Focal Point Reviews turn the spotlight onto various TV series, to show the reader the foundational aspects of television, and how those various building blocks form its identity.
Logline
Halo is a video game franchise that holds near and dear to my heart. When I first saw the announcement of a live-action series during E3 2013, my excitement levels reached to the stars. Legendary filmmaker, Steven Spielberg, was originally set to be the showrunner. With his longtime experience in the sci-fi and action genres, there was nothing more a Halo fan could ask for. Knowing that one of the greatest filmmakers was helming a live-action adaptation of a beloved gaming franchise was reassuring. Unfortunately, those plans did not last long, as the show went through many years of development hell. It seemed like the show was dead in the water, until Showtime and Paramount partnered to produce it. Nearly nine years later the “global hit” show released its first season, but at what cost? Was it worth finishing this fight?
Narrative
The narrative structure of Halo left me scratching my head multiple times. The writers establish that the Master Chief is the main protagonist. Everything from the keystone artifact, the melodrama of the UNSC, and the conflict with the Covenant revolves around him. Despite the emphasis of Chief being the most important character, the plot shifts to a subplot about an entirely different character, Kwan. She is a rebel fighter from the desert planet Madrigal, where the show spends most of its time. Her adventure ultimately amounts to nothing as it ends before we even reach the finale. It felt like the writers completely forget she existed. When we return to the main plot, Master Chief is busy uncovering the truth about the Spartan program and taking off his armor every chance he gets. He discovers that every Spartan soldier has a regulator chip that tempers every emotions. Chief decides to remove his chip and he feels emotions for the first time. Shortly after, Chief makes terrible decisions such as losing his virginity with an enemy spy and even attempts to murder one of his superiors. Narrative choices like these left me feeling disappointed. Thankfully, this series isn’t canon because it’s outright disrespectful to long time fans of the video games and novels. The showrunners incompetence is shown on full display as they decided to throw away two decades of cherished lore for their own vision of Halo. If anything, this is a great example of exactly what to avoid when writing a television series and an adaptation.
Performances
Pablo Schreiber stars as our lead role, the Master Chief. From what little he was given to work with, his performance was good, however, I disliked this portrayal of Chief. Charlie Murphy plays the lead antagonist, Makee, a Covenant spy. Murphy is a great actress and she was severely underutilized with this one-dimensional character. Of course, it would not be Halo without Jen Taylor voicing as Cortana and thankfully she reprises her role from the games. Although, the most notable performances were from Kate Kennedy as Spartan Kai, Natasha McElhone as Doctor Halsey, and Danny Sapani as Captain Keyes. All three of their performances gave me hope that the season would improve, but not even the best actors could save this mess.
Visual Effects
Having strong visual effects is important for creating a convincing sci-fi universe. With great disappointment, I’m here to report that the VFX in Halo are lackluster. Most of the action sequences feel lifeless as the computer generated Spartans and Covenant fight over green screened landscapes. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if the CGI looked better, however, it rarely surpassed the quality of the average fan film. Practical effects are necessary to add a sense of reality. To put it simply, Halo fans deserve better. Here’s to hoping that season two has real locations and practical action sequences.
Wrapping Up
When you first saw Paramount’s Halo, were you blinded by its mediocrity? The first few episodes were decent enough to keep me interested, but as the show progressed it withered apart. I’m baffled that some of these creative choices were allowed to be made. The season finale left speechless in the worst way possible. It will be incredibly difficult for the writers to reroute their course in season two. If you’re a Halo fan you will likely hate it, but if you seek a mediocre sci-fi romp look no further.
Check out my previous review here.
