Wow - not just enjoyable, but thoroughly so.
I've never played the games and knew nothing about Halo except that Master Chief is a super solider and Cortana is that hologram AI girl. The closest I've come to playing Halo is making my Waze GPS use Master Chief's voice. It's fun hearing MC give me directions and warn me about police ("Police ahead. Did you call for backup?").
I watched this just to see what all of the possible fuss may have been about. I was expecting a cheesy, hammy, tawdry series that took itself too seriously and dropped in tired tropes most people are exhausted by.
What I got was the complete opposite. This series is exceptional - that is to say, the exception. A mediocre series would have taken itself too seriously, relied on characters with little motivation or reasons for doing what they do, or tried to dumb down its message to benefit a lazy, distracted audience. Michael Bay, take notes.
Halo avoids all of this and delivers on every level. The lead actor is fantastic as John-117 and his supporting crew are believable tough, no-nonsense and you really like them. But the writers also kept a great balance between characters, their emotions, motivations and differing philosophies.
Then there is Cortana - probably one of my favorite characters. I got to see an AI programmed for a purpose evolving through the film into a sensitive, precocious, and nurturing being. Watch the color of her eyes change and the play of emotion across her face as she witnesses John and another character get intimate. She gets sassy with 117 in one scene which got me a great belly laugh.
The episodes are rife with little touches like this and make for some very satisfying, healthy, and wonderful writing. The quality reminded me of what James Cameron puts out - very clear, and logical progression of stories with strongly defined characters who make decisions because they make sense within their purview of morality.
I rarely give movies or shows a 10 rating, but Halo deserves it, hands down. It hits all of the right notes for a thoroughly entertaining, exciting, believable journey of a warrior bred (literally) for emotionless battle into a heroic and human story. I may even watch the entire thing again.
I watched this just to see what all of the possible fuss may have been about. I was expecting a cheesy, hammy, tawdry series that took itself too seriously and dropped in tired tropes most people are exhausted by.
What I got was the complete opposite. This series is exceptional - that is to say, the exception. A mediocre series would have taken itself too seriously, relied on characters with little motivation or reasons for doing what they do, or tried to dumb down its message to benefit a lazy, distracted audience. Michael Bay, take notes.
Halo avoids all of this and delivers on every level. The lead actor is fantastic as John-117 and his supporting crew are believable tough, no-nonsense and you really like them. But the writers also kept a great balance between characters, their emotions, motivations and differing philosophies.
Then there is Cortana - probably one of my favorite characters. I got to see an AI programmed for a purpose evolving through the film into a sensitive, precocious, and nurturing being. Watch the color of her eyes change and the play of emotion across her face as she witnesses John and another character get intimate. She gets sassy with 117 in one scene which got me a great belly laugh.
The episodes are rife with little touches like this and make for some very satisfying, healthy, and wonderful writing. The quality reminded me of what James Cameron puts out - very clear, and logical progression of stories with strongly defined characters who make decisions because they make sense within their purview of morality.
I rarely give movies or shows a 10 rating, but Halo deserves it, hands down. It hits all of the right notes for a thoroughly entertaining, exciting, believable journey of a warrior bred (literally) for emotionless battle into a heroic and human story. I may even watch the entire thing again.
- fostersforums
- Jun 28, 2023