked away at Raiders, shot Super Mutants in the face, and commanded their companions to lay waste to the hostile Synths that threaten humanity itself. If we can say one thing about Fallout 4, it's that it does a great job of presenting the player with hours upon hours of distraction in a world that's both terrifying and highly engrossing thanks to its setting, its classic story of revenge, and its cast of incredible characters. That's why we feel that it's high time for a movie to be made about Fallout 4, Deathclaws and all. Come join us as we list the reasons why.
Oh, and there are spoilers ahead, just so you know.
Post-apocalyptic setting akin to Mad Max
Post-apocalyptia and films are no strangers to each other. Throughout the years, there have been many movies set in familiar places, with the only caveat being that they take place after the dust settles from an apocalyptic event. Many of these movies even inspired elements of the Fallout games. For example, there's Mad Max and all of the iconography used there: leather outfits, ramshackle vehicles, and lots and lots of sand. We've seen how well an action epic like 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road did, and we're positive that an action romp through the wastes of a Fallout 4 movie would do just as well, especially when placed in the right hands. There's drama, there's combat, there's a compelling narrative, and most of all, there's that desolate feeling one gets when detached from the urban areas of Fallout 4 and being a man out of time, as it is for the Sole Survivor.
Great cast of unique characters
Say what you will about the Sole Survivor, but there's no denying that the supporting characters in Fallout 4 are amazing. We'd watch a movie that consisted of little vignettes of the Companions if we could! Whether it's Hancock and his personal brand of justice, Piper with her smart mouth, or Nick Valentine's dry sense of humor, we wouldn't be able to get enough of seeing these guys on the big screen. We understand that it probably wouldn't be feasible to go in depth with these characters and their personal arcs within the constraints of a feature film, but it would still be great to see them interacting with the Sole Survivor, and even better to see them all interacting with each other. Just imagine the conversations between Codsworth and Curie!
Classic revenge tale
At its heart, Fallout 4 is a tale of vengeance and redemption, pitting a parent who's lost their child against the unforgiving wastes of the Commonwealth. Wanting only to protect their family, the Sole Survivor signs up to live in an underground vault built by Vault-Tec so that they can be safe during nuclear war, only to find that they need to be cryogenically frozen. The Survivor wakes up from cryo-stasis only long enough to see their spouse murdered and their son kidnapped. After thawing out properly years later, the Sole Survivor must embark on a journey through the ruined land to find their son and bring down justice upon their spouse's killer. If that's not a compelling plot for a movie, then we don't know what is.
The action would be ridiculous
A Fallout 4 movie would also be no stranger to big set pieces and amazing action sequences. As an example, let's take the questline that involves the USS Constitution, an old ship that's being crewed by a gaggle of robots. The whole quest chain involves gathering parts to fix the ship and to rocket it off the rooftop of a building and into the sea, all while defending the crew from encroaching raiders. That would be awesome to see and could feature ridiculous action on par with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
Or, if we're sticking to the main storyline, seeing Liberty Prime and the Brotherhood of Steel take on the Commonwealth would be jaw-dropping. Hell, just seeing the Prydwen rain down hell on the other two factions would be awesome, given that the Brotherhood of Steel boasts superior firepower and advanced technology. A battle between a bunch of Knights and Institute Coursers would make for great fight choreography, the kind that would leave our eyes glazed over.
The twist!
And who can forget about the twist in the middle of the story, when the Sole Survivor finds out that the Institute, the shadowy organization that's been spiriting people of the Commonwealth away and replacing them with Synths, is actually run by their missing son, Shaun. And not only that, but Shaun at that point in time is even older than the Sole Survivor! We're not saying that plot twists make a movie better or worse, but seeing this twist play out in theaters full of moviegoers who have never played the game would be entertaining.
A bit of action, a bit of romance
Okay, before you throw tomatoes (or whatever produce you have readily available) at us for saying that a romantic subplot would be good for a Fallout 4 movie, just keep in mind that the Companions are fairly interesting characters and that a romance with the Sole Survivor might help flesh out their stories. So while we might not get to see all of the Companions complete their arcs, we'd at least get to see the romantic interest's full story. Also, how great would it be to see the robot Curie get a Synth body and explore what it's like to be more or less human?
It would open up for other Fallout stories
The best reason for a Fallout 4 movie to be made is that, if it's a success, it could potentially pave the way for more stories in the Fallout universe to be told on the big screen. The series isn't starved for stories, so we have no trouble believing that a whole anthology of movies could be created, set in the Capital Wastes, the Mojave Wasteland, or even more of the Commonwealth. Just imagine the Fallout New Vegas DLC story Dead Money as an Ocean's 11-styled heist movie! The possibilities are nearly endless and we'd trade all of the bottlecaps in the world to see a Fallout 4 movie come to life for this purpose alone. Also, we'd like to see Three Dog played by Morgan Freeman. Make it happen, Hollywood.