REVIEW: HALO The Series on Paramount+

 

Oh here we go then

    

    In the early 2000's my mate Lopez asked me to hang out for the weekend. He had a new console with this game called Halo: Combat Evolved. Simply called Halo to us. Within minutes I was hooked. I lined up to grab every sequel since, with Halo Infinite in my sights. Hell when I was a teacher I used Halo novels to encourage a student to improve his reading. An effort so successful that when I met him years later he had the entire library of books, and I was proud to have given him his first two books. I even broke into my short stint reviewing videogames with a review of Halo 4. So please understand I might just have a bias when it comes to this franchise.

Ooooooh that's some quality byline there Dr Seuss

 So when I was told that Paramount was creating a Halo series for their streaming platform I was in a state that could be called 'hyped'. Remember we have had a raft of live action adaptations and screen offerings over the years. From the Believe campaign of adverts, The short film from the director of 'District 9' Neill Blomkamp, 'Forward Unto Dawn', and 'Nightfall'. Creators and audiences had years of material to draw from. In a previous entry I have said that comparison is the thief of joy. So with that in mind I went into my viewing of Paramount+'s offering with a comic reader's mindset. Take for example the Hellboy comics and movies. We have the Mike Mignola comics, the film interpretation of Del Toro, and more recently Neil Marshall. Each with their own distinct styles and each covering the same characters and IP. I wanted to approach this offering with an open mind. Did it work?

Could it live up to what came before it?

    Well I hate to say it, but the answer is both yes and no. What Paramount+ have done is provide an IP adaptation that lands almost perfectly on the visuals of an established franchise, whilst at times completely diverging from the source material. The best way I can describe it would be to say imagine listening to your favourite old record (zoomers take a knee i'm an old man) and you are enjoying the familiar old song and then it jumps on a scratch. You are taken out of the experience but you shrug and continue on with the music again. That is what the Halo series is like to an older fan of the franchise. These metaphorical scratches take the form of divergences from the established universe by the show runners. The show still keeps the core ideas from the Halo franchise. That is that we are in the 26th century and following the conflict of the UNSC and an alien coalition known as the Covenant. However, this is about as close as we are going to stay to the original material. Those tuned into the coverage of this show may have heard the overly 'dramatic' reveal that the show runner, Steven Kane, did not play or talk about the games. He stated they were looking to tell the story of the world in their own way. Kiki Wolfkill, an executive producer for the show, outlined that this is taking place in their own 'Silver team' timeline, and wanted to create 'a separate cannon' for a different medium. Knowing this it does not come as a surprise that these record scratch moments occur. If you are going into this as a grizzled Halo leatherneck then you might be in for a slightly frustrating experience. This is definitely the reaction that I have seen online today. The conflict being that the show has two distinct audiences. Those coming in fresh, and those that have been part of a fandom since 2001. Understandably there is some confusion about why anyone would want to sacrifice the two decades of fandom in order to tell another story and ignore established expectations. I have never seen this kind of thing before.

Did you call?

   

 Ok cheap shots aside there is definitely a point I want to make clear. In modern IP adaptions there seems to be two clear avenues that creators are taking. It is either to be a purist and try to stick to the IP as much as possible, or to take the established IP and use that universe to tell the story they wanted to tell, with the aim of taking it to a different audience. HALO the series is the second. That does not mean it is a bad show, it just means that some fans are going to have those record scratch moments when contradictions arise. Blomkamp, Del Toro, and Marshall seem to have handled the tasks of adapting franchises in the more purist ways. 

    Now it is not all doom and gloom. The show has its bright points. Amongst them the performances of both Pablo Schreiber and Yerin Ha. Schreiber coming off films such as The Manchurian Candidate, and Den of Thieves, he provides a solid rendition of the stalwart spartan. If the series follows the original origin of John 117 then I look forward to seeing him stretch his acting chops in the role. Ha, a relative newcomer with roles in television outings in Troppo, and Reef Break, in her role as the rebel portrays some truly dramatic beats in the opening eighteen minutes. Which were so impactful. I am hoping this pair can build some chemistry as the series progresses. Natascha McElhone as Halsey is another rewarding addition to the roster. I am also looking forward to seeing the work of Danny Sapani and Olive Gray, who play Jacob and Miranda Keyes. Again if the writers lift from the original cannon then there could be some interesting performances to come between these two. 

    So as I stated earlier I believe the best way to approach this series was the comic reader approach I mentioned previously. You have to see this as not a continuation, prequel, or strict adaptation. This is, for better or worse, a creative group taking an existing IP and telling a different story with it. I wont pretend I did not do that thing where you wince and suck air in through my teeth as I wrote that. It is to be blunt still a bizarre choice in my opinion, and a far cry from the days where Peter Schlessel unleashed actors dressed in full Spartan armour to deliver scripts to various studios in 2005 to sell a Halo movie. Paramount has taken a gamble in playing with such an established franchise. So what is my advice. Well you have to ask yourself the question if you are an fan of the Halo videogames. Can you watch a show that is going to contradict, and possibly ignore what you love of Halo in order to tell a different story and create a different cannon? This isn't like watching early Game of Thrones, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Hellboy, or other such strict adaptations. If you can do that then you could possibly have some fun with this show. If you are new to the whole Halo franchise, and you want some more sci fi then I have no doubt this will entertain you. However for those old Halo leathernecks I am sorry you might want to try a different option for getting your Halo fix

The GOAT

    Now I want to discuss some of the first episode and this is what others call the spoiler section. So if you do not want to see spoilers than I suggest you stop here. I'm not joking I am going to ruin some of the first episode so if you do not want spoilers then


    

    Alright there is a bit to go over here and I want to make it clear these may seem nit picky but understand it comes from a place of love. Paramount help me help you. 

1. So you took the helmet off

    Here is where I will shock many of the readers. I am not mad they took the helmet off. We are in a post Book of Boba and Mandalorian world so I realise that actors simply can't keep the damn things on. However, I am severely disappointed from a story perspective that you did it in such an unimpactful and cheap manner. I understand the reasoning of why this happened from the context of the scene. The writers wanted to show trust between Kwan and John. But they botched it. They wanted to show trust and rapport between two characters, whilst humanising the chief and felt showing his face was the only way to do this. Quick question have you never seen V for Vendetta? Look at what Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman were able to do with their film portrayals. It seems like a serious lost opportunity to really add something to your show. The potential to allow Pablo to attempt more from behind the helmet. The early scene between Kwan and John with his attempts to joke about food were what I thought was the beginning of such a build up, and yet it is almost immediately removed. You need to trust your actors and the audience more than you did.

    This could have all been done whilst keeping the helmet on. In fact by doing it so early into the series you have robbed it of a chance of greater emotional impact. You could have spent the first season playing with his distance from Kwan as the pair travel through the show. Moreover seeing Kwan see John's humanity in spite of the distance caused by him being so cut off. You could have teased his face the same way they do in Star Wars with Darth Vader, building towards that famous face reveal. Seriously it would have have far more impact. Imagine this scene instead. We have followed the pair for a whole season. Chief takes a hard hit and is down. Kwan stands over him framed with a POV shot from John's HUD you see Kwan's reaction as she removes the helmet and sees John then you show John's face. This comes after multiple episodes that hint at what he looks like, building the audience's anticipation and interest. However, nope episode one it was. All I can say is 

2. LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOOOOOR

    I want to say bravo. Honestly this has to be one of the best depictions of what Covenant weapons will have on the people. This scene was so amazingly perfect in its sudden brutality and the terror of the unknown.  This is what I mean when I praise the visual aspects of this show and I really hope you continue to show these frantic combat scenes. Although I have heard that episode two dips off dramatically. You definitely need to build on the Silver Team interactions. You need to show the coordination of the Spartans in the field. 

    I do have one minor gripe. You have nailed the elites. Their presence, and depictions are fantastic. As was the reveal of the Prophet of Mercy. However the one thing I kept thinking was where are the Grunts. Those loveable pieces of cannon fodder. You need to include them. I am really hoping this isn't a sign of limited assets when it comes to the Covenant. This leads me to question if we are going to see other Covenant races. Remember they are called elites because they are ELITE not cannon fodder. 

These are a few of my favourite things...

3. A fandom divided 

    I have said multiple times in this piece that there are two distinct target audiences. The new comers and the established fanbase. I have read, and now seen, what you were aiming to do with this show. I just want to note that you are in for a divided fanbase and this will probably see you experience what the last three episodes of Star Wars have experienced with the rifts in fanbase. I cannot understand why, but it is done now. I am going to join along for the ride and see how it all washes out. 

It will be fine trust ussssssss