With that said it was a nice intro if I don't think about that. You'd think at least they would have some lasers or what not. Or some other kind of heavier weapon.
116 Reviews
It has the potential to be a great sci-fi show, but a "great" Halo show, only time will tell
Holt34424 March 2022
Halo follows an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant and the first episode's premise: It's set in the year 2552, humans on the planet Madrigal have been fighting for independence from Earth, but a fatal encounter with the Alien Covenant complicates things. Master Chief John 117 and his super-soldier "Spartans" join the fight. After the battle, Master Chief heads to his home planet of Reach with a Madrigal survivor and a mysterious object he discovered on the planet. But a controversial order has John questioning his mission, and himself. The vast cast of characters, some new made for the show but most exists in the source material. Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a towering genetically-engineered supersoldier known as "Spartan-117", Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, a scientist for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and creator of the Spartan-II Project, Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, a scientist for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and creator of the Spartan-II Project, Jen Taylor as the voice of Cortana, an artificial intelligence (AI) construct modeled on the brain of Dr. Halsey, Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Director of ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence), Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, a UNSC officer and daughter of Jacob Keyes, Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes, a seasoned UNSC commander and confidant of Master Chief's, Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo, an Insurrectionist teenager from the outer colony planet Madrigal, Charlie Murphy as Makee, a human member of Covenant who opposes her own race, Kate Kennedy as Kai-125, Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134 and Natasha Culzac as Riz-028.
The first episode of Halo shows how incredible production design and art design, impressive visual effects, great sound design that fans will be familiar with and good writing, it makes for a great sci-fi show but time will tell if it will be "great" Halo show. Otto Bathurst did a terrific job in the director chair, both in the dramatic and action sequences. I think he did a phenomenal job. Though there were lots of things the first episode did right, I think the writing could have been a lot better, especially the dialogue. The acting is mostly fine, I think it will be better as time and episodes goes by, but I didn't find any bad performances in the episode. Pablo Schreiber is actually great as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Other performances I liked were Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey.
Executive producer Kiki Wolfkill revealed that the series is a standalone story that takes place within its own "Silver Timeline" and that is inspired by the game franchise rather than a continuation, adaptation, or prequel, explaining that they wished to give the two Halo canons a chance to evolve individually to suit their media. For fans of the video game series and books, will they be satisfied with this show? The first episode of a big sci-fi story, myself are one of those fans, and it's a yes and a no. I get why they did that as I would have been pretty angry with some if not a lot of changes that they did as it feels I know the lore. But I'm fine with this TV Show being set in a "Silver Timeline" as it only helps the creators, Kyle Killen and Steven Kane to tell an original story that will bring the massive universe of Halo to new viewers and hopefully new fans, it's a good strategy, but some part of me still wanted a real adaption. But I'm here to stay as I see the potential, the story if handled well in the upcoming episodes, could ultimately become one of the greatest sci-fi shows. It has the potential.
The first episode of Halo shows how incredible production design and art design, impressive visual effects, great sound design that fans will be familiar with and good writing, it makes for a great sci-fi show but time will tell if it will be "great" Halo show. Otto Bathurst did a terrific job in the director chair, both in the dramatic and action sequences. I think he did a phenomenal job. Though there were lots of things the first episode did right, I think the writing could have been a lot better, especially the dialogue. The acting is mostly fine, I think it will be better as time and episodes goes by, but I didn't find any bad performances in the episode. Pablo Schreiber is actually great as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Other performances I liked were Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey.
Executive producer Kiki Wolfkill revealed that the series is a standalone story that takes place within its own "Silver Timeline" and that is inspired by the game franchise rather than a continuation, adaptation, or prequel, explaining that they wished to give the two Halo canons a chance to evolve individually to suit their media. For fans of the video game series and books, will they be satisfied with this show? The first episode of a big sci-fi story, myself are one of those fans, and it's a yes and a no. I get why they did that as I would have been pretty angry with some if not a lot of changes that they did as it feels I know the lore. But I'm fine with this TV Show being set in a "Silver Timeline" as it only helps the creators, Kyle Killen and Steven Kane to tell an original story that will bring the massive universe of Halo to new viewers and hopefully new fans, it's a good strategy, but some part of me still wanted a real adaption. But I'm here to stay as I see the potential, the story if handled well in the upcoming episodes, could ultimately become one of the greatest sci-fi shows. It has the potential.
Pedestrian start, provides a platform
bosporan30 March 2022
Good for an opener, sets the scene well and the raid is a good vehicle for this, it allows the viewer to understand the various factions and their place in the universe. The visual effects are workman-like though there are a few glitches, the acting is satisfactory albeit with some clunky delivery and the plot does the minimum with a few holes, notably around the girl's survival.
Great start of the show
namob-4367325 March 2022
I have never played the game, and I know very little about the lore or story. I watched to check it out since it looked kinda promising and yes, this really delivers. There is no holds bar here with blood, guts, violence, kids being slaughtered. We have aliens, war, spaceships, intrigue, cool weapons, cool characters, great acting. This is a great start of the show and I really want to see more.
So seldom we get very good scify, but this is so promising I really hope it holds up. I give the first episode 9/10 simply because it is not perfect and if would complain about anything I do not think the sound design was top of the line.
Highly recommend this show so far.
So seldom we get very good scify, but this is so promising I really hope it holds up. I give the first episode 9/10 simply because it is not perfect and if would complain about anything I do not think the sound design was top of the line.
Highly recommend this show so far.
Really a great start!
tonymtorres24 March 2022
As a fan of the franchise for more than 10 years, the only thing I can say is that the series is really great, good vfx that rarely goes down, good rhythm and a good script. Realistically, there are a lot of things in video games that were difficult to maintain, and I don't see a big problem with them not following the official lore. I have high expectations for the rest of the season.
What an unexpected and pleasant surprise, the story is actually really good.
maciej-furst24 March 2022
So I entered this episode as a Halo fan from games 1, 2 and 3. All I wanted to see at first really was the battles between UNSC and the covenant and was not expecting the story to be that good due to many failures from various TV shows lately. What happened though was the opposite to what I expected, while the action at the beginning of the episode was good and there were so many easter eggs thrown in from the game, it turned out.. ehh good, but not impressive.
It wasn't as I got through the episode that the way it was directed and the way the story was told was really pulling me in, and it was really building the tension up in all the right ways to the end of the episode. By the end of this episode, I was hooked, hyped and wanted more.
Everything about this show is excellent, CGI, costume design, world design and how the details of the guns, ships and armor feel like they are from the game. The story is good and the feels are right. The only two criticisms is that the CGI movements of spartans and elites feels wrong, and the ballistics from machine guns makes it look like they were using pellet guns when bouncing of the armor. But gotta admit, the SPARTAN armor is perfect, whoever did costume designs deserves a medal.
Really enjoyed this episode and I am hyped for the next one.
It wasn't as I got through the episode that the way it was directed and the way the story was told was really pulling me in, and it was really building the tension up in all the right ways to the end of the episode. By the end of this episode, I was hooked, hyped and wanted more.
Everything about this show is excellent, CGI, costume design, world design and how the details of the guns, ships and armor feel like they are from the game. The story is good and the feels are right. The only two criticisms is that the CGI movements of spartans and elites feels wrong, and the ballistics from machine guns makes it look like they were using pellet guns when bouncing of the armor. But gotta admit, the SPARTAN armor is perfect, whoever did costume designs deserves a medal.
Really enjoyed this episode and I am hyped for the next one.
Don't believe the bad reviews
cthirlby24 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It's very interesting and overall a great pilot to intrigue all viewers. The suits for the Spartans are all practical and look great on screen. The guy playing master chief did really well and looks the part with the voice too. The aliens also look great. Only thing I noticed was a few CGI moments were off but it wasn't enough to warrant bad reviews. Interested to see where it goes.
This show is not for Halo fans
dylanmortiz25 March 2022
If there is anything clearly apparent from this pilot episode, this show will not please long-time fans of Xbox's 20-year old killer app.
This episode did have a promising opening action sequence. However, it is clear that producers were more than willing to take some characters the fans have known and loved for years and compromise those characters for the sake of unnecessary drama.
The producers have also willingly made a choice to completely alienate a dedicated fan-base in an attempt to reach a wider audience with, what is my opinion, a B-rated version of a franchise that is already beloved by millions. It's almost like this show was written, directed, and produced by a group of people who were given a description of Halo by a 12-year old.
And while I think the show will do a decent job at intriguing those who are completey unfamiliar with the franchise, it's done so at the expense of the fanbase it was built on.
Between a significant (and may I say unnecessary) change to the Covenant, significant changes to the Master Chief as a character, and a major retcon of the history of the Spartan II's for the sake of unprompted characterization, this show is cleary not made for fans by any means.
That being said, it is the first episode, and there is a lot of room for improvement. Don't be mistaken, there were definitely several things I think are great (mainly the look of the Covenant, High Charity, Mjolnir Armor), but I think this show will fail its fanbase with the direction it is currently heading.
I hope 343 and the producers will prove me wrong in the long run. Overall, a very mediocre start.
This episode did have a promising opening action sequence. However, it is clear that producers were more than willing to take some characters the fans have known and loved for years and compromise those characters for the sake of unnecessary drama.
The producers have also willingly made a choice to completely alienate a dedicated fan-base in an attempt to reach a wider audience with, what is my opinion, a B-rated version of a franchise that is already beloved by millions. It's almost like this show was written, directed, and produced by a group of people who were given a description of Halo by a 12-year old.
And while I think the show will do a decent job at intriguing those who are completey unfamiliar with the franchise, it's done so at the expense of the fanbase it was built on.
Between a significant (and may I say unnecessary) change to the Covenant, significant changes to the Master Chief as a character, and a major retcon of the history of the Spartan II's for the sake of unprompted characterization, this show is cleary not made for fans by any means.
That being said, it is the first episode, and there is a lot of room for improvement. Don't be mistaken, there were definitely several things I think are great (mainly the look of the Covenant, High Charity, Mjolnir Armor), but I think this show will fail its fanbase with the direction it is currently heading.
I hope 343 and the producers will prove me wrong in the long run. Overall, a very mediocre start.
A Surprisingly Good Start
eaj-943-87490524 March 2022
When it comes to video game adaptations there are very few that are any good. As a massive Halo fan I wasn't expecting much from this show. None of the trailers did a good job of getting me excited and so I didn't feel a great desire to watch the first episode. But here I am.
I'd say this is a really good pilot episode. In terms of scale and world building, this episode introduces a lot, but I feel some things should have been kept for later episodes. The action is very good as well, surprisingly gory too. The acting was what I was most skeptical about, but for the most parts everyone is solid in their roles. I'm interested in how the story plays out from here and I hope it can remain consistent in quality.
I'd say this is a really good pilot episode. In terms of scale and world building, this episode introduces a lot, but I feel some things should have been kept for later episodes. The action is very good as well, surprisingly gory too. The acting was what I was most skeptical about, but for the most parts everyone is solid in their roles. I'm interested in how the story plays out from here and I hope it can remain consistent in quality.
Much better than I expected
psychoticblobfish24 March 2022
As a massive fan of the Halo universe, I had heard a lot about this show before it came out that had me really skeptical. But I've got to say, this was a pretty solid first episode that assuaged some of my biggest worries and I'm excited to see where the story goes as the season continues.
Pablo Schreiber was great as Chief, and his character's interactions with Kwan were a highlight of the episode for me. The action was also (mostly) well done despite some bad CGI here and there.
However, the one thing that still bothers me is the human being raised by the Covenant. Hopefully the show will be able to justify this because right now I think it's pretty dumb. I really hope this new character isn't just a cheap replacement for the Arbiter.
Pablo Schreiber was great as Chief, and his character's interactions with Kwan were a highlight of the episode for me. The action was also (mostly) well done despite some bad CGI here and there.
However, the one thing that still bothers me is the human being raised by the Covenant. Hopefully the show will be able to justify this because right now I think it's pretty dumb. I really hope this new character isn't just a cheap replacement for the Arbiter.
Mostly very good. 👍Production quality👍
kariverson24 March 2022
I have not played the games unfortunately did not own an Xbox so I'm going in this with a fresh eye, although I absolutely understand the game fans expecting an actual game adaptation instead of a series looking like the game with different characters.
Despite a couple dodgy CGI moments and the Chevy blazer 500 years in the future 😆 Production quality was absolutely exceptional! Haven't seen sets and costumes look that real in ages. Especially in Sci-fi.
Yeah every person with power was a woman, and body positivity of color ones, yeah they made another good looking Asian woman look awful for no reason. And script/dialog were subpar. I can only imagine how good it could have been without that crap.
Seriously enjoyed the sets and costumes though. Metal looked metal wood looked wood and rock looked rock. I hated how in the Witcher everything looked like styrofoam.
Despite a couple dodgy CGI moments and the Chevy blazer 500 years in the future 😆 Production quality was absolutely exceptional! Haven't seen sets and costumes look that real in ages. Especially in Sci-fi.
Yeah every person with power was a woman, and body positivity of color ones, yeah they made another good looking Asian woman look awful for no reason. And script/dialog were subpar. I can only imagine how good it could have been without that crap.
Seriously enjoyed the sets and costumes though. Metal looked metal wood looked wood and rock looked rock. I hated how in the Witcher everything looked like styrofoam.
Nice start for this live action adaptation of the Halo franchise, however it could be better.
fciocca25 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I have never made a review for a single episode of a TV show, I prefer to write my opinion only when the season is fully aired. However, being a huge fan of Halo, and considering the enormous hype that I had for this live action adaptation, I have decided to make an exception.
The pilot is pretty solid: visual effects are overall faithful to the original work material, the Spartans and the Covenant just look good on screen. At the very beginning there are a lot of gruesome and violent images that I was not expecting, but I am glad that creators decided to be explicit. The plot is set during the war between humanity and aliens and unfortunately it is perfectly normal to see disturbing actions. There are a few clunky animations and a few special effects that are not perfected, for sure not the best CGI that I have watched in a series but it is overall good enough to immerse me in the story.
The pilot generates a lot of mystery around John aka Masterchief Spartan 117, and I am really looking forward to knowing more about his past and what he will do in the next episodes. I personally liked the choice to reveal his face since episode one, I think he makes him more human. I liked the character of Kwan that, if properly developed, can be a nice addition to the story. Do not like what they did with Captain Keyes and her daughter. Do not understand why they needed to change their ethnicity, while in the original games they are both white. Anyway, a small detail that I can easily forgive. The most important part is that the plot will continue to be engaging and interesting.
The pilot is pretty solid: visual effects are overall faithful to the original work material, the Spartans and the Covenant just look good on screen. At the very beginning there are a lot of gruesome and violent images that I was not expecting, but I am glad that creators decided to be explicit. The plot is set during the war between humanity and aliens and unfortunately it is perfectly normal to see disturbing actions. There are a few clunky animations and a few special effects that are not perfected, for sure not the best CGI that I have watched in a series but it is overall good enough to immerse me in the story.
The pilot generates a lot of mystery around John aka Masterchief Spartan 117, and I am really looking forward to knowing more about his past and what he will do in the next episodes. I personally liked the choice to reveal his face since episode one, I think he makes him more human. I liked the character of Kwan that, if properly developed, can be a nice addition to the story. Do not like what they did with Captain Keyes and her daughter. Do not understand why they needed to change their ethnicity, while in the original games they are both white. Anyway, a small detail that I can easily forgive. The most important part is that the plot will continue to be engaging and interesting.
Spits in the face of the source material.
Mecte24 March 2022
It started off well and then completely fell apart. In the very first episode. It feels like they're using Halo as a crutch in order to frame something else they wanted to make. A convenient way of fleshing out a cookie cutter story that is told in an entirely different manner than what you'd find in any of the games, and breaking some of the cardinal rules of Halo's storytelling in the process.
It's not badly made, it's just not what a Halo story should be.
It's not badly made, it's just not what a Halo story should be.
I'm not a Gamer, but I love SciFi action!
dave42c25 March 2022
Wow just Wow!
bishopokullu24 March 2022
Rock solid first episode
b-toshkov26 March 2022
It was rushed at the end
sagar-swapna27 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Good start to first episode, nice action little bit of spartan, CGI was good but character movements were patchy. Now why I feel the episode was a bit rushed at the 2nd half because creators did not give enough time for the visions to get control of a strong soldier like master chief it was instant there were no other supporting build up so we are like is it that easy ? Secondly UNSC before deciding to kill Kwan ha was like there was no back up plan for such a big organization. Killing her should have been the last resort and that should hve been built up. Thirdly master chief should not have taken off his helmet in the very first episode it just sounds so weird it takes away the mystery from the character. I hope they build this up strongly. Im up for some space face off.
Impressive effect quality first episode
snorre_fjellvang26 March 2022
The details in suits, ships, cgi etc is pretty impressive. The monsters movement could be better at parts but quite good.
I have only played the first and sexond halo but dont remember much.
I dont think its well known for its story, but rather the simple fun gameplay.
The main characters in this show all seem alright , but i have huge problems with the doctor, as just the look and script for the character seems poorly made-could be much better.
Going to be interesting to see what they get out of it , and if they can make it deeper and cooler than just shallow stuff we seen before.
I have only played the first and sexond halo but dont remember much.
I dont think its well known for its story, but rather the simple fun gameplay.
The main characters in this show all seem alright , but i have huge problems with the doctor, as just the look and script for the character seems poorly made-could be much better.
Going to be interesting to see what they get out of it , and if they can make it deeper and cooler than just shallow stuff we seen before.
It's not bad
chocolatewumbo25 March 2022
I've been a Halo fan for a long time. I watched this premiere with low, LOW expectations, because video game adaptations to film or television don't usually work out. While I can't say if the show is good yet, I can tell you the premiere was solid, all things considered.
There were some moments that were a little iffy dialogue-wise. But overall, the various storylines were entertaining. I think Halo has a rich universe, which means that it's capable of telling good stories on TV, even if they're strictly non-canon. The show functions as another take on the Halo universe, and it is quite a rich universe. I'm excited to see what they do with it!
There were some moments that were a little iffy dialogue-wise. But overall, the various storylines were entertaining. I think Halo has a rich universe, which means that it's capable of telling good stories on TV, even if they're strictly non-canon. The show functions as another take on the Halo universe, and it is quite a rich universe. I'm excited to see what they do with it!
Good, but cheesy start
TheFirst0124 March 2022
Without knowing anything about the lore, this episode starts off with very minor buildup. Expected in a pilot episode, but the great pilots have more buildup, I can even use for example Mandalorian's first episode. The action was good, but it felt very cheesy. Scale was much better in the end than in the opening battle. Gore was good, and should be used more as the show goes on (didn't expect to be tv-ma if it is). Episode felt a lot like a CBS show+Star Wars, but with Halo lore. In terms of standouts I would have to go with Schreiber as Master Chief. Although it has okay casting from what I've seen, some of the writing clearly weren't given much effort. Final 5 minutes was also a positive leaving us wanting to see more and we hope they deliver. This episode gets a 7.6/10 for me. 8 episodes left.
Beyond expected
petruccij24 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
My expectations weren't really high on this one but it defintely was a surprise, a nice one at that.
I do have some issues with the Chief showing so much personality this early on the series, as well as the human on the covenant acting superior to the prophets (at least to Mercy).
CGI looks great and the acting isn't bad at all, the story looks promising. I'm looking forward to the rest of the episodes.
I do have some issues with the Chief showing so much personality this early on the series, as well as the human on the covenant acting superior to the prophets (at least to Mercy).
CGI looks great and the acting isn't bad at all, the story looks promising. I'm looking forward to the rest of the episodes.
Well I actually quite liked the first episode.
hugemon5525 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Spoilers for Ep1 ahead.
1. Story
Well it doesn't follow the preestablished timeline beat to beat but it's not a bad thing if handled well. (I guess we'll see.)
The series gives it more emphasize to UNSC's scummy doings and schism between UNE government and outer colonies. Well UNE in canon lore does have some dark stuff like kidnapping children to make super soldiers and stuff but it is not as more in your face as in the series. Chief having a repressed memory is a cliché but I'll give some benefit of the doubt. It is not clear that all Spartans have childhood memory wiped or only chief's specific memory (seeing the artifact in his childhood vision and stuff) is blocked yet.
Reach is still a thing so I'll look forward to Covenant glassing the planet being a major plot point in future episodes maybe.
2. CGI and visual effects. (and Action)
Most of the models look good but some movement was off. (especially when the Spartans jump and land in the opening action scene.) Well given it's a TV series it's not bad. Maybe more budget for season 2 can help this.
Reimagined interior of Covenant ships I didn't like. Elite's are more similar to 343's reimagining of Elites (as in Halo 4,5) but I don't hate the design. It's a nitpick but I'd liked if the shield effect had more room between the shield and their armor. It looks like sarin wrap.
Well first half of the episode shows many thing Halo fans will be excited about like Spartans against Elite action with various weapons and tactics from the games without inhaling too much 'memberberry fumes. Well call me shallow but I couldn't resist smiling at the all too familiar shield depleted beep and following recharging noise. It's a nitpick but I'd like the pistols sound more like a hand cannon rather that a pop gun.
3. Characters
Chief going AWOL is not improbable given that he did exactly that in canon when they tried to "decommission" Cortana but it is somewhat abrupt given that he's only known the girl for a few hours at most. Maybe interaction with artifact did awaken he's repressed humanity. Then it's somewhat similar to Robocop's arc but canon chief didn't exactly had repressed humanity anymore than hardcore soldier. (Again, we'll see how it goes.) In this aspect removal of helmet happened quite earlier in the season than I've expected but it was well warranted in the story.
The series shows that Reach is still standing so we see other Spartans with Chief during Covenant assault on the outpost. Well they have minimal dialog and interaction but Halsey secretly giving them order to defend John in case regular troops attack him and they accepting the order without question shows that they have deep bond between Spartans beyond simple matter of following orders. (Or maybe they just listen to Halsey rather than UNSC.)
Katherine Halsey is not that different from canon version with singular goal in defending the humanity no matter the cost with sprinkle of personal attachment to John.
They show some secret (and banned) experiment of Halsey and it is a cloned female human being. Maybe Cortana is to be the AI consciousness to be paired to the clone body? We'll see.
Making Miranda Keyes Halsey's daughter is simply dumb and unnecessary but well I didn't hate it either. They changed her from a Naval personnel to a researcher and I don't see why we can just have another character be a researcher who is Halsey's daughter and leave Keyes as is or don't have Keyes in the series. Well maybe they needed to establish some connection between Halsey and Keyes (Jacob) but didn't wanted to delve too much into back story (where Halsey and Keyes travelled around colonies recruiting Spartan candidates and partake in other clandestine black ops stuff) so they just made them a married (or divorced?) couple. Yeah, that makes sense. Kinda. Well.
* Edit : Apparently Miranda IS Halsey's daughter in canon. It is revealed during additional material of Halo : Reach. Well I'm apparently I'm dumb.
I was worried about the girl character (Kwan Ha played by Yerin Ha) but she's not as annoying as usual kid character maybe because she is more like late teen or something like that and given that way that she was raised distrust toward USNC and Spartans are understandable. (Well, canon portraits innies as terrorists and it is quite understandable that those innies view UNSC as great evil.)
Covenant having a human captive(?), prophet(?) is simply weird but I'll give them a benefit of a doubt and see where they go from here. But I'm deeply worried.
4. Conclusion, some hopes and worries.
Well titles for early reviews for Episode 2 is somewhat worrying (I didn't watched or read through them to avoid spoilers) but I'm willing to give this series a shot. I quite liked what I saw in the first episode and some flaws I can gloss over.
Well, we'll see.
1. Story
Well it doesn't follow the preestablished timeline beat to beat but it's not a bad thing if handled well. (I guess we'll see.)
The series gives it more emphasize to UNSC's scummy doings and schism between UNE government and outer colonies. Well UNE in canon lore does have some dark stuff like kidnapping children to make super soldiers and stuff but it is not as more in your face as in the series. Chief having a repressed memory is a cliché but I'll give some benefit of the doubt. It is not clear that all Spartans have childhood memory wiped or only chief's specific memory (seeing the artifact in his childhood vision and stuff) is blocked yet.
Reach is still a thing so I'll look forward to Covenant glassing the planet being a major plot point in future episodes maybe.
2. CGI and visual effects. (and Action)
Most of the models look good but some movement was off. (especially when the Spartans jump and land in the opening action scene.) Well given it's a TV series it's not bad. Maybe more budget for season 2 can help this.
Reimagined interior of Covenant ships I didn't like. Elite's are more similar to 343's reimagining of Elites (as in Halo 4,5) but I don't hate the design. It's a nitpick but I'd liked if the shield effect had more room between the shield and their armor. It looks like sarin wrap.
Well first half of the episode shows many thing Halo fans will be excited about like Spartans against Elite action with various weapons and tactics from the games without inhaling too much 'memberberry fumes. Well call me shallow but I couldn't resist smiling at the all too familiar shield depleted beep and following recharging noise. It's a nitpick but I'd like the pistols sound more like a hand cannon rather that a pop gun.
3. Characters
Chief going AWOL is not improbable given that he did exactly that in canon when they tried to "decommission" Cortana but it is somewhat abrupt given that he's only known the girl for a few hours at most. Maybe interaction with artifact did awaken he's repressed humanity. Then it's somewhat similar to Robocop's arc but canon chief didn't exactly had repressed humanity anymore than hardcore soldier. (Again, we'll see how it goes.) In this aspect removal of helmet happened quite earlier in the season than I've expected but it was well warranted in the story.
The series shows that Reach is still standing so we see other Spartans with Chief during Covenant assault on the outpost. Well they have minimal dialog and interaction but Halsey secretly giving them order to defend John in case regular troops attack him and they accepting the order without question shows that they have deep bond between Spartans beyond simple matter of following orders. (Or maybe they just listen to Halsey rather than UNSC.)
Katherine Halsey is not that different from canon version with singular goal in defending the humanity no matter the cost with sprinkle of personal attachment to John.
They show some secret (and banned) experiment of Halsey and it is a cloned female human being. Maybe Cortana is to be the AI consciousness to be paired to the clone body? We'll see.
Making Miranda Keyes Halsey's daughter is simply dumb and unnecessary but well I didn't hate it either. They changed her from a Naval personnel to a researcher and I don't see why we can just have another character be a researcher who is Halsey's daughter and leave Keyes as is or don't have Keyes in the series. Well maybe they needed to establish some connection between Halsey and Keyes (Jacob) but didn't wanted to delve too much into back story (where Halsey and Keyes travelled around colonies recruiting Spartan candidates and partake in other clandestine black ops stuff) so they just made them a married (or divorced?) couple. Yeah, that makes sense. Kinda. Well.
* Edit : Apparently Miranda IS Halsey's daughter in canon. It is revealed during additional material of Halo : Reach. Well I'm apparently I'm dumb.
I was worried about the girl character (Kwan Ha played by Yerin Ha) but she's not as annoying as usual kid character maybe because she is more like late teen or something like that and given that way that she was raised distrust toward USNC and Spartans are understandable. (Well, canon portraits innies as terrorists and it is quite understandable that those innies view UNSC as great evil.)
Covenant having a human captive(?), prophet(?) is simply weird but I'll give them a benefit of a doubt and see where they go from here. But I'm deeply worried.
4. Conclusion, some hopes and worries.
Well titles for early reviews for Episode 2 is somewhat worrying (I didn't watched or read through them to avoid spoilers) but I'm willing to give this series a shot. I quite liked what I saw in the first episode and some flaws I can gloss over.
Well, we'll see.
About what you'd expect from a low budget SyFy.
OneTwoPunch28 April 2022
The writing is middling to cheesy. Dialogue even more so. Picture any of the hundreds of generic SyFy shows out there and you'll get a pretty good idea of what this show is. Production quality is somewhere around that of a daytime or early AM TV show you'd find while channel surfing. Some parts of the show look incredible. Some parts look like an amateur YouTube fan film. Most of it lies somewhere in between.
From the first episode, you can tell this show doesn't have much to do with Halo outside of the name. The overall spirit of the world is vastly different. Every single character's core personality and driving motivation is changed dramatically, to the point where they might as well be a different person entirely. In fact, they're polar opposite. Nuanced conflicts between the UNSC and Insurrectionist factions have been reduced to your bog-standard "cartoonishly evil Empire vs plucky rag-tag resistance." There's even some heavy-handed "chosen one," "mind wipe," and "robot learns how to feel" cliches thrown in for good measure. (And I do mean played-straight cliches). Basically it's the plot/setting of every generic SyFy world imaginable smushed together with "Halo" slapped on top. If it weren't for the pelicans and (at times cheap, plastic, and costume looking) Mjolnir armor, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell this was supposed to take place in Halo's universe. The foundational pillars simply aren't there.
Covenant haven't been established as much of a threat so far. (No, shooting up some disorganized rebels and unarmed children, then getting curb-stomped by the military and never spoken of again does not count.) UNSC high command doesn't display much urgency when discussing Covenant matters. They're more of a small, background third-party group of raiders than looming existential doom.
Overall, this show seems to be mostly focused on forced soap opera style interpersonal drama between characters that only share a name with their Halo counterpart. I can already make a pretty good guess where the story is going to go and how it will play out.
(Wait, its budget was WHAT?!)
From the first episode, you can tell this show doesn't have much to do with Halo outside of the name. The overall spirit of the world is vastly different. Every single character's core personality and driving motivation is changed dramatically, to the point where they might as well be a different person entirely. In fact, they're polar opposite. Nuanced conflicts between the UNSC and Insurrectionist factions have been reduced to your bog-standard "cartoonishly evil Empire vs plucky rag-tag resistance." There's even some heavy-handed "chosen one," "mind wipe," and "robot learns how to feel" cliches thrown in for good measure. (And I do mean played-straight cliches). Basically it's the plot/setting of every generic SyFy world imaginable smushed together with "Halo" slapped on top. If it weren't for the pelicans and (at times cheap, plastic, and costume looking) Mjolnir armor, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell this was supposed to take place in Halo's universe. The foundational pillars simply aren't there.
Covenant haven't been established as much of a threat so far. (No, shooting up some disorganized rebels and unarmed children, then getting curb-stomped by the military and never spoken of again does not count.) UNSC high command doesn't display much urgency when discussing Covenant matters. They're more of a small, background third-party group of raiders than looming existential doom.
Overall, this show seems to be mostly focused on forced soap opera style interpersonal drama between characters that only share a name with their Halo counterpart. I can already make a pretty good guess where the story is going to go and how it will play out.
(Wait, its budget was WHAT?!)
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