Summary
- Blast From the Past
cleverly parodies
Fallout
‘s post-apocalyptic themes in a comedic and lighthearted manner. - Brendan Fraser’s character, Adam, reflects Fallout’s Lucy in innocence and volunteerism in a quirky post-war society.
- The memorable ensemble cast, including Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek, adds to
Blast From the Past
‘s enjoyable charm.
Even though the post-apocalyptic world has been depicted through film-making for many years, Prime Video managed to spice up the genre again by successfully adapting Bethesda Softworks’ video game franchise Fallout (and all the exciting, violent lore contained within). Alongside such wonderful themes like nuclear explosions, underground bunkers, and ghouls, main characters like vault dweller Lucy MacLean, Brotherhood of Steel member Maximus, and Cooper Howard (who was once a Hollywood actor/ now mutant) have helped to make Prime Video’s new series Fallout a major success.
Surprisingly enough, a film by New Line Cinema from over 25 years ago, Blast From the Past, uses the same story aspects to create a romance comedy starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone. The best part is that this might be the film to satisfy those who have finished watching Fallout and now want something a little more lighthearted mixed in with their apocalypse.
Blast From the Past and Fallout Share a Nuclear Origin
Blast From the Past starts in a similar fashion to Prime Video’s latest hit series. Instead of a birthday party, the audience is in the midst of a cocktail party hosted by Calvin and Helen Webber. With an ominous TV broadcast and real-life warning signs, the couple runs for their elaborate underground bunker. A big explosion is heard, but it is not the actual end of the world that the couple thinks it is.
A warplane’s mechanical failure causes the aircraft to nosedive straight into their house, mimicking the same explosion of a missile. The world goes on, but Calvin and Helen both believe society is done for and stay in the bunker for 35 years (from 1962 to 1997). When the time finally comes to go back up, the father mistakenly considers the new, diverse California climate to be a wasteland and falls ill. Adam (their son, played by Fraser) volunteers to traverse the land above. This becomes a comedic adventure as Adam faces societal and scientific advancements, the likes of which he’s never seen before. Over time, Blast From the Past also takes a romantic turn when Eve (played by Silverstone) starts to wonder if Adam is actually the right guy for her.
Blast From the Past Is a Doomsday Spoof
Blast from the Past
- Release Date
- February 12, 1999
- Tagline
- She was a woman of the world. He had never been around the block.
As you can see, Blast From the Past already throws all the rules Fallout sets up on its head. Calvin’s bunker has the same number of amenities that Vault 33 has (and even more). When the father goes up above for the first time, he encounters what he describes as mutants, even though they are just diversified, new-age California citizens. The event that causes the world to be “destroyed” is nothing more than a plane crash.
Alicia Silverstone Is Up for Blast in the Past 2, Would ‘Do Anything’ with Brendan Fraser
Alicia Silverstone would be happy to make Blast in the Past 2 just to again work with Oscar-winning actor Brendan Fraser.
But this almost-paradoxical film successfully churns out the idea of a strange man in an even stranger world without needing to become gritty or dark (as most apocalyptic films would feel the need to inevitably turn to). Brendan Fraser’s main character is a fascinating reflection of Fallout actress Ella Purnell’s Lucy in that the character wasn’t forced to step into the hero’s journey but instead volunteered. Both characters share an innocence, but Adam’s flawed mannerisms are not put into a world of danger and death but that of an updated society. The feeling of accomplishment comes through more quickly than in a feature where this conclusion arrives in the form of having to kill someone.
Blast From the Past’s Memorable Cast
As Fallout is nothing without its iconic cast of characters, the ensemble in Blast From the Past makes this film even more enjoyable to watch. Obviously, Brendan Fraser can very well capture the essence of a man who is knowledgeable but naive at the same time (considering his films of that time). But other surprise castings keep Blast From the Past from faltering, like Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek.
Walken’s performance may be over the top at times (especially when the “explosion” occurs), but it doesn’t bother the movie’s overall wacky story. Spacek is a very good opposite of Walken, who shows her reluctance towards this unfavorable situation in the most subtle of ways that are only perceivable by the audience.
5:32
Ella Purnell and Aaron Moten Unpack Fallout’s Epic Move to TV and Being Threatened by Jackals and Hyenas
The stars of the Prime Video series based on the popular Fallout video games share highlights of the show and info about Purnell’s series, Sweetpea.
While Silverstone’s performance is average, actors Dave Foley as Troy (her best friend) and Joey Slotnick as Melker take the supporting roles they are given and run with them as much as possible. At times, you even root for Troy to be Adam’s love interest rather than Eve, and Melker hilariously develops a cult around those who pop out of the bunker (since it’s located in his store).
It may have been released in 1991, but Blast From the Past still holds up on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb (scores on both sites are sitting past 50% positive). The film not only captures and conveys the same tense beginning of the modern-day Fallout series but then—before you know it—destroys everything you think an apocalypse movie would be and delivers an upbeat science fiction and romantic comedy mashup. Blast From the Past is available to rent on Prime Video alongside Google Play, YouTube, and iTunes. Fallout is streaming on Prime Video.
