Saturday, June 21, 2008

"Fallout"

Author(s): Zgamer
Location: Eagle, ID

"Fallout"

Directed by: Jack Bender
Written by: Joss Whedon
Inspired by the video game created by Interplay Studios
Cinematography by: Emanuel Lubezki
Edited by: Dody Dorn
Music by: Hans Zimmer

Main Cast

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Ike
Zachary Quinto as Kor
Thomas Hayden Church as Carne
Hayden Panettiere as Lash
Piper Perabo as Farrah
Ron Perlman as Sir Odion
John Hurt as Dr. Joseph Sampson
Pam Ferris as Dr. Judith Altman

Tagline: "War. War never changes"

Synopsis: The date is April 1, 1992. Ike sits in his sardine-can-like bedroom sipping a cup of rationed water. He is tired, yet his mind is still buzzing about everything that has happened. He still finds it hard to believe that thirty years ago, mankind exterminated itself in seventeen short hours with the weapons that had promised to establish peace. He wasn’t alive then, but he has been told all about how the tensions of the Cold War erupted when the Soviets put the missiles in Cuba. Those who were wise enough retreated to the nuclear vaults that the “insane” folks spent years to build. These couple hundred people were saved as the rest of the world burned outside. Ike’s parents, who were young then, were among those saved. They lived, ate, bred and struggled in that metal tomb for the remainder of their short lives and that is exactly what Ike expected to become of him. Of course, that was before that afternoon.

For the past thirty years, the survivors have kept in contact with each other through a radio signal established two years prior to the conflict. This is the only connection that the twenty-six vaults have had all this time. Then something happened. One week ago, a distress signal was broadcasted from Vault 17, only to be silenced instantly. The next day, two more vaults had their transmissions fail, never to be heard from again. As of two days ago, connection had been lost with a total of seven vaults. It has been a mystery what has happened until only this afternoon. At that time, before connection with Vault 5 was lost, a strange audio message was broadcasted to all the remaining vaults. Everyone froze with fear as these words echoed across their metal walls:

My friends, a new era has begun. Too long has humanity cowered in the pretentious safety of their precious Vaults. It is now the duty of I, Sir Odion, Lord of The Brotherhood of Steel, to bring humanity back into the sunlight so that we may rise again. There has been resistance to this recruitment, which has been dealt with efficiently. While it grieves me to remove fellow men from this world, it is important for our grand mission. The Brotherhood now gives all those who remain a choice. You may join us and help reclaim our world, or you can refuse and expect swift consequences. We will not tolerate cowards and we will not stop until all the Vaults make this decision. But I promise you, this decision will decide whether humanity will survive or ensure its extinction. There is still a war to be fought. There is still an enemy left to be vanquished. We all must face this unfortunate and undeniable reality. Be ready when we come.

It is now 2:30 P.M. Dr. Sampson and Dr. Altman, the leaders of Vault 13 realize that if Vault 13 is to be saved from these invaders, they would need to find weapons and supplies. So they have assembled a team to travel to the nearest vault, Vault 15, and request these items. Among those in the team are Ike, the Vault’s tech professional Kor, it’s security chief Carne, Ike’s sister Lash and the Vault’s communications professional Farrah. As the team assembled to the entrance of the Vault, Ike took a second to think. This would be the first time anyone has ever left the Vault. They have never experienced or seen sunlight. They are ill equipped to face the nuclear-radiated atmosphere outside. And who knows what other dangers exist other than the Brotherhood? Still, as the Vault’s main door opened and the entrance flooded with bright sunlight, Ike knew that there is something bigger out there they would need to face. Something that would alter the course of human existence forever…

What the Press would say:

Imagine if the Cold War had really led to the end of the world. Now imagine if the end was not exactly the end, and you were forced to survive in the hell your fellow man had created for you. That was the crisis faced by the five protagonists of Fallout and it is one that you will not soon forget. Fallout is a movie so uniquely designed that you forget that it’s a re-imagining of an old video game. Maybe that is because unlike most video game adaptations, Fallout is not a mindless run and gun action movie. Sure, there are some great gunfights and action scenes (including an very well crafted battle near the climax that realistically pits the under equipped protagonists against their enemies), but the film is more about the exploration of this destroyed world rather than the fights in it. Through this radiated rubble and sand, director Jack Bender and his crew have created a new vision of mankind’s past/future.

There are enough twists and turns in the plot of Fallout that it would put anyone who thought they knew they could predict a movie’s progression to shame. From the untimely death of one of the group to their capture by the Brotherhood to the revelation of a new threat greater than these metal clad humans, Fallout’s script, expertly penned by “Firefly” creator Whedon, is one of the most intensely satisfying stories to be released to the mainstream audience. The characters are all given distinct and well-developed personalities, so that their progression and decision making feels all the more real. It also helps that Whedon adds a little satire to play off of the old time Cold War fears. To help the script reach its potential, Jack Bender, known for directing many acclaimed episodes of the show “Lost”, makes his movie-directing debut to create a stunningly atmospheric movie. You honestly believe that this is what post-apocalyptic 1992 would look like, with the debris of the old world piled upon the deserts of nuclear fallout and blended with the mix of old and new technology from different time periods. Bender also pulls a nifty trick on the audience by using the camera to act like their eyes, as it adjusts to different light settings and moves around just like a real person would. Thus, Bender puts you into the scene just like a video game, but keeps you at an appropriate distance like a movie. With these details and the help of a good budget and great scenery, Bender has achieved what many directors dream about: creating a credible and believable alternate reality.

If anything though, the cast should receive the most praise. To keep to the realism of the situation, none of the actors wear make-up so their appearance feels more natural. Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as main character Ike, a young man sent to protect his people from forces beyond his understanding. This is an interesting role for Gordon-Levitt, as Ike is a very deep character whose thoughts and concerns becomes the narration for the audience. It is a subtle yet compelling performance that should give him the recognition he deserves. All the stars play their roles effectively, even people like John Hurt and Pam Ferris whose characters are minor but important. However, the real surprise is the incomparable Ron Perlman. His character, the zealot Odion, is such a complex yet sane and logical individual that it’s hard to tell if he’s truly the villain of the movie. Sure, he’s not a nice guy and the all-metal armor he wears is intimidating, but does he do his actions out of hate or because he has good intentions underneath? Whatever it is, Perlman’s hypnotic voice and great performance are nothing short of Oscar worthy. If you choose to miss this film because it is inspired by a video game, you are missing out on a truly cinematic experience.

Award Possibilities

Best Picture
Best Director (Jack Bender)
Best Actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
Best Supporting Actor (Ron Perlman)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Joss Whedon)
Best Cinematography (Emanuel Lubezki)
Best Art Direction (Nathan Crowley and Julie Ochipinti)
Best Costume Design
Best Editing
Best Sound Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer)

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