On March 24, the show of the series “Halo» (Halo) began. The game version of the main Microsoft exclusive has many fans who expected a good story, exciting action and a new meeting with their favorite characters. But what actually happened I’ve seen the first series and hurry to share my impressions!
What did you expect from Halo?
Efforts have already been made to bring the Master Chief’s adventures to the big screen. Microsoft aggressively promoted the photo, Neill Blomkamp was in the director’s chair, and Peter Jackson’s company traded in fake weapons, vehicles and armor. It looks like the process was supposed to run smoothly, but instead the film ended up in production hell. As a result, the shooting had to be stopped.
Fortunately, fans were still waiting for news about the new project. At the same time, Paramount, which seized the film rights, promised to consult with developers at 343 Industries and shoot an expensive series that would delight franchise connoisseurs.
However, after the announcement, strange news began to surface that the screenwriters were only inspired by the original and saw an alternate universe, and the game authors only made sure that the characters remained recognizable. Then some of the community lowered their expectations, but the hopes of something not fitting still remained.
But what about the series? It’s too early to rate the first episode, but the authors have already screwed up. Although “Halo” may seem like a fanfiction or a collection of cosplayers, the series also has its advantages.
What do you think of the Halo series?
Plot “Halo”
Things are not going well on the planet Madrigal. The locals are tired of giving away resources to the UNSC and mutiny – now they only talk about enemy Marines and Spartans who could invade at any moment and kill anyone. The problem really comes, but from a completely different side.
One day, Madrigal is attacked by unknown creatures. Their cannons easily break through defenses and their armor makes invaders invulnerable. It turns out these are alliance fighters – the UN Security Council warned of the threat of their invasion, but locals viewed the aliens as part of the propaganda.
A detachment of Spartans, led by the Master Chief, immediately comes to the rescue. Heroes crush enemies, but don’t have time to save the inhabitants. Only a teenage girl survived, who will soon become a companion of a warrior in green brand armor.
By the way, the villains didn’t come for the slaughter – they were looking for the Forerunner artifact. As a result, the valuable thing fell into the hands of John-117, aka Master Chief. She immediately aroused strange feelings in him: the hero seemed to remember his childhood.
Now he has one more mission to complete and deliver the artifact to the base along with the young rebel. Chief has another option, however, as he begins to rethink life and think about the meaning of the orders received.
The plot may seem acceptable if not for a few “buts”. Let’s start with the fact that again the screenwriters couldn’t come up with a better synopsis than “a brave hero travels with a young companion.” Sophisticated art connoisseurs have already seen this in the good “The Mandalorian” (The Mandalorian) and games like The last of us and God of war. Can’t Hollywood makers come up with something more original?
Besides, if little Yoda, Atreus, and Ellie were nosy companions, then Kwang Ha is rather repulsive. She is, of course, a pugnacious and courageous girl, but it is impossible to call her character and appearance pleasant. In addition, she often acts as if she is a member of the Suicide Squad and dreams of losing her head as soon as possible.
Another quirk is the sudden transformation of the Master Chief’s character. At first, he is portrayed as a cold and calculating killing machine who blindly follows UN Security Council orders and kills civilians without hesitation. Midway through the episode, however, the viewer will be left stunned with doubts, a fighter willingly violating the very first order.
The changes can be justified by the Chief’s interaction with the artifact, but the presentation isn’t very convincing. I believe that for many viewers, a small vision and mysterious changes in the body do not seem like worthy arguments. Kwan’s existential questions in the spirit of “didn’t try to think with my head” and should not be taken into account at all.
When the rebel asks why John-117 does what he does, the hero replies with a meaningful “don’t know.” Perhaps this sentence perfectly describes the motivation of many characters in the series.
Despite the script problems, however, the Master Chief is not an uninteresting character. Pablo Schreiber is an excellent actor and the role of a Spartan suits him.
At the same time, unlike the Mandalorian, in the first series the Chief takes off his helmet and spends a lot of time without it. The image of this does not crumble, but on the contrary becomes more intriguing. Overall, if you don’t forget that we’re talking about an alternate John from an alternate Halo universe, it’s curious to look at the character.
Master Chief himselfNot all is well with the other characters. For example, Miranda Keys appears as a shy lady who lowers her eyes when confronted by the angry look of a young rebel. She wants to befriend the rebels and cruel orders turn her inner world inside out. Since the character is a second-generation soldier and her parents aren’t the last people in the UNSC, the image doesn’t seem appropriate.
Unambiguously, the creator of the Spartans, Dr. Katherine Halsey, just praise. She seems like a nice girl, but behind her pleasant appearance there is clearly a cruel schemer. She treats the Spartans as property and her actions are understandable and appropriate.
Cortana in the first series really, unfortunately, noHowever, despite the plethora of plot flaws, the first episode finale is intriguing. If there were other series available, I would definitely check them out. It is curious what will happen to the Chief now and how his image will develop. The beginning turned out to be crumpled, but it can not be called a sentence.
Action in Halo
Unfortunately, the action isn’t quite right either. On the one hand, the authors regularly remind that we are talking about a cult universe, trying to please the fans. Display familiar weapons such as assault rifles and energy swords. Enemies that gamers battled more than once. Shields that protect villains and Spartans. And some episodes are even filmed from a first-person view, with a proprietary interface displayed in the helmet.
Considering that the series is filmed expensively, the action is funny in places. The references are recognizable, enemies and civilians are spectacularly blown to pieces, the determination of the Spartans is impressive.
However, when the authors throw the heroes into close combat, the feeling returns that cosplayers are on screen, and not the greatest warriors. Their movements are clumsy, jumps and pirouettes are questionable, and connected fly away from blows, like in Indian movies.
Looking at the stunning Keanu Reeves (Keanu Reeves) in “John Wick” (John Wick), you believe he is a professional assassin. But the Spartans don’t seem like killing machines.
There wasn’t much action in the first series, though, so the staging shouldn’t be judged. Let’s see what happens next.
If you like the Halo universe and fantasy shows on a budget, check out the series of the same name. The important thing is to treat it like a fanfiction and not stick to inconsistencies. Perhaps in the upcoming series the authors will correct the mistakes of the debut series and release something suitable.
Are you going to watch Halo?
Source: VG Times
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.